Skip to main content

Triple Layer Upside-Down Pear Gingerbread Cake with Mascarpone Frosting #Sponsored

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Quail & Olive.
Complimentary product was provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links.
However, all opinions expressed here are my own.

I have been making this upside-down pear gingerbread cake for years! Probably seventeen years. But this is the first time they asked if I could stack them. And add some cream cheese frosting. Ummm...okay. I only had mascarpone in my fridge, so I used that.


This cake is made moist with the addition of olive oil and sour cream. For this version, I opted to use the Taggiasca Olive Oil from The Quail & Olive*. The Taggiasca olive comes, originally, from the Liguria region of Italy. That was an area I never visited in the thirteen months I lived in Italy; I will have to remedy that if when the world ever opens back up. But it was the hint of spice in the oil - cinnamon really - that made me think of adding it to a gingerbread cake. And I polished off the bottle of cardamom infused Runamok maple syrup that I got in the pantry section of The Quail & Olive, too. Time for another visit!!

Ingredients makes one triple layer 6" cake

Cake
  • 8 small organic pears, destemmed and halved
  • butter for greasing the pans
  • 1-1/2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoons baking soda
  • 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup organic dark brown sugar plus 3 Tablespoons for the pans
  • 1/2 C maple syrup (I used the cardamom infused Runamok maple syrup)
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 4 Tablespoons olive oil (I used the Taggiasca Olive Oil from The Quail & Olive)
  • Also needed: three 6" baking pans

Frosting

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1-1/3 cup mascarpone
  • 1-1/2 cup organic powdered sugar
  • juice from one organic lemon (I used a Meyer lemon)

Procedure

Butter your baking pans (I used three 6" pans) and sprinkle 1 Tablespoon brown sugar over the bottom of each pan. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

In the meantime, swab a skillet with butter and place pears - halved and destemmed - cut-side down in the pan. Let pears cook till the cut surface begins to brown slightly, approximately 5 to 6 minutes.

Arrange pears, cut side down on top of the brown sugar in the pans. 

Blend all other ingredients to form a batter. Pour over pears. Place in the preheated oven and bake until cake is a deep brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, approximately 35 to 40 minutes. 

Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes. 

Invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely. In the meantime, make the frosting.


Frosting
Place all of the ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Beat until well combined and smooth.

Assembly
Place one layer on a serving plate. Spread a layer of frosting and spread it to the edges. Place the second layer on top, then add frosting to the top and the sides. Repeat with the third layer. Now this layer, I left naked on the top so you could see the upside-down pears.

Spread the frosting smoothly over the sides. Refrigerate until ready to serve.


on the web, on Facebook, on Instagram, on Twitter

*Disclosure: I receive compensation in the form of complimentary products for recipe development 
and generating social media traction. All opinions are my own.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy.  Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce