Easy Pear and Ginger Cake

I was sorting out the fruit bowl and noticed some little Conference pears that were starting to get over ripe. I hate throwing good food out, so decided to make a cake!

I rustled around in the cupboard and found a jar of stem ginger, and this is what we ended up with! It is delicious and would be good for a pudding, to take on a picnic, or just to have as a treat with a cup of tea!

Easy Ginger and Pear Upside Down Cake

4 ripe pears (or you could use apples, peaches, tinned pineapple(!!!) or possibly even bananas?)

150g softened butter

150g soft light brown sugar

2-3 pieces of stem ginger (or 10 pieces of crystallised ginger if you don't have stem)

125g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1tsp ground cinnamon

1tsp ground ginger

1 pinch of salt

2 eggs

Pre-heat the oven to 180C

Greace an 8" cake tin and line the bottom with baking parchment. Smear 25g of the softened butter over the parchment, then sprinkle 25g of the soft brown sugar. Press the sugar down into the butter with the back of a spoon.

Finely chop the stem ginger into little pieces, then sprinkle evenly over the sugar.

Peel, halve and core the pears and lay them flat side down onto the ginger and sugar.

Into a food processor (or in a bowl with a wooden spoon and a strong arm!!) put the remaining butter and sugar. Whizz until combined, light and fluffy.

Add the eggs and whizz until combined.

Add the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and ground ginger and whizz until just combined and smooth. Don't over do the whizzing at this stage.

Pour the cake mixture over the top of the pears. Smooth out with a spatula and put into the oven for about 30 minutes - until the cake springs back slightly when pressed.

When the cake comes out, leave it for about 10 minutes before turning out onto a board or platter. Carefully remove the baking parchment to reveal the sticky golden ginger and pears!