Week 97: Upside Down Pear Cake

This week, I based the inspiration for my cake on my English class’s book, Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Jump to the recipe!

For those who haven’t read it, Janie, the protagonist, often compares her ideation of love to a pear tree. Her main romantic interest in the book is named Tea Cake, and so I wanted to center the cake around Janie’s relationship with him.

I did this by incorporating pears and honey into the “tea cake” because they are motifs that come up throughout the book.

It was a fun English project to do, and I really enjoyed the fact that my cake not only helped me experience how Janie processed love, but also allowed me to create this delicious cake. It tastes so good and is perfect for a rainy day.

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RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:

Pears:

• 3 tablespoons butter

• 1/3 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup honey

• 2 pears, sliced

Cake:

• 1/2 cup butter

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

• 3 eggs

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/3 cup buttermilk

• 1 pear, chopped into cubes

STEPS:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and line a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper.

2. In a pan over medium heat, melt the butter, brown sugar, and honey together. Pour onto your cake pan and top with a layer of sliced pears.

3. In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, and cinnamon. Add the buttermilk and, after that’s combined, fold in the chopped pears.

4. Pour the batter over sliced pears and bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool to room temperature, flip, and serve.

Enjoy!

The Bored Baker 👩🏽‍🍳