Cakes

Gingerbread Pear Cobbler

Ingredients:

Filling
6 ripe pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
⅓ cup (75 mL) granulated sugar
½ tsp (2.5 mL) lemon zest
2 Tbsp (30 mL) lemon juice
2 tsp (10 mL) minced fresh ginger
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
1 Tbsp (15 mL) cornstarch
3 Tbsp (45 mL) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Topping
1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour
½ cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
2 tsp (10 mL) ground ginger
1 tsp (5 mL) ground cinnamon
1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder
½ tsp (2.5 mL) baking soda
¼ tsp (1.25 mL) each ground allspice and cloves
¼ tsp (1.25 mL) salt
⅓ cup (75 mL) cold unsalted butter, cubed
2 eggs, divided
2 Tbsp (30 mL) molasses
1 Tbsp (15 mL) coarse sugar (such as turbinado)

Instructions:

Filling

Preheat oven to 400˚F (200˚C). Toss together pears, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, ginger and vanilla; sprinkle evenly with cornstarch and toss to combine. Scrape into 8-inch (2 L) baking dish. Dot with butter.

Topping

Whisk together flour, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cloves and salt; using a pastry blender or fingertips, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Whisk 1 egg with molasses until blended. Stir into flour mixture; do not overwork the dough. Drop dough by large spoonfuls randomly onto top of filling.

Whisk remaining egg with 1 Tbsp (15 mL) water; brush over batter. Sprinkle evenly with coarse sugar. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until pears are tender, topping is golden brown, no longer doughy and cake tester comes out clean when inserted into centre of topping. Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes.

 Notes

• Try Bosc, Bartlett or Anjou pears for the filling.
• Sprinkle cobbler with chopped pecans before baking if desired.
• Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Makes 8 servings

Prep time: 15 min, Cook time: 25 min

Nutrients per serving:
Calories: 370
Fat: 13 g
Saturated Fat: 8 g
Trans Fat: 0.5 g
Sodium: 210 mg
Sugars: 38 g
Protein: 4 g
Fibre: 5 g
Carbohydrate: 60 g