Upside-down Pear and Ginger Cake

The upside-down pear and ginger cake is an original dessert that pairs the sweetness of pears with the spicy kick of ginger. Now I’ll present to you an Italian twist on the recipe that you might enjoy.

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 ripe but still firm pears
• 150 g of soft butter
• 150 g of brown sugar
• 200 g of flour
• 3 eggs
• 80 ml of milk
• 1 sachet of baking powder
• 1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger
• 1 lemon (grated zest)
• A pinch of salt
• Icing sugar (for dusting)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Peel the pears, cut them in half and remove the seeds. Then, slice the pears into slices of about half a centimeter thick.
3. Melt 30 g of butter in a pan, add a bit of brown sugar and the pear slices so they caramelize slightly. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, cream 120 g of soft butter with the remaining brown sugar until fluffy.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, ensuring that each egg is well incorporated before adding the next.
6. Mix in the sifted flour with the baking powder and a pinch of salt, then add the milk, freshly grated ginger, and grated lemon zest.
7. Stir everything until you have a smooth, homogeneous batter.
8. Line a cake tin with parchment paper and arrange the caramelized pear slices on the bottom, then gently pour the batter over the pears.
9. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until the cake is golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
10. Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a serving plate so that the pears are on top.
11. Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Curiosity

The upside-down cake has ancient origins and seems to be a variant of the first fruit cakes created when cooks began to experiment with home ovens. Pears and ginger make a winning pair in many desserts, as ginger, with its spicy and aromatic flavor, cleverly contrasts the sweetness and softness of pears.

I hope you enjoy this delicious cake with a spicy twist!