Honey Glazed Cardamom Ginger Pear Cake

5.0 from 6 reviews

Author: Anita Jacobson

Courses: Desserts

Cuisines: American

Ingredients: Fruits

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 30 mins

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 3 medium-size pears, ripe but firm (Note 1)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 inch ginger, grated
• 5 cardamom pods, crushed
• 2 large-size eggs
• 3/4 cup (150 gram) sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 cup (120 gram) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (8 tablespoon) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup ground almond/almond meal (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit (180 Celsius). Grease the sides of an 8-inch round cake pan. Make sure the pan has a minimum height of 2 inches. The pan in the photos has a 3 inches height.
2. Peel the pears, cut each into two halves, and core to remove seeds. Place pear halves along with honey, grated ginger, and crushed cardamom pods in a frying pan. Cook on medium heat until the honey is boiling. Reduce to a simmer and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Set aside to let the pears steeped in the flavored honey for another 15 minutes.
3. Arrange the pears nicely in the cake pan, with the cut side facing down. Strain the honey into the cake pan, and discard the cardamom pods.
4. In a mixing bowl, beat together eggs, sugar, and vanilla until the color is pale yellow. It should take about 5 minutes with medium speed.
5. Sift in all-purpose flour and salt and fold gently with a spatula. Once you no longer see streaks of flour, stir in melted butter and fold again until uniform.
6. Pour the batter over the arranged pears. Sprinkle the top of the batter with ground almond (if using).
7. Bake the cake for 45-50 minutes until the cake is golden brown and fully cook, or until a toothpick/skewer comes out clean.
8. Remove the cake from the oven and set aside to cool the cake in the pan for 30 minutes. Gently run a thin blade along the edges to loosen the cake, and carefully invert it onto a serving plate. Serve the cake warm or cold.

Notes

• (*) Pears good for baking purposed include Bartlett, Bosc, and Anjou. The pears used in the photos are Green Anjou variety. Try choosing three similar-sized pears that will fit nicely in your cake pan.