Carmelized Pear Ginger Cake

There are pears in two places in this cake, both in the batter and as a carmelized topping. This Bundt cake recipe takes a box cake mix, and elevates it to something special. Spicy, moist and hearty, this cake is a perfect dessert or snack for the season.

Preheat oven according to cake mix directions.

Spray your Bundt cake pan with cooking spray. If you have a nonstick pan, you can skip this step.

Quarter and core 2 of the pears and slice thinly. Toss with brown sugar, making sure each slice is coated with sugar. Pour melted butter into the bottom of the cake pan. Place slices of pear in the bottom of the cake pan. I try to make mine pretty, taking care to layer carefully. Sometimes I succeed. Remember, this is going to be the top of the cake.

Mix cake mix as directed on box, using the required additional ingredients (which are typically water, eggs and oil but in this case substitute milk for the amount of water that the recipe calls for) and adding cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom.

Grate the last pear. If you have a box grater, you can grate the pear whole, stopping when you get near the core. Add ginger and pear to the cake batter, combine thoroughly and pour carefully over the pears in the pan. Tap pan gently on counter a few times to remove air bubbles.

Bake as directed at the temperature and time specified on the cake mix box. For a bundt cake pan, usually 35-45 minutes, or when an inserted knife comes clean.

Let the cake cool before inverting. Once it’s cool, invert onto your serving platter and dive in.