Gingerbread and Pear Pudding Cake.

Pears, spices and whipped cream! They all come together beautifully when you serve up Gingerbread and Pear Pudding Cake! Rich and dreamy, you are going to want to make this dessert again, and again!

Many, (so many!) years ago when I was in Girl Scouts,  

We made a dessert at camp from a box of gingerbread mix and some canned fruit. Of course my 8 year old self thought it was the most delicious dessert I had ever eaten. Including gathering the wood to build a fire to cook over and all the other work that went along with making dinner and the gingerbread pudding cake for dessert...I didn't even mind doing dishes that night! It was spicy, aromatic and delicious. 

We did not eat Gingerbread much when I was a kid at home. I am not certain why, we simply didn't. But that dessert stuck with me for (literally) decades! And then one day while reading a recipe for a Gingerbread Pudding Cake, I knew I needed to adapt the end result with some pears. And just like that, it turned into this memory pleasing Gingerbread and Pear Pudding Cake! 

To be honest with you, there is not a lot more to say about this dessert. 

Why? Because if you enjoy gingerbread, you are going to want to make it. It's that simple. If you are not in the gingerbread camp due to it being too spiced, well honestly I don't think there is much I can say to change your mind. Looking back now, I think my own mother was in the no gingerbread for me, camp. I wonder if it could have been measuring out all the spices? But I have a strong memory of asking for gingerbread and then getting all the little cans of spices down from the cupboard. 

And lastly. 

While most folks pair apples and gingerbread, which is also delicious by the way. Pears and gingerbread are truly great friends in the flavor department. Plus having canned pears on your shelf, whether home canned or commercially canned is so convenient! They add a subtle fruitiness to this dessert, that is quite enjoyable. I hope you give this lovely dessert a try. And don't forget to dribble some of the pudding sauce over your whipped cream. 

Personal Note: Here recently I made a sweeping purge of bakeware from my kitchen, but I can tell you right now, I need a few more pieces! You will need a deep pan to bake in, to avoid over baking and/or loosing the pudding sauce on the bottom of your oven...(don't ask me how I know this, LOL!) clearly the last time I made this, I had more bakeware to choose from. 

Some additional thoughts on this recipe:

The recipe does have quite a list of ingredients, but most are spices and measuring out what you need, goes very quickly. 

To save time for the next Gingerbread and Pear Pudding Cake you bake, measure out a second set of spices at the same time. Place them in a sandwich bag or small container. And store in the freezer. This is quite helpful for any recipe that calls for a long-ish list of spices. 

And yes, if you enjoy gingerbread, you will want to make this again!

Use the two cans of pears, you won't be sorry!

And yes, you want a deep sided baking dish, you do not want to loose the pudding sauce on the bottom of the oven floor. 

Ingredients needed for this recipe:

• whole wheat flour
• ground ginger
• baking soda
• ground cinnamon
• ground nutmeg
• ground allspice
• ground cloves
• salt
• 16 oz. organic canned pears in juice or a pint of home canned pears
• butter 
• sugar
• egg
• molasses
• brown sugar

You will also need the following:

• 9 inch deep side baking dish 
• measuring spoons
• measuring cups
• small saucepan
• medium size mixing bowl
• large mixing bowl
• silicone spatula
• whisk
• hand mixer if desired

Now we are ready to begin!

Gingerbread and Pear Pudding Cake

adapted from Tasting Spoons

350-degree oven

Cake dry ingredients: 
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour, we use sprouted white wheat 
2 t ground ginger
3/4 t baking soda
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground nutmeg

1/2 t ground allspice
1/8 - 1/4 t ground cloves - use the full measure if you love cloves!
1/4 t salt

Cake wet ingredients:

1 - 2 16oz. can(s) of juice packed pear halves or pieces. 
1/4 c butter — room temperature
1/4 c sugar
1 large egg
1/2 c molasses — mild
1/2 c water
3/4 c brown sugar — packed

Hot liquid pour-over:

reserved pear juice, and  

boiling water to equal 1 1/2 cups total liquid

5 T butter — melted

Prepare the baking pan, butter an 8×8x2 glass baking dish, or other high sided casserole dish of similar size.

In a medium size mixing bowl, combing the dry ingredients, whisking well to mix. Set aside. 

Open the pears, drain off the juice, and reserve the juice. Place the pear pieces in the bottom of the buttered baking dish. 

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Beat in the egg. Add the molasses and 1/2 cup water, along with half of the dry ingredients. Mix well, add the rest of the dry ingredients, just to blend. 

Transfer mixture to the buttered baking dish and sprinkle top with brown sugar.

Melt the 5 T. butter in a saucepan, adding the reserved pear juice and enough boiling water to equal the 1 1/2 cups liquid. Cool just slightly. Carefully pour this mixture over the cake batter. 

True confession, overbaked due wrong pan size, but still delicious!

Bake until the gingerbread is cracked on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 - 45 minutes. Do check for doneness at the 35 minute mark. Do NOT over bake. 

Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes, then scoop warm pudding cake, with the sauce it makes, into shallow bowls and serve with whipped cream.

Storage options for Gingerbread and Pear Pudding Cake. You may store at room temperature for up to three days. Store covered in the refrigerator for longer storage time. I do not recommend freezing this dish. 

UPDATE:  For your convenience, a "copy and paste" version of Gingerbread and Pear Pudding Cake has been included below. 

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 Printable "copy and paste" version:

Gingerbread and Pear Pudding Cake

adapted from Tasting Spoons

350-degree oven

Cake dry ingredients: 
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour, we use sprouted white wheat 
2 t ground ginger
3/4 t baking soda
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground nutmeg

1/2 t ground allspice
1/8 - 1/4 t ground cloves - use the full measure if you love cloves!
1/4 t salt

Cake wet ingredients:

1 - 2 16oz. can(s) of juice packed pear halves or pieces. 
1/4 c butter — room temperature
1/4 c sugar
1 large egg
1/2 c molasses — mild
1/2 c water

Dry crumble over:
3/4 c brown sugar — packed

Hot liquid pour-over:

reserved pear juice, and  

boiling water to equal 1 1/2 cups total liquid

5 T butter — melted

Prepare the baking pan, butter an 8×8x2 glass baking dish, or other high sided casserole dish of similar size.

In a medium size mixing bowl, combing the dry ingredients, whisking well to mix. Set aside. 

Open the pears, drain off the juice, *and reserve the juice. Place the pear pieces in the bottom of the buttered baking dish. 

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Beat in the egg. Add the molasses and 1/2 cup water, along with half of the dry ingredients. Mix well, add the rest of the dry ingredients, just to blend. 

Transfer mixture to the buttered baking dish and sprinkle top with brown sugar.

Melt the 5 T. butter in a saucepan, adding the reserved pear juice and enough water to equal the 1 1/2 cups liquid. Heat to hot, but not boiling. Cool just slightly if needed. Carefully pour this mixture over the cake batter. 

Bake until the gingerbread is cracked on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 - 45 minutes. Do check for doneness at the 35 minute mark. Do NOT over bake. 

Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes, then scoop warm pudding cake, with the sauce it makes, into shallow bowls and serve with whipped cream.

Storage options for Gingerbread and Pear Pudding Cake. You may store at room temperature for up to three days. Store covered in the refrigerator for longer storage time. I do not recommend freezing this dish. 

*drain into a 2 cup glass measuring cup, add water to equal the required amount and proceed with bringing to a boil. 

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