Ground spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice
Takes ,
serves 12-16.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle position.
Prepare the quince: Melt the butter in a medium-sized skillet on medium-high heat. Stir in sugar and vanilla. When bubbling and fragrant, add the quince and toss it about in the pan until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
Prepare the pan: Rub the butter onto the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the granulated sugar followed by a generous sprinkle of black pepper. Add the quince slices in an attractive arrangement remembering this will be the top of the cake once it’s inverted.
Prepare the cake: Place all of the dry ingredients except for the baking soda in a medium-sized bowl and stir to combine. In a second larger bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until fully incorporated. Stir in the molasses.
Place the baking soda into a 1-cup measure, fill with boiling water and stir.
Stir about ⅓ of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, followed by ⅓ of the hot water and baking soda. Repeat making sure to fully incorporate the ingredients after each addition.
Add the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out evenly. Transfer to oven and bake for 60 minutes or until a cake tester placed into the centre of the cake comes away clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes. Place an attractive service plate on top of the pan. Holding the pan to the plate, quickly invert it. Gently shake the pan and plate to release the cake, carefully lifting the pan away for the big reveal. Let cool for an additional 5 minutes before slicing and serving with whipped cream and a sprinkle of ground spices.
Gingerbread Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients
For the quince:
1 pear or quince, cored and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
To prepare the cake pan:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the gingerbread cake:
3 cups unbleached flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup butter, room temperature
½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 egg, room temperature
1 cup dark molasses
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup boiling water
Garnish:
Whipped cream
Ground spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle position.
Prepare the quince: Melt the butter in a medium-sized skillet on medium-high heat. Stir in sugar and vanilla. When bubbling and fragrant, add the quince and toss it about in the pan until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
Prepare the pan: Rub the butter onto the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the granulated sugar followed by a generous sprinkle of black pepper. Add the quince slices in an attractive arrangement remembering this will be the top of the cake once it’s inverted.
Prepare the cake: Place all of the dry ingredients except for the baking soda in a medium-sized bowl and stir to combine. In a second larger bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until fully incorporated. Stir in the molasses.
Place the baking soda into a 1-cup measure, fill with boiling water and stir.
Stir about ⅓ of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, followed by ⅓ of the hot water and baking soda. Repeat making sure to fully incorporate the ingredients after each addition.
Add the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out evenly. Transfer to oven and bake for 60 minutes or until a cake tester placed into the centre of the cake comes away clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes. Place an attractive service plate on top of the pan. Holding the pan to the plate, quickly invert it. Gently shake the pan and plate to release the cake, carefully lifting the pan away for the big reveal. Let cool for an additional 5 minutes before slicing and serving with whipped cream and a sprinkle of ground spices.
Gingerbread Upside-Down Cake
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A richly spiced gingerbread cake made with either caramelized pears or quince…
You’ll flip for our scrumptious GINGERBREAD UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE!
Get ready for a rich, fragrant and super moist gingerbread cake that will be the perfect end to your next fun and festive holiday meal.
Before we get into the key points of this superior upside-down cake recipe, a reminder: PIN this recipe to your favourite dessert and holiday boards – you’ll make it again (and again), we promise. It’s probably a good idea to also BOOKMARK this page and SHARE with your friends. Finally, don’t forget to snap a pic of your finished creation and post it on one or more of your favourite SOCIALS using #weekendatthecottage.
Let’s make GINGERBREAD UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE!
QUINCE OR PEARS
I’ll give you this option from the outset – feel free to swap the quince for pear if you have to, BUT (and I’ve got a big but, lol!), only if you can’t find quince. Make finding this fresh fruit your mission, and you’ll enjoy a tasty reward.
The photo of this unique, flavourful fruit appears to the left, but head HERE to learn more from the Wiki article about quince.
Things I’ve learned about quince over the years? Place it on a sun-drenched windowsill for a few days to enjoy its blossoming, heady fragrance. Biting into its raw flesh might be a bit chalky and gritty, but it has an incredibly unique taste similar to how a rose smells (true!). Cook the quince as directed for this recipe, stealing one cooked slice from the buttery, sugared pan. Try it and savour that flavour – isn’t it astounding?
GINGERBREAD
We specifically set out to craft a dessert for an old-fashioned gingerbread cake recipe. Most of the recipes we looked at, including a dog-eared card in mom’s recipe box, seemed light on the flavour quotient. We decided to make something that really pushed the spice profile.
After testing the recipe, we decided the holidays are the perfect time to go big and bold – ‘tis the season to impress. We boosted the quantities of ground spices, added more butter (hello, nothing wrong with that), and kept to the original premise of making a dark brown sugar cake recipe. These three things make for a richly flavoured and moist cake.
Last thing is about the type of molasses we used; light molasses doesn’t deliver colour while blackstrap tastes a bit too caramelized. We settled on un-sulphured dark molasses, which really gives this dessert a distinctive gingerbread flavour.
UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
We promised an upside-down cake after all, but even we didn’t know we were about to create the best ever upside-down cake! There is something magical and dramatic about inverting this still-hot cake onto a gorgeous presentation plate and slowly lifting the pan away.
Please, DO NOT miss two important moments: when the cake’s aromas first waft up after lifting the pan, and your first glance at the beautiful and appetizing upside-down cake. It’s all quite fab!
Final thought on the service of this gingerbread cake is to keep it simple. A dollop of sweetened whipped cream and a little sprinkle of ground spices is all you need. This soon-to-be favourite dessert also goes the distance – we estimate you’ll easily be able to serve 12 guests, if not 16. For full effect, schedule accordingly – it’s best enjoyed still warm.
GINGERBREAD UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE – making your holiday dessert course extra special. Season’s greetings!
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Ingredients
For the quince:
1 pear or quince, cored and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
To prepare the cake pan:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the gingerbread cake:
3 cups unbleached flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup butter, room temperature
½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 egg, room temperature
1 cup dark molasses
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup boiling water
Garnish:
Whipped cream
Ground spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle position.
Prepare the quince: Melt the butter in a medium-sized skillet on medium-high heat. Stir in sugar and vanilla. When bubbling and fragrant, add the quince and toss it about in the pan until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
Prepare the pan: Rub the butter onto the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the granulated sugar followed by a generous sprinkle of black pepper. Add the quince slices in an attractive arrangement remembering this will be the top of the cake once it’s inverted.
Prepare the cake: Place all of the dry ingredients except for the baking soda in a medium-sized bowl and stir to combine. In a second larger bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until fully incorporated. Stir in the molasses.
Place the baking soda into a 1-cup measure, fill with boiling water and stir.
Stir about ⅓ of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, followed by ⅓ of the hot water and baking soda. Repeat making sure to fully incorporate the ingredients after each addition.
Add the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out evenly. Transfer to oven and bake for 60 minutes or until a cake tester placed into the centre of the cake comes away clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes. Place an attractive service plate on top of the pan. Holding the pan to the plate, quickly invert it. Gently shake the pan and plate to release the cake, carefully lifting the pan away for the big reveal. Let cool for an additional 5 minutes before slicing and serving with whipped cream and a sprinkle of ground spices.
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