Gingerbread Pear Cake with Caramel Drizzle

I’m happy to be back at it although the time off from cooking, baking, photographing, editing, writing and blogging has been a welcome reprieve. In case you don’t know, each recipe from idea to post takes anywhere from 3-5 hours to complete – and that’s AFTER the recipe itself has been worked out and tested, often multiple times. It’s been a commitment to keep this up for as long as I have.

I figured I’d come back strong. And, by strong I mean with caramel. Because what would fall be without all kinds of warm, comforting spices topped with rich, creamy caramel? Apples are a favorite but for myself, so are pears. I love that pears are the softer version of tree fruit.

Sometimes apples can be too extra for me – extra hard, extra crunchy, extra tart. You get it. I’m not always a fan of apples. But pears? I don’t think I’ve met a pear I don’t like.

For this recipe, I used organic Red Bartlett that I got at the Farmer’s Market. It’s always a treat to have pears that are clean and not full of harmful pesticides – especially because their skins are so thin. While I try to eat organic as much as possible, not every variety is available in an organic version.

I wanted to create something that was quintessentially fall and I think I nailed it. The gingerbread is just heavy enough to complement the soft, sweet flavor of the pears. The caramel gives it a sugary boost and when paired with coffee, it’s just delightful.

I was also pleasantly surprised how much rise I got in the cake with the molasses and baking soda combo. It really rises, so much so that you may need to trim off some of the dome in order to turn it upside down onto a serving plate. That’s almost unheard of for gluten-free baked goods.

This cake would make a beautiful centerpiece for your holiday table. While I calculated that it would serve ten, the pieces slice so nicely, you could certainly stretch that with smaller, thinner pieces. It’s perfectly satisfying no matter what size piece you have.