Jane’s Sweets & Baking Journal -- http://janessweets.blogspot.com -- November 2010

Pear and Ginger Cake  . . . with Cognac-Spiked Pear Sauce

(This recipe has been adapted slightly from the book, Heartland Baking from the Midwest’s Best Cooks, published by Meredith Press of Des Moines, IA, in 1997. The recipe, found on page 75, is credited to Harlan “Pete” Peterson, chef/owner of Tapawingo, restaurant in Ellsworth, Michigan).

Ingredients for the cake:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar (I used light brown, but I’m sure dark would be equally good)

2 eggs, large

1/4 cup molasses (I used the brand called Grandma's--the Robust variety)

1 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger root (no need to peel the root before grating)

1 and 1/2 cups All Purpose flour (I used unbleached)

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

2/3 cup buttermilk or sour milk (Use the best buttermilk you can find!)

1 ripe medium-sized ripe pear, peeled, cored, and sliced thinly (I used an Anjou pear; these tough-skinned pears work really well for baking/stewing, etc.)

Ingredients for the cognac-spiked pear sauce:

1 lemon

1 cup water

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Four ripe 8 oz. pears (again, I used just Anjou pears)

2 to 4 Tbsp. cognac (I used Courvoisier, but if you're lucky enough to have Poire William liqueur on hand, you can use that. Or, if you prefer, leave the liqueur out entirely; perhaps substitute apple juice to compensate for the liquid.)

To make the cake:

Butter and flour lightly an 8" x 8" baking dish (I used a glass baking dish and that was a good decision; it's a very moist cake and somehow I didn't think a metal pan would be the best choice for this.)

In the large bowl of your mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter just until it's softened, on medium-low speed. Into this add the brown sugar, and beat until fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each, then add in the molasses and the ginger root.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg. Add this, alternately with the buttermilk, into the mixing bowl on low speed. Beat just until combined.

Gently fold the thinly-sliced pear into the batter. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350 for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean (well, more or less clean!). Cool the cake in its pan on a cooling rack.

To make the sauce:

With a peeler, remove the zest from half of the lemon (just the thin yellow upper skin, be sure to include none of the bitter white pith). In a medium size heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the zest, 2 Tbsp of juice from the lemon, 1 cup of water, and the 1/4 cup sugar. Heat over a medium-low flame until the sugar dissolves, stirring periodically.

Peel, core, and quarter the four pears. Add them into the sugar mixture. Cook this uncovered until the pears become tender, perhaps 10 minutes or more.With a slotted spoon, remove the pears from the pan and put them in the bowl of a food processor.

Continue cooking the liquid in the saucepan until it has reduced by half, then remove and throw away the lemon peel. Pour the liquid into the food processor bowl with the pears. Pulse the mixture until it is completely smooth. Put it in a small bowl, and stir in the cognac.

Serve the sauce warm, draped over individual pieces of cake.