"Triple cream!? Come on!"
"Barbecue chipotle!? Ohhhhh shit!"
She is like the locally sourced version of the four-on-the-floor capitalism club music they play at cheap clothing chains to get you SO PUMPED for buying. It works. I swear I would buy all the groats that bulk bin has to offer if it would please this woman.
And how she appears to feel is exactly how I feel whenever a guest post from Sabra shows up in my email. "Pear gingerbread upside-down cake!? Girl, yes!"
It’s true, I love making upside-down cakes (see my Peach Cornmeal Lavender Upside-Down Cake post). They never fail to look impressive, although they are deceptively easy. This recipe is no exception. The trick lies in using a well-seasoned cast-iron pan. I have made this cake many times, most recently for a Christhanukkahmus celebration with my partner. Although we had our fair share of it for dessert, I brought the leftovers to two other events the following week, where it received rave reviews. This is truly a delicious recipe. The pears become caramelized, perfectly complementing the gingerbread cake underneath. The leftovers are also nice for breakfast, alongside a steaming cup of coffee. The recipe comes from Epicurious, one of my go-to websites for cooking (and baking) inspiration. It originates from my favorite magazine Gourmet (may you rest in peace, dear foodie magazine!). Enjoy!
Topping:
2 ½ firm Bosc pears, cored and cut into 8 wedges each
½ stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
¾ cup packed brown sugar
Cake:
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp salt
1 cup molasses
1 cup boiling water
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
For the topping, melt the butter in a 10-12 inch cast-iron skillet over moderate heat until the foam subsides. (Note: as I emphasized in my last upside-down cake post, using a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet is a must! Otherwise the cake will stick when you try to invert it). Reduce the heat to low, and sprinkle the brown sugar over the bottom of the skillet. Cook it, undisturbed, for 3 minutes (not all of the sugar will be melted). Arrange the pears decoratively over the sugar and cook them, undisturbed, for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
For the cake, preheat the oven to 350˚F. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together the molasses and boiling water in a separate small bowl. Beat together the butter, brown sugar, and egg in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Then alternately mix in the flour mixture and molasses in three batches at low speed until smooth.
Pour the batter over the topping in the skillet, spreading it evenly. Be careful not to disturb the pears! Bake the cake in the middle of the oven until a tester comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.
Cool the cake in the skillet on a rack for 5 minutes. Then run a thin knife around the edge of the skillet. Invert a large plate with a lip over the skillet. Use pot holders to hold the skillet and plate tightly together while inverting the cake onto the plate. (Note: an extra pair of hands can be useful for the inverting process). Replace any pears that stick to the skillet.
Serve the cake warm or at room temperature, with vanilla ice cream on the side.
Topping:
2 ½ firm Bosc pears, cored and cut into 8 wedges each
½ stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
¾ cup packed brown sugar
Cake:
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp salt
1 cup molasses
1 cup boiling water
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
For the topping, melt the butter in a 10-12 inch cast-iron skillet over moderate heat until the foam subsides. (Note: as I emphasized in my last upside-down cake post, using a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet is a must! Otherwise the cake will stick when you try to invert it). Reduce the heat to low, and sprinkle the brown sugar over the bottom of the skillet. Cook it, undisturbed, for 3 minutes (not all of the sugar will be melted). Arrange the pears decoratively over the sugar and cook them, undisturbed, for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
For the cake, preheat the oven to 350˚F. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together the molasses and boiling water in a separate small bowl. Beat together the butter, brown sugar, and egg in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Then alternately mix in the flour mixture and molasses in three batches at low speed until smooth.
Pour the batter over the topping in the skillet, spreading it evenly. Be careful not to disturb the pears! Bake the cake in the middle of the oven until a tester comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.
Cool the cake in the skillet on a rack for 5 minutes. Then run a thin knife around the edge of the skillet. Invert a large plate with a lip over the skillet. Use pot holders to hold the skillet and plate tightly together while inverting the cake onto the plate. (Note: an extra pair of hands can be useful for the inverting process). Replace any pears that stick to the skillet.
Serve the cake warm or at room temperature, with vanilla ice cream on the side.
0 comments:
Post a Comment