My mother got an Asian pear last week at the supermarket, and I was poking around the internet for things to do with it. We didn’t (I don’t think) have any short ribs to make kalbi, but I found a tasty looking pound cake that turned out nicely. It’s sort of like a pear upside-down cake, but…then you flip it again?

It only has one cup of flour, which I substituted out for gluten-free all-purpose flour plus 3/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum, and it worked perfectly.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (or 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour plus 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 small Asian pear, sliced
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the flour (and xanthan gum if using), baking powder, salt, eggs, sugar, and milk in a medium bowl and stir together until evenly mixed.

Grease a loaf pan well, then place the pear slices as evenly as possible over the bottom of the pan. You could cut them thinner than I did, but would probably have a bunch to spare.

Pour the batter evenly over the fruit.

Drizzle the honey over the batter, then sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bake until the cake is golden brown and feels like a sponge cake to the touch. The recipe I was looking at said 35, mine was still a bit undercooked in the middle at 40. If yours still jiggles at 40, cover it with foil so the top doesn’t burn, and give it another few minutes.

Let cool several hours in the pan, then turn out onto a plate or cutting board.

Fruity!

Invert, and serve.

The cinnamon and pear go together really nicely in this. I do think it’s a keeper!

Asian Pear Pound Cake

Slightly adapted from Wonderful Fruit.

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (or 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour plus 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 small Asian pear, sliced
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the flour (and xanthan gum if using), baking powder, salt, eggs, sugar, and milk in a medium bowl and stir together until evenly mixed.

Grease a loaf pan well, then place the pear slices as evenly as possible over the bottom of the pan. Pour the batter evenly over the fruit, drizzle with honey, and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bake until the cake is golden brown and feels like a sponge cake to the touch, 35-45 minutes. Let cool several hours in the pan, then turn out onto a plate or cutting board. Invert, and serve.