Dessert: Ginger and Pear Upside-Down Cake

Recipe By: Grace Parisi

This recipe includes fertility superfoods such as:

Cinnamon, Honey

Health and fertility benefits of Ginger and Pear Upside-Down Cake

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060). One tbsp of honey has a glycemic index (GI) of 55.

Ingredients

2 stick unsalted butter
4 medium
1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
1/4 c. plus 2 tablespoons honey
2 tbsp. minced crystallized ginger
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 c. milk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 °F. In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. Add the pears and cook over high heat, stirring, until crisp-tender. Add 4 tablespoons of the butter, the brown sugar and honey and stir over moderate heat until melted. Off the heat, arrange the pears in an overlapping ring, with the pointed ends facing the center. Fill the center with pears and sprinkle with the crystallized ginger.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg and salt. In a large bowl, cream the remaining stick of butter. Add the granulated sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time. Add the vanilla. Beat in the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the milk. Spoon the batter evenly over the pears, spreading it to the edge.
Bake the cake on the bottom oven rack for 30 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, then invert a plate over the skillet. Quickly invert the skillet to release the cake. Replace any pears that stick to the skillet and drizzle any remaining syrup over the cake. Let cool before serving.
Make Ahead: The unmolded cake can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.

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