Gingerbread Bundt Cake with Pear Caramel Glaze

For dessert after Christmas dinner, I made Gingerbread Bundt cake with Pear Caramel Glaze.  I do not recall how I fell across this recipe online, but I am so glad I did!  It is amazing.  Plus, it makes use of my fabulous new bundt pan.  I know, how many bundt pans can one person have?  I put this particular pan in my "want" list on Amazon for about forever.... looking at it and debating and just not convincing myself that I really should buy another bundt pan.  But then I simply decided that this particular bundt pan was so stinking beautiful, I would give another bundt pan away if that helped my conscious to purchase this pan.  So that is what I did (purchase it anyway... I haven't gotten rid of another pan yet!!).  I mean, take a look at the cake coming out of this pan:

Isn't it beautiful?  In case you are now drooling over this pan as well, it is the Nordic Ware Platinum Collection Heritage Pan.  Oh, and the pan released the cake perfectly!  After I baked this cake, Mr. Clever Mom, my mother-in-law, my mom, my dad, AND my sister were all remarking as to how beautiful the cake turned out.  This was BEFORE they tasted it.  Mr. Clever Mom wondered why I debated so long about buying it.  I guess I am frugal that way sometimes, maybe more than I should be!  Ah well... on to the amazing recipe.

I think this cake is the perfect gingerbread cake.  It has plenty of molasses and ginger, using fresh ginger to ensure a nice gingery bite.  It is moist and not overly sweet.  And the pear caramel glaze?  Forget about browning sugar to make caramel.  This recipe uses pear juice and reduces and reduces it, then spices it up and it makes this amazing caramel sauce.  Brilliant!

Gingerbread Bundt Cake with Pear Caramel Glaze
adapted from Pastry Affair
Yields 1 bundt cake and about 1 1/2 cups glaze

Ingredients:
Cake
1 cup dark molasses
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
8 TB unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 TB freshly grated ginger, lightly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

Glaze
2 cups pear cider or pear juice
2 TB unsalted butter
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease and flour a bundt pan.

Mix together the molasses, brown sugar and melted butter in a large mixing bowl.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Mix in the sour cream and buttermilk until the batter is uniform.  Add the baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt.  Gently fold in flour until just incorporated.

Transfer batter into the prepared bundt pan. and bake for 50-60 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to complete cooling.

In the mean time, while the cake is baking, start on the glaze.  Bring the pear cider/juice to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Reduce the heat to a light boil for 30+ minutes, until the juice is reduced to about 1/3 cup.   NOTE:  This took my juice about an hour.  Maybe if I used a much larger pan it would have reduced faster, but I used a fairly large one...  The juice should be thick and syrupy when it is finished reducing.

Add the butter and brown sugar, stirring until melted and completely dissolved.  Stir in the heavy cream, spices and salt.  Adjust the thickness of the caramel to your liking - if it is too thin, continue to simmer until it thickens to your liking.  If it is too thick, thin with a tablespoon or two of the pear cider.  Remember that it will thicken a bit as it cools.  Allow to cool to room temperature.

To serve, drizzle the pear caramel glaze over the cooled gingerbread cake.  Top with a dallop of vanilla whipped cream.  What a delight!
Printable Recipe

 Here is a picture that shows off the mountains/valleys of this awesome pan!

This cake was really delicious.  My mom kept talking about it, ensuring that there was enough to have cake another night so she could have more!  It is amazing.  Don't take my word for it, give it a try!