2000s Recipes + Menus

Dark Gingerbread Pear Cake

Makes1 (9-inch) cake
  • Active time:20 min
  • Start to finish:1 hr
October 2008
Fresh ginger and pear infuse a robust old-world favorite with newfound vibrancy.
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup molasses (not robust or blackstrap)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup grated peeled ginger
  • 1 Bosc pear

  • Accompaniment:

    whipped cream
  • Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch cake pan, knocking out excess.
  • Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt.
  • Melt butter with water.
  • Beat together brown sugar and molasses with an electric mixer until combined. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well. Beat in flour mixture at low speed until just combined. Add butter mixture and ginger, beating just until smooth. Pour into cake pan.
  • Peel pear and cut into 3/4-inch pieces. Scatter over batter. Bake until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool slightly.
Cooks’ note: We’ve also got a web-exclusive recipe using the leftover molasses.

Recipe by Maggie Ruggiero

Photograph by Romulo Yanes

Keywords
maggie ruggiero,
buy this make that,
quick kitchen,
ginger,
pear

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