Spiced Pear Gingerbread

There is a new cookbook on my shelf, a recent arrival from the Berkshire kitchen of my friend, Alana. Actually, it hasn’t rested on the bookshelf yet; I’ve been keeping it with me in the kitchen for daily cooking, baking and tea-time reading.

The Homemade Kitchen: Recipes for Cooking with Pleasure is the second cookbook from Alana, and a long awaited companion to The Homemade Pantry. It’s a personal and passionate ode to home cooking without an ounce of pressure. Alana encourages aspiring cooks with memorable lessons such as Do Your Best and Then Let Go, Be a Beginner, and Do the Work. In fact, these guiding principles form the outline of her book, and she explains and expands on them in thoughtful essays that undoubtedly come from a place of learning.

I’ve been cooking plenty from The Homemade Kitchen already, so read on for more thoughts on the cookbook and a splendid giveaway, too.

Minestrone + Popovers from the Homemade Pantry || Simple Bites

There is a warmth in Alana’s cookbook that I recognized right away. It is the same generosity of spirit and open-armed welcome that I received last February when we dropped in to her home on my book tour. Having sipped Chemex coffee and devoured breakfast burritos in the same kitchen the book is named after, I can honestly say that The Homemade Kitchen is a truthful portrayal of the real thing.

Soup was the first dish I was inspired to make. Minestrone, to be exact, a recipe tucked into the back of a chapter titled ‘Use Your Scraps’ – a worthy cause that is close to my heart. And so I did just that, opening the fridge and turning odd bits of vegetables, leftover beans and some tired kale into a bowl of comfort food.

To keep everyone happy (although my crew adores a vegetable-filled bowl like the one above) I slid a batch of Alana’s Popovers into the oven 25 minutes before dinner. At my beckoning, the three little ones skidded into the kitchen and parked in front of the glass door of the oven to watch them puff. They rose to impressive heights, and stayed that way until we devoured them with our Minestrone.

It was a perfect October weeknight supper.

Pear Gingerbread || Simple Bites #cake #recipe

Spiced Pear Gingerbread

Alana introduced me to the term ‘snacking cake’, although I can’t remember exactly when. She has long professed a soft spot for tea and cake and really, what are October afternoons for if not for nibbling on cake while watching the leaves fall?

I debated long and hard between The Homemade Kitchen‘s seasonally appropriate Pear Gingerbread and the tempting Rhubarb Snacking Cake, because my little plant is still producing. In the end I decided to save the rhubarb for one last pie for Thanksgiving and reached for a box of Quebec pears.

Before long, the kitchen was perfumed with an intoxicating concoction of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. The cake rose tall and turned golden, and it wasn’t long before Clara and I were tucking into a slice each. Delicious. Spicy and dense; not too sweet.

Our little family is going to face a few challenges in the coming months. Does knowing what lies ahead help ease the anxiety? Not really. But perhaps I can store a few pans of pear gingerbread in the freezer for the more difficult of days. Slowing down for tea and cake seems like a good way to come to grips with grown up issues. Add homemade applesauce and a little whipped cream and the road to recovery will be swift.

Pear Gingerbread || Simple Bites #cake #recipe

Pear Gingerbread

Boldly spiced and subtly sweet, this snacking cake is perfect for afternoon tea on a chilly fall day.
4.70 from 23 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: American, British
Keyword: Baking, Cake, gingerbread
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 1 9x9-inch cake
Calories: 3105kcal
Author: Alana Chernilla - from The Homemade Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter plus additional for the pan
  • 1/2 cup Lyle's Golden Syrup or honey (I used honey)
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar I used organic muscavado
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 Tablespoons ground ginger I used half fresh, half dried
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
  • 2 Bosc pears peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch square or equivalent pan.
  • In a small sacuepan, melt together the butter, syrup, and brown sugar over low heat. Gently stir to combine as the mixture melts. Set aside.
    8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 1/2 cup Lyle's Golden Syrup, 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture and combine with a few strokes of a wooden spoon, taking care not to overmix.
    2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 Tablespoons ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and yogurt. Add the egg mixture to the batter, and gently combine. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
    1 large egg, 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
  • Lay the pears on top of the batter in a pinwheel shape. Bake until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the cake, 30 to 35 minutes
    2 Bosc pears

Notes

Store tightly wrapped at room temperature. This cake gets better on the second and even third day.
Wisely, Alana calls for a 9x9 inch pan. I only had 8x8 and the baking temperature was longer than usual, which made the edges of the cake dry out slightly. Go with 9x9!

