Name: Upside-down gingerbread cake with pears
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 115 millilitre milk; 60 gram butter; 100 gram standard flour; pinch of salt; 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda; 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon ground ginger; 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg; 1 large (size 7) free-range egg, lightly beaten; 120 gram soft brown sugar; 120 gram treacle; ice-cream, whipped cream or crème fraîche, for serving; Topping; 40 gram butter; 100 gram soft brown sugar; 3 ripe small pears, peeled, halved and cored; 8 walnut halves

Upside-down gingerbread cake with pears

This is one of those OMG cakes (the type that make you suck in your breath and say, “Oh my god”). When still warm, the edges are gorgeously crunchy and the crumb is moist. A day after baking the edges have softened but the crumb is even more moist! I used small Honey Belle pears, which were on the point of ripening – just perfect.

Skip to Recipe

Serves 6

Prep

10M

Cook

50M

Total

Ingredients

1 tablespoon lemon juice

115 millilitre milk

60 gram butter

100 gram standard flour

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 large (size 7) free-range egg, lightly beaten

120 gram soft brown sugar

120 gram treacle

ice-cream, whipped cream or crème fraîche, for serving

Topping

40 gram butter

100 gram soft brown sugar

3 ripe small pears, peeled, halved and cored

8 walnut halves

Method

1.Line a 20cm diameter cake tin with baking paper, or a square tin that’s just big enough to fit 6 pear halves. Preheat the oven to 180°C (regular).

2.To make the topping, melt the butter in a saucepan over a gentle heat, Add the sugar and cook, stirring, until smooth. Pour into the tin. Arrange the pears in the tin cut side down with walnut halves between them.

3.To make the cake, stir the lemon juice into the milk and set aside. Melt the butter and leave to cool for 5 minutes. Sift the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and the spices into a bowl.

4.Lightly beat the egg with a fork in a bowl or jug, then mix in the lemon and milk mixture, melted butter, sugar and treacle.

5.Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the liquid and beat together for 1 minute until smooth. Pour the batter over the pears in the tin.

6.Bake for 40-50 minutes in the preheated oven, until a good deep golden brown and slightly springy to the touch; the centre should still be a fraction wobbly. Cool in the tin for 20 minutes.

7.Cover the tin with a serving plate, then flip, lift off the plate and peel off the paper. Serve warmish with ice- cream, whipped cream or crème fraîche.

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