Serves six to eight
Cake
3 large firm Bosc pears, peeled and cored juice of one lemon
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
41⁄2 ounces unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
3 tablespoons candied ginger, finely chopped
13⁄8 cup flour
1teaspoon baking powder
1tablespoon ground ginger
41⁄2tablespoons ground hazelnuts
1⁄2cup buttermilk
1⁄2cup milk
1teaspoon baking soda, dissolved in one tablespoon hot water
Pomegranate Sauce
1⁄3 cup sugar
1⁄3 cup water
1 pomegranate, seeded
Cut pears lengthwise into quarter-inch slices and toss in lemon juice. Pour 2 ounces of melted butter in bottom of 9- to 10-inch cake pan. Sprinkle half of the brown sugar over the butter. Place the pear slices in the butter and sugar mixture, fanning them in a circle from the center to the pan’s outside edge. Beat the remaining butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Add one egg at a time, and beat well between additions. Beat in the chopped candied ginger. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and ground ginger and fold into the creamed mixture, pulsing the machine to incorporate the flour. Combine the buttermilk, milk, and baking soda. Fold the hazelnuts and wet ingredients alternately until the batter is well mixed. Scrape the batter onto the pears and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until tested with a skewer for doneness (the skewer must come out clean). Let cake stand for 5 minutes. Put a plate on the cake pan and flip so that the pear slices are on top.
For the pomegranate sauce, combine sugar and water in a small saucepan with half of the seeds. Bring to a boil for around 5 minutes, strain. Let cool. Add rest of seeds. Garnish warm slices of cake with whipped cream and pomegranate sauce.
You can make this cake a day ahead and gently warm through in a 250-degree oven for 10 minutes before serving.
