Fresh Gingerbread with Port-Poached Pears
Submitted by nattey
Fresh gingerbread cake paired with whole pears poached in ruby port with ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla. Served with ginger-scented whipped cream for an elegant holiday dessert plate.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
1 hrsREADY
2 hrsThis is gingerbread with a formal tuxedo on. The cake itself is triple-gingered, built with fresh chopped ginger, ground ginger in the batter, and a hit more ginger in the cream. Molasses, strong brewed coffee, and dark brown sugar push the cake into deep, almost savory territory, while a quarter teaspoon of dry mustard adds background heat that sharpens all the warm spices.
The pears are the visual centerpiece. Peeled whole with stems intact, they poach in ruby port with fresh ginger slices, cinnamon sticks, and a split vanilla bean until garnet-colored clear through. Reducing the poaching liquid to a syrup afterwards is the step that transforms it from a wine braise into something spoonable and glossy.
Plating one cake square with a standing pear and a drizzle of syrup turns weeknight gingerbread into a restaurant dessert.
Pro Tips
- Let the chopped fresh ginger and sugar sit the full 30 minutes. That natural syrup it creates is what carries the ginger flavor deep into the batter.
- Use firm but ripe pears. Overripe fruit disintegrates in the port poach; underripe stays chalky.
- Reduce the syrup to exactly 1 ¾ cups. Too thin and it runs off the plate; too thick and it turns tacky.
- Alternate dry and wet into the creamed butter gradually. Dumping everything at once breaks the batter and the cake turns heavy.
Variations
- Swap port for dry red wine with an extra ¼ cup sugar if you don’t want to open a port bottle.
- Add a star anise to the pear poaching liquid for an East-meets-West spice lift.
- Serve with vanilla ice cream instead of whipped cream for a warmer, creamier contrast.
Ingredients
Directions
FOR PEARS: Add lemon juice to large bowl of cold water. Peel pears, leaving stems intact. Use melon baller to remove core through bottom end. Add pears to bowl of water. Bring Port, sugar, ginger, cinnamon sticks and vanilla bean to boil in heavy large Dutch oven over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer syrup 10 minutes. Drain pears and add to syrup. Simmer until tender, turning frequently, about 20 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pears to large container and stand upright. Boil syrup until reduced to 1 ¾ cups, about 18 minutes. Pour syrup over pears. Cover and chill. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.)
FOR CAKE: Position reack in center of oven and preheat to 350℉ (180℃). Butter 9×13×2-inch pan. Dust pan with flour; tap out excess. Mix chopped ginger and 2½ tablespoons sugar in small bowl. Let stand until syrup forms, stirring frequently, about 30 minutes. Mix flour, baking soda, and spices in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Add molasses, coffee and chopped ginger mixture and beat until blended (mixture may look curdled). Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low. Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients and beating after each addition until just blended. Transfer bater to prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool in pan. (Can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)
FOR CREAM: Beat whipping cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and ground ginger in large bowl until firm peaks form. (Can be prepared 3 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewhip if necessary.) Cut gingerbread into 2½ inch squares. Place 1 cake square and 1 pear on each of 8 plates. Spoon some syrup over each pear. Spoon dollop of whipped cream alongside.
Comments
Every ingredient seems to be listed twice in this recipe.
Thanks for your comment, and just fixed the recipe, now it should be good, enjoy :)