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Honey Glazed Cardamom Ginger Pear Cake

Name: Honey Glazed Cardamom Ginger Pear Cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
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)

Last updated: Apr 28, 2020 — Published: Apr 28, 2020 — By: Anita — 10 comments

A beautiful upside-down pear cake to enjoy the fall bounty, with honey glazed cardamom ginger that keeps the cake moist and soft till serving time and beyond.

This honey glazed cardamom ginger pear cake is very tender and moist because of the honey, with a delightful flavor of cardamom and ginger. The cake serves a very generous serving for six people, and its impressive look will draw admirations from your guests.

Despite its look, an upside-down cake is not difficult to bake at home. This cake is pretty newbie-friendly, so if you are a new baker, don’t be intimidated. I promise the cake will come out beautifully.

Ingredients for the pear cake: pears, honey, cardamom pods, ginger, eggs, sugar, vanilla, all-purpose flour, salt, unsalted butter, and ground almond.

Ingredients for this pear cake

This recipe needs pears, cardamom pods, fresh/frozen ginger, eggs, sugar, vanilla, all-purpose flour, salt, unsalted butter, and ground almond.

Pears

There are many varieties of pears that are suitable for baking purposes. Some of these include Bartlett, Bosc, and Anjou. I am using Green Anjou pears in the photos.

If it is possible, choose three pears that have a similar size and will fill the cake pan nicely.

Cardamom and ginger

The recipe uses 5 green cardamom pods and 1-inch ginger. I think the amount is well suited to most people’s palettes, even those who have never try this flavor combo before. If you already know that you love this flavor, feel free to double the amount of both the cardamom and ginger for a stronger taste.

Ground almond

The ground almond is optional, but I do like to include it since it gives a slightly nutty taste to the cake.

Simmer peeled and cored pear halves in honey, grated ginger, and crushed cardamom pods.

Steep the pears in honey, cardamom, and ginger

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.

Arrange the pears nicely in the cake pan, with the cut side facing down. Strain the honey into a greased 8-inch round cake pan, and discard the cardamom pods.

Prepare the cake batter

Before you ask, yes, this cake has no leavening agent. It doesn’t need baking powder or baking soda. Now let’s see how we prepare the cake batter.

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.

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.

Pour the batter over the arranged pears. Sprinkle the top of the batter with ground almond (if using).

(1) Pears and honey arranged neatly in the cake pan, cake batter, and ground almond. (2) Pour cake batter over arranged pear. (3) Sprinkle the top of the cake with ground almond. (4) Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick/skewer comes out clean.

Baking and cooling the cake

Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes until the cake is golden brown, or until a toothpick/skewer comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and set it aside to cool in the pan for 30 minutes.

Gently run a thin blade along the edges to loosen the cake. Carefully invert it to a serving plate. Serve the cake warm or cold.

Cut the cake into six slices for the prettiest presentation, with each slice contains half a pear.

Let the cake cool in its pan for 30 minutes before gently run a thin blade along its edges and carefully invert the cake onto a serving plate.

Baking the cake in a skillet

It is traditional to bake an upside-down cake in a skillet. If you have a non-stick 8-inch ovenproof skillet, you can bake this cake in it.

As a bonus, you can simmer the pears with honey, cardamom, and ginger in the same skillet you will be using to bake the cake. Remember to discard the cardamom pods from the skillet before pouring the cake batter over the pears.