We recently linked to a gingerbread-pear cake in our daily Delicious Links, and lo and behold, we found ourselves with that very same cake in the oven a few nights later. We wanted, you see, to give you a personal opinion.
I have a Thing for gingerbread. Gingerbread cookies and gingerbread men - crispy, soft, and chewy - all kinds. Gingerbread lattes, gingerbread bread pudding - mmm, sometimes. But really what I love is gingerbread cake - especially of the dark, moist, nearly underbaked variety. (Nigella calls a slice of this sort of thing "a wodge," I believe.)
So I take my gingerbread cake testing very seriously. I don't pass up many opportunities to try gingerbread cake (Nigella's fresh gingerbread with lemon icing is still a favorite; when it comes to gingerbread, the Brits know what they're about).
This recipe comes from the October '08 Gourmet via pretty food blog Caviar and Codfish. Her photos make it look dark, rich, and moist. It's very simple, too - just a batter with dark molasses (we broke the recipe rules and used blackstrap molasses) and fresh ginger.
The verdict? Loved it. It's dark and not very sweet at all, with chunks of mellow pear to balance the ginger spiciness. It is definitely good for breakfast as well as dessert, and comes highly recommended.
• Get the recipe: Dark Gingerbread Pear Cake at Gourmet
Related: Home-Baked Chocolate: Nigella's Chocolate Gingerbread
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I always use blackstrap molassas, why aren't you supposed to?
Ooh this looks delicious. Maybe I'll try both this one AND Nigella's...
@Tiamat, I think the blackstrap might be too strong, in this recipe, for a lot of people. It provides most of the sweetener, and the cake was very strong and molasses-flavored. I loved it, but others may prefer a milder molasses.
Thank you so much for the nice words about my site!! :)
I'm glad to see you were inspired by the post and that you made Gourmet's cake! I consider myself a serious gingerbread eater as well... and I thought this cake opened up a whole new world of gingerbread. Not sweet and so much fresh ginger, mmm. I may have to make this again soon.
The second time I made this I used blackstrap too. Thought it was wonderful, though I agree it may be a bit too much for some.
Thanks again!
I made this cake over the weekend, and it's just lovely. My pears sank to bottom, unlike the photo here where they are at the top. But it was delicious nevertheless.
The fresh ginger is a must. I've tried powdered ginger and the fresh and the fresh wins hands down.
@Tiamat - In 1977 my father made my very pregnant, but always cranky mother a pan of gingerbread - at her request. It was lovely, and he sliced her a big square and walked it proudly to their bedroom where she'd been shut in because my sister and I had chicken pox. Terse conversation, then screaming, then crying - a the sound of a plate hitting a wall. The door slammed and my dad walked down the hall looking confused. "Blackstrap molasses," he said, "how was I supposed to know she wanted me to make it with blackstrap molasses?" We dove into the contents of the pan (really good) but years later I made it with blackstrap (I was haunted by that experience) and, oh my. Kind of aggressive, but really quite addictive.