Back to the Cutting Board

Pear Upside-Down Gingerbread Cake

adapted from Cooking Light ^[1]

Dessert | Yield: 8 or 9-inch cake (8 servings)
Prep time: 25 min | Cook time: 40 min | Total time: 1 hour 25 min

Ingredients

• 3 (about 1 pound) peeled small pears, cored and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 2 tbsp. grated peeled fresh ginger, divided
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 4 tbsp. (2 oz.) butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp. powdered sugar

Process

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Coat a 8×2-inch or 9×2-inch round cake pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle with sugar.

2. 

   Combine sliced pears, 1 tablespoon fresh ginger and lemon juice. Arrange pears in the bottom of pan in a circular pattern.

3. Combine brown sugar and butter in a large mixer bowl. Mix at medium speed until well-blended.
4. Beat in egg. Add buttermilk, molasses, and the remaining 1 tablespoon ginger and mix until blended.
5. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, dry mustard, cloves and nutmeg. Stir the flour mixture into the batter until blended.
6. Pour the mixture over pears. Bake for 40 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool in pan 20 minutes on a wire rack.
7. Place a plate sprinkled with powdered sugar upside down on top of cake pan and invert cake onto plate.

Store in a covered container for up to 3 days.

Nutrition info:

Serving size: 1/8 of the cake
Calories: 244
Fat: 7.1g
Carbohydrates: 43.3g
Fiber: 1.2g
Protein: 3.3g