Nutrition

Calories: 3105kcal | Carbohydrates: 514g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 107g | Saturated Fat: 65g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 28g | Trans Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 436mg | Sodium: 2497mg | Potassium: 1535mg | Fiber: 21g | Sugar: 293g | Vitamin A: 3384IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 558mg | Iron: 17mg

If you get a chance, pick up The Homemade Kitchen in a bookstore and flip through it for the lovely photos. They are magazine-pretty, yet don’t feel staged – not an easy accomplishment.

When Alana and family dropped in on us earlier this summer, her daughter Rosie and my Noah perched on the sofa together with their mum’s cookbooks and chuckled at the photos of themselves on the pages. Alana and I elbowed each other and tried to listen into their nine-year-old commentary. It was all rather adorable. I’m happy Noah got the chance to commiserate with someone who understands what it’s like to have a photographer follow you around in the apple orchard.

The Homemade Kitchen giveaway

Giveaway

Thanks to the lovely people at Clarkson Potter I have a very special giveaway for you!

Grand Prize:

One winner will take home a grand prize of:

  • One Zwilling Stainless-Steel 6-inch Chef’s Knife (I own and love this knife)
  • The Homemade Kitchen’ tote bag (these are beautiful!)
  • A signed copy of The Homemade Kitchen.

Second and Third Prize:

A copy of The Homemade Kitchen shipped to the doors of two runner up winners.

To enter: leave a comment on this post and tell me your current fall baking or cooking obsession. That’s it!

Giveaway ends Sunday, October 11, 2015 at 7AM. Winners will be announced in my Weekend Links post. Good luck to all!

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316 Comments

  1. I am currently re-obsessed with making Alana’s granola (heavily modified) from A Homemade Pantry, after a long hiatus from making granola.

  2. I was peeking in my fridge at the two remaining Ontario pears and wondering if I should make them into a single serving fruit crisp while eyeing the 3/4 whipping cream carton, I couldnt bear to go to waste and contemplating what else could be served with whipped cream…. and then your post appears in my inbox.
    From the picture, I assumed you’d served it with a rhubarb compote of sorts and lamented that I just used the last of a strawberry/rhubarb that would have been perfect. I decide I must make this cake but will serve it with my homemade apple sauce with same rosy hue. As I read on, I see that, in fact, you have served it with applesauce.
    Wow! If this isn’t serendipitous, I don’t know what is.

    1. Whoops, I missed the giveaway info at the end.
      I am obsessed with gingersnap cookies- or more correctly, those that have tried them are obsessed. (Not tooting my own horn- it’s a reliable recipe I use from BHG cookbook) They are simple but always a hit and gingerbread spices are perfect for fall.
      Would love this beautiful cookbook

  3. It’s definitely baking season and in the last few days I’ve made chocolate banana bread, zucchini pineapple bread & apple snickerdoodle bread. All shared with grateful family members & friends 🙂

  4. My current obsession: squashes of all kinds, in various sweet and savory guises. A close second is chia pudding: I’ve tried lots of different recipes and am yet to find the perfect one.

  5. I have been trying to finish processing the veggie garden and also tons of apples from the tree on the front lawn into apple crisp, brownies, cake, cookies, jam and freezing them too. This year I also made some of my own pectin for I have so many apples and I have a jar of apples brewing on the counter into apple cider vinegar another first for me. I am going to make this cake with apples of course for it looks so yummy. thanks

  6. My current fall baking: I haven’t really started but this pear gingerbread sounds awesome! I’d also like to bake a pumpkin buche de noel. My sister and I made one on several occasions when we were teenagers and I saw a recipe recently and thought it’d be fun to do it again!

  7. it’s been muffins and banana bread here, although I have a few slightly bruised Granny Smith apples that didn’t get eaten at school ready to go into a crisp. Which I’ll probably eat all myself.

