ginger pear upside-down cake.

I bookmarked this recipe so long ago that I can't remember how I got to it; originally from the Macrina Bakery & Café Cookbook, this cake is delicious.

Darkly sweet from the molasses and brown sugar, it's rich without being cloying - the perfect complement to the cinnamon and pears on top. I had just one problem with this recipe: overflow. The instructions said that the pan would be full, which it definitely was. About 15 minutes into baking, I started to smell burnt molasses and raced into the kitchen to find cake batter spilling over into my oven. Oops. I slid a baking sheet onto the lower rack, opened my windows, and followed my practiced routine of standing on the arm of my chair and fanning vigorously with the Illustrated Blake in front of my smoke detector. Next time, I'll just leave out some of the batter to save my oven and to avoid chipping away at this to get it out of the pan:


I also managed, while I was peeling the ginger, to flip it out of my hands - it ricocheted off the wall and shot under the oven. (Not to worry, I didn't try to retrieve and reuse it.) This was a very eventful baking experience, but I'm already looking forward to having this cake again!

Ginger Pear Upside-Down Cake
originally from Macrina Bakery & Café Cookbook, via Seattlest, via who-knows-where, adapted slightly

Topping:
2 tbsp. butter, room temp.
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
4 med. ripe pears, peeled, cored, and cut into sixths

Batter:
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp.
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 tbsp. peeled, grated ginger
3 large eggs
2/3 c. molasses
3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. buttermilk


1. Preheat oven to 325F. Butter a 9" springform pan and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.

2. Make topping: combine 2 tbsp. butter, 1/3 c. brown sugar, and cinnamon in small saucepan. Cook over med. heat for about a minute, then pour into springform pan and spread evenly over parchment. Arrange pears in circles as tightly as possible. (I cut a few extras in half and used them to fill in the center.)

3. Make batter: cut butter into pieces and cream with brown sugar on med. speed for 3-5 mins. Add grated ginger and beat 1 min. more, then scrape down sides. Add eggs one at a time, beating on low speed until combined. Slowly pour in molasses and beat until fully incorporated.

4. In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to batter in increments, beginning and ending with flour. Do not overmix. Scrape down bowl and stir gently with rubber spatula, then pour carefully into prepared pan.

5. Bake for 1 h 45 mins., until knife comes out clean. Let cool for 10 mins. on wire rack, then cover top with upside-down plate, release sides, and flip cake onto plate. Lift away base, peel off parchment, and let cool for 30 mins. Serve warm or at room temp.