Upside-Down Pear Gingerbread Cake

Name: Upside-Down Pear Gingerbread Cake
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 8 servings.
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons butter; 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar; 2 medium Bosc pears, peeled and thinly sliced; CAKE:; 1/2 cup 2% milk; 1 tablespoon cider vinegar; 1 large egg; 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar; 1/3 cup molasses; 1/4 cup butter, melted; 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon ground ginger; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves; Whipped cream, optional

The aroma of baking gingerbread stirs up such warm memories. This one looks festive and is even on the lighter side. —Nancy Beckman, Helena, Montana

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 medium Bosc pears, peeled and thinly sliced
CAKE:
1/2 cup 2% milk
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 large egg
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup molasses
1/4 cup butter, melted
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Whipped cream, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; stir in brown sugar. Spread over bottom of a greased 9-in. round baking pan. Arrange pears over top.
For cake, mix milk and vinegar; let stand 5 minutes. In a large bowl, beat egg, brown sugar, molasses, melted butter and milk mixture until well blended. In another bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, salt and cloves; gradually beat into molasses mixture. Spoon carefully over pears.
Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream, if desired.

Nutrition Facts

1 slice: 331 calories, 11g fat (7g saturated fat), 51mg cholesterol, 348mg sodium, 56g carbohydrate (37g sugars, 2g fiber), 4g protein.

Originally published as Pear Upside Down Gingerbread in Taste of Home November 2014

Reviews

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Average Rating:

LindaS_WI

Oct 8, 2018

I've been a huge fan of gingerbread ever since I was a little girl. When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. It turned out so well I had to make another for the following evening. Moist, caramely and with all the flavors of gingerbread, I'm hooked on this dessert. It's even great for breakfast, if you have any leftover.
KNewberg

Feb 12, 2017

The gingerbread pear cake was so easy to make, and it was moist and delicious (even the little bit that remained the next day). My husband loved it! It was especially good while warm, served with fresh whipped cream. I used a convection oven, and only had to bake it for about 20-25 minutes. This recipe is definitely a winner, one of the best I've ever tried, and I'll be making it again in the future.
PrplMonky5

Jan 8, 2017

This cake came out perfectly. I did everything as written, except used whole milk. I thought the pears I used were medium sized but there was a lot more pear on top than what the image shows (which wasn't a problem because it was YUMMY). I did have a small issue with the baking though. I baked it for about 20 min (my oven runs a bit hot), and it was still VERY jiggly. I put it back in for an additional 5. After that the middle was still a bit gooey, so I poked some holes in the middle with a fork and I covered it with aluminum foil, then baked it for an additional 5 min. It came out PERFECT. The pear wasn't overpowering at all, and complemented the gingerbread really well. The cake itself wasn't overly spicy either. It was so pretty and so yummy, even my extremely picky 4 year old ate some. I'll be making this again.
ChocolateEE

Oct 26, 2016

Only thing wrong with this recipe is that it only makes one cake. Seriously, best gingerbread I ever tasted. Perfect as is and I liked it better without the whipped cream. Really tasted the butter then. I used red pears with peel on for color. Made me look good! Definate keeper and repeater.
sgronholz

Sep 7, 2016

This recipe is amazing! It's very easy to prepare, looks impressive, and tastes great! We raise our own pears, so I know I'll be making this recipe again and again!