  8. I do my best to avoid wheat, as it truly doesn’t agree with me, but your picture of soup and popovers reminded me of what a treat they are. Think I will make some today! But right now, I’m still processing tomatoes from the garden in most of my kitchen time. Not exactly an obsession, but I know how much we will appreciate the lovely tomato sauce this winter…..

  9. My current baking obsession involves hot fruit and ice cream – apple crisps, berry crisps, and peach cobblers!

  10. I’m making the pear gingerbread this weekend! My current obsession…anything with apples in it!! Though I made an apricot frangipane tart last night. That’s my other obsession: recipes from the Great British Baking Show.

  11. My favorite Fall baking obsession is anything that warms your insides. our family really likes Beef stew, chicken and dumplings. Anything sweet is made from apples

  12. My current cooking/baking obsession is KALE, because I overplanted this year and it’s comig out my ears! Zuppa Toscana, Cheddar and Kale Biscuits, Kale and Quinoa Pilaf…

  13. Banana oatmeal in the microwave! It’s such a convenient and at the same time versatile breakfast, I’ve been making it over and over, tinkering on what kind of milk to use, toppings, spices, maple syrup, honey, caramel sauce or rather peanut butter? Now that the mornings are slowly becoming colder a cozy, warm breakfast becomes especially enjoyable I find.

  14. Hi there! I’ve been reading your blog for some time and the giveaway tempted me out of lurkdom! 😛

    My current obsession is most certainly maple-pecan pie which I first read about on your blog!!

  15. Cakes are my current fall baking obsession. (Your Chocolate Beet Sheet Cake was a big hit with my family!) And this Pear Gingerbread looks amazing! I’m definitely going to have to try it! 🙂

  16. My current baking obsession is scones…. so to better enjoy the fruit butters I have been inspired to make!

  17. I’ve got an apple “snacking” cake in the oven as I’m writing this! Lots of canning going on in my kitchen since I’m trying to put away all the summery goodness.

  18. This fall I’ve been baking muffins as much as possible to tuck into my new Kindergartener’s lunch. Sweet potato, blueberry and chocolate chip is my favourite combo. I just made the Oatmeal Pumpkin bundt cake Courtney posted on your blog a few years back. Smells delicious!
    All the best to you and your family. I have been meaning to comment since your accident, I hope you are feeling better.

  19. I’ve been swinging back and forth between apples and pumpkins, with apples taking a slight lead. Apple cheddarwiches, apple sauce, apple muffins (adapted from my mom’s apple square recipe), and my mother-in-law’s apple sheet pie . . . I need to pick up some squash to make squash and apple soup. I feel a soup obsession coming on, and this is the second time recently that minestrone came up. I used to make it all the time, and think I need to again.

  20. I am currently obsessed with butternut squash soups to warm up on these chilly fall days, and jelly preserves….

  21. I just roasted a pie pumpkin. This will be my fall obsession. No pumpkin out of a can! I can feel a pumpkin snacking cake coming on…..

  22. Current obsession in my kitchen is roasting veggies and trying out every apple crisp recipe I can get my hands on. I want to make an apple crisp instead of apple pie for Thanksgiving (no crust to fuss with) and it has to be the BEST.

  23. Right now my focus is on apples – have 15 lbs of fresh-from-the-orchard apples in my cold storage. Apple kuchen is next on my baking list, but I think I’ll have to try the gingerbread cake (with apples).

  24. I am craving chocolate chip pumpkin bars from Two Peas and Their Pod! Fall baking means pumpkin goodies to me.

  25. Hi Aimee –

    Fall is all about the pumpkins and the apples. I have been attempting to perfect an authentic Austrian Apfel Strudel… I am not there yet, but I love trying! I am going to have to try expanding and including pears in the mix. 🙂

  26. For me this fall season, it’s all about chili suppers and the creativity challenge – ground buffalo, ground chicken, grassfed beef or lamb; pumpkin, maple or classic con carne; white bean or dark bean; biscuits, corn bread or crunchy sourdough?? Can’t get enough of these comfort food combinations.

  27. My current obsession is apples, in any way or form, apple pie, applesauce, maple-apple jam, apple crisp, etc. you name it. My neighbor down the street has a wonderful Delicious apple tree in his backyard that is extremely prolific this year, and has been delivering on a regular basis!!