Sticky Pear Gingerbread Cake

This sticky pear gingerbread cake is easy enough to qualify as a snacking cake but festive enough to make for any holiday fete. The fresh ginger and lemon zest adds zing + brightness, cutting through the decadence of the molasses and toffee sauce, while the grated pear adds tenderness and “partridge in a pear tree” vibes.

Ingredients

For the Pear Gingerbread Cake

4 large eggs

2 unripe bosc pears, about 200 grams, thinly slice remaining pear to top the cake

1 inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled

200 grams neutral oil

255 grams molasses

135 grams light brown sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

Zest of 1 lemon

280 grams all-purpose flour 

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt 

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cardamom

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon of allspice or clove 

For the Sticky Toffee Sauce

240 grams heavy cream or oat milk

213 grams brown sugar

113 grams butter

Pinch of salt

Splash of vanilla paste

For the Pear Gingerbread Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 and line a 9” cake tin with parchment paper.

Whisk your eggs together then grate in the fresh ginger, pear, and lemon zest with a microplane. Whisk to combine. Add your neutral oil, molasses, brown sugar, vanilla and whisk until smooth. 

In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and spices. In two rounds, add your dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, whisking until just combined.

Pour batter into the cake tin and gently fan the remaining pear on top. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

For the Sticky Toffee Sauce

Place the heavy cream, brown sugar, salt and butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat and let the brown sugar dissolve completely, stirring as little as possible to avoid the sugar granules from splashing up the sides of the pan (this will result in a grainy toffee sauce). 

Once it's dissolved, increase the temperature to medium high. 

Avoid stirring too much during the initial stages until the sauce begins to turn color.  Increase the frequency of stirring as the sauce gets browner to prevent burning.  Continue until the sauce is thickened and a dark amber, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla paste. It will thicken as it cools. Generously pour over a slice of cake and enjoy xx