'We're a Spicy PEAR' Cake for #TripleSBites

Welcome to the final day of #TripleSBites - Spicy, Saucy, and Sexy Bites for Valentines' Day and
Beyond. On this closing day, I'm sharing a sweet treat that's laced with cinnamon and nutmeg, laden with ginger. Just for fun, here are the (purported) aphrodisiac qualities to this cake...

Cinnamon: Eating cinnamon heats up your body and, perhaps, increases your sex drive. 

Nutmeg: This spice’s aphrodisiac reputation dates back to early Hindu cultures, where it was believed nutmeg’s warming properties stimulated sexual appetites. On a practical level, nutmeg can increase attraction with its ability to sweeten breath. 

Ginger: Like chili peppers, ginger increases circulation and body temperature. Legend has it that famous French courtesan Madame du Barry provided ginger to all of her lovers to increase their desire and improve their pleasure.

I had a completely different dessert planned to end this #TripleSBites event. But when I received the V-etched Spice Grinder from Kitchen IQ*, one of our event sponsors, I was determined to make a treat that allowed me to grind some hard spices.

I made light work of a cinnamon stick and a nutmeg seed, then whipped up this spice-heavy cake. Whether the cake is actually an aphrodisiac - or not - it's a delicious note on which to end a romantic meal with your sweetheart. It's simple, but looks elegant enough for a formal dinner. I served it along with cordials of Mathilde Pear Liqueur and called it my 'We're a Spicy PEAR' Cake!

Ingredients

• pears, halved, cored, and destemmed, enough to fill your baking dish (I used 3 Red Anjou pears for their color)
• 1-2 T butter
• 3/4 C white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1 t ground cinnamon
• 1 t ground nutmeg
• 1 t ginger (I used some lightly dried ginger by Gourmet Garden Herbs & Spices*)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 C organic brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/4 C ginger syrup
• 1/2 C organic sour cream
• 2 T olive oil

Procedure

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In the meantime, melt butter in a large, flat-bottom pan and place pears cut-side down in the pan.

Let pears cook till the cut surface begins to brown slightly.

Butter your baking dish and spread a thin layer of brown sugar over the bottom. Arrange pears, cut side down on top of the brown sugar.

Blend all other ingredients to form a batter and pour over pears. Ensure that the batter goes to the edge of the pan; it's alright if the bottoms of the pears are still showing - the cake batter will rise and you'll invert to serve.

Bake until cake is a deep brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, approximately 50 to 55 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning onto a serving plate or board.

Thanks, Kitchen IQ and Gourmet Garden Herbs & Spices* - just two #TripleSBites sponsors - for ingredients used in this recipe.

*Full Disclosure: I received a V-etched Spice Grinder from Kitchen IQ and an assortment of lightly dried herbs from Gourmet Garden Herbs & Spices for participating in #TripleSBites. Feel free to use whatever spice grinder and herbs you have on-hand. I received no additional compensation for this post; all comments are 100% accurate and 100% my own.

Here's what everyone else brought to the table today...

An InLinkz Link-up

We had some very generous event sponsors for this event.

THANK YOU!