Pear-Ginger Cake with Ginger Buttercream

Makes 1 two-layer cake

• 1 cup milk
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
• 1½ cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
  
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1½ cups fresh pear, cored and chopped

Optional garnishes: 

• ground cinnamon, ground ginger, candied ginger, turbinado, cinnamon sticks

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Generously grease and flour a pair of 8- or 9-inch cake pans.

In a bowl, add milk, butter and eggs. Do not mix. Add remaining ingredients except for the pear.

Blend on low (use a stand mixer or hand-held electric with beaters) about 30 seconds; scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix on medium-high speed for 3 minutes until the batter is smooth and creamy. Fold in chopped pear just until incorporated; divide batter between the 2 pans.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick, which should come out clean.

Set pans on a cooling rack for 20 minutes. Loosen edges by running a knife around the inside of the cake pans, and then turn cakes out onto the rack to continue to cool. Once the cake is completely cooled, place one layer on a platter.

Spread ⅓ of the buttercream (recipe follows) on the cake, just until icing meets the edges. Carefully line up the top layer (rounded side up). Press gently in the center to seal. Add a very thin layer of buttercream to seal in the crumbs on the sides of the cake. Let sit for at least 30 minutes or, covered, overnight.

Finish frosting the cake with remaining buttercream; garnish as desired.

Ginger Buttercream

• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons milk (plus extra as needed)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 4 cups powdered sugar

Combine all ingredients, with wet on the bottom and dry on top.

Mix on low until incorporated; scrape down sides of the bowl.

Mix on medium until smooth and creamy, but not whipped. If your frosting is too thick to spread, add up to 1 tablespoon more milk (but no more than that), and mix again until creamy.