spiced pear cake

Pear Gingerbread Cake

Boldly spiced and subtly sweet, this snacking cake is perfect for afternoon tea on a chilly fall day.

Ingredients

• 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus additional for the pan
• 1/2 cup Lyle's Golden Syrup or honey ((used honey)
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (I used organic muscavado)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 Tablespoons ground ginger (I used half fresh, half dried)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 2 Bosc pears, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch square or equivalent pan.
2. In a small sacuepan, melt together the butter, syrup, and brown sugar over low heat. Gently stir to combine as the mixture melts. Set aside.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture and combine with a few strokes of a wooden spoon, taking care not to overmix.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and yogurt. Add the egg mixture to the batter, and gently combine. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
5. Lay the pears on top of the batter in a pinwheel shape. Bake until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the cake, 30 to 35 minutes

Notes

Store tightly wrapped at room temperature. This cake gets better on the second and even third day.
Wisely, Alana calls for a 9x9 inch pan. I only had 8x8 and the baking temperature was longer than usual, which made the edges of the cake dry out slightly. Go with 9x9!

Recipe found here.