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WHAT A DISH

By Debbie AndersonOctober 27, 2021February 1st, 2022No Comments

PearGinger Cake with Ginger Buttercream

Story and Photo by Meda Kessler

Robbie Werner’s seasonal cake and cupcake flavors at Stir Crazy Baked Goods, her Fort Worth bakery, are worth noting on your calendar.

Come fall, Werner tempts us with tasty treats infused with apple cider, chocolate-cinnamon and ginger-pear flavors. Cakes offer room for artistic license, too, such as garnishes of turbinado sugar, candied ginger and cinnamon sticks. Plain or prettied up, it’s all deliciously indulgent.

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.

THE DETAILS

Stir Crazy Baked Goods Known for its cupcakes, Stir Crazy also offers pies, cake by the slice and specialty items such as sweet rolls and cookies. Savory treats also are on the menu. Custom orders are welcome. Follow the bakery on social media at instagram.com/stircrazybakedgoods and facebook.com/stircrazybakedgoods. 1251 W. Magnolia Ave., Fort Worth, 817-862-9058, stircrazybakedgoods.com