Saturday unfolded in a perfectly Brooklyn way: a Bloody Mary to start, a leisurely brunch, a stop at the farmer’s market, an unexpected LARP battle in Prospect Park, another Bloody Mary, and then coming home to bake a cake — and film the process. If you love slow, flavorful weekends and the smell of fall baking, this is the kind of day that makes you smile.
We stumbled across a live-action role-playing battle — what is a LARP battle? It looks a lot like this — and while the improvised armor and staged combat were entertaining, my mind kept drifting back to the bag of fresh pears I’d picked up at the market. What I wanted most was to turn those pears into something cozy and warm.
Before the video goes up (it’s coming soon!), here’s the recipe and a few notes. This cake is essentially autumn in a 9-inch round pan: a brown sugar caramel base, tender pear slices, and a gingerbread-spiced cake baked on top. As it bakes, your kitchen will fill with smells of molasses, ginger, and warm spices — enough to conjure up a hillside of colorful leaves. If you live in the city, that autumnal feeling might be as subtle as ivy changing color on a fire escape, but it’s still worth it.
This upside-down cake also adapts beautifully: use apples instead of pears for a more classic fall flavor, or skip the fruit and finish the cake with a drizzle of bourbon caramel glaze for a richer, boozy finish. Either way, the molasses and warm spices in the batter make this a standout dessert for cooler evenings.
Gingerbread Pear Upside-Down Cake
Makes one 9-inch cake
Adapted from Gourmet
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, divided (1/2 cup + 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup molasses
3 large eggs
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 ripe pears (firm but tender)
Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 9-inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper for easy release.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, beat one stick (8 tablespoons) of butter until light and fluffy. Add 1/2 cup of the brown sugar and beat until combined. Stir in the molasses, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter with the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Cook until the mixture is bubbling and turns a deep golden caramel. Watch it closely so it doesn’t burn.
5. While the caramel forms, peel, core, and slice the pears into roughly 1/4-inch-thick slices. Pour the warm caramel into the prepared cake pan and arrange the pear slices over the caramel in a single, slightly overlapping layer.
6. Finish the batter by alternating additions of the dry flour mixture and the buttermilk to the molasses mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Stir until just combined; do not overmix. Pour the batter evenly over the arranged pears.
7. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
8. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes, then carefully invert it onto a serving plate. Remove the parchment and let the caramel settle for a minute before slicing.
Serving and storage tips: Serve warm or at room temperature, plain or with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. To store, cover loosely and keep at room temperature for up to two days, or refrigerate for up to five days. Reheat gently if you prefer it warm.
