molasses – Better with Lemon

We were sure we were done with winter here in New York city. Temperatures have climbed, sometimes into the upper 60s, and daffodils are sprinkling the grey-brown landscape with yellow stars. But it looks like winter isn’t quite done with us yet. A storm is expected on Sunday and Monday that will bring snow and freezing temperatures back. I hope it’s the last of that for the year. I’m ready for spring.

Other than the seesawing temperatures, this time of year also means that we are done with fresh winter produce and have no spring replacements yet. It’s withered potatoes, refrigerator apples, and overgrown winter squash season. You can probably still find decent pears though. And if you do, make this cake. It’s made with ground almonds, giving it a toothsome crumb and a satisfying chew. It’s a pretty traditional upside-down cake, but instead of the usual caramel, you use pomegranate molasses. Their tartness provides a great counterbalance to the sweet pears. And to top it all, it just looks so beautiful when you take it out of the pan.

Have a slice and hang tight. Spring is just around the corner.

Pear Upside-Down Cake with Pomegranate Molasses – Slightly adapted from Bon Appétit

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
¼ cup pomegranate molasses, plus more for serving
1¾ cups sugar, divided
3-4 ripe Bosc or Bartlett pears (about 1½ pounds), peeled, halved lengthwise, cored
125 g almond flour (or 1 cup blanched almonds processed until fine)
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 cup olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350˚. Butter a 10″-diameter springform cake pan and line bottom with a parchment paper round; flour sides of pan. Set pan on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and set aside.

Cook orange juice, ¼ cup pomegranate molasses, ¼ cup sugar, and remaining 2 Tbsp. butter in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is slightly reduced, about 4 minutes. Add pears, cut side up, and cook (undisturbed) until they begin to release their juices, about 3 minutes. Turn pears over and cook just until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Let cool slightly, then arrange pears, cut side down, in prepared pan.

Return skillet to medium heat and cook liquid in skillet until thickened and syrupy, about 4-5 minutes, depending on juiciness of pears. Pour syrup over pears and let cool while you prepare the batter.

In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.

Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat eggs, orange zest, and remaining 1½ cups sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add oil and continue mixing for another 1-2 minutes. Fold in dry ingredients just until fully incorporated. Pour batter over pears and smooth top.

Bake cake (on foil-rimmed baking sheet, to catch drips from springform pan) until top is golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 50–60 minutes (it took 70 minutes for me). Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in pan, 15–20 minutes. Run knife around edges of cake to loosen and invert onto rack. Remove parchment and let cake cool completely.

If you want, drizzle cake with more pomegranate molasses just before serving.

Do you have a cast iron skillet? It’s one of those things that everyone is “supposed” to have. Every time I see it mentioned in a cookbook or food article it’s referred to as “the only pan you’ll ever need.” You’re not really considered as someone serious about food unless you have one in your kitchen. Such pressure!

Truth is, a cast iron skillet is a great pan. Not just because it retains heat well and is naturally non-stick (provided you season it appropriately) but also because it’s hefty and rugged. When you pull this hunk of iron out of the kitchen cabinet or drawer, it’s like you’re saying “now we’re in business.”

Here’s the only problem, though. What if you bought one, all excited you joined the ranks of the so-called serious cooks, and then you never really used it? It’s just too heavy. The handle gets hot. You’re afraid to wash it afterwards – aren’t you supposed to just rub it with salt or something?

Well, that was me for a long time. I had a perfectly good cast iron skillet but the only thing it provided me with was guilt. It took me a while to accept the fact that this was not supposed to be a skillet I should use often because…this is not 1873. That this is more of a specialized tool, appropriate for certain recipes. That eased my guilt considerably, so now when I do use it, I love it, and when I don’t use it, well, I just forget about it.

This recipe is one of those recipes that call for a cast-iron skillet. Though that’s not what made me try it out. The recipe had me at “upside-down.” Seriously. How could you say no to any upside-down cake when you know it means caramel(!) that soaks the bottom-then-top of the cake?

This cake is easy to make and it’s a little dangerous. It comes out dark and seductive looking. When you put your fork through it, it’s toffee-sticky but tender. And when you eat it, its rich, lightly spiced crumb sticks to the roof of your mouth, unwilling to let you go.

Like I said. It’s a little dangerous.

Upside-Down Apple-Molasses Cake – Slightly adapted from Bonappetit.com

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup molasses (you can use mild-flavored molasses if you prefer)
1/4 cup honey
1 large egg
2 teaspoons grated peeled ginger
1/2 cup sugar, divided
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup whole milk
3-4 Honeycrisp or Pink Lady apples, (about 2 pounds), peeled

Preheat the oven to 350°. Melt butter in a 9-inch or 10-inch cast-iron skillet (you can use a different ovenproof skillet if you don’t have a cast-iron one). Take skillet off the heat and set it aside. Whisk the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl.

Whisk the molasses, honey egg, ginger, and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a large bowl. Whisk in the sour cream, then the milk. Gradually whisk in the dry ingredients, then 3 tablespoons of the melted butter from skillet. Set aside. The batter will be thick.

Place a peeled apple on a work surface stem up. Cut a large piece of the apple from one side, leaving core behind. Rotate the apple and repeat twice for a total of 3 large pieces (a triangular core will remain). Repeat with remaining apples.

Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar to butter in skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar just begins to darken and caramelize, about 2-3 minutes. Be careful because the sugar can quickly burn.

Add the apples flat side down and immediately turn them rounded side down. Cook the apples rounded sides down for 3 minutes, then turn over and cook flat sides down until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes longer.

Space the apples evenly in skillet flat side down and pour the cake batter over. If the batter is too thick to pour, use a spatula to gently spread it evenly over the apples.

Transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 30-40 minutes.

Let the cake cool in the skillet for 10 minutes, then carefully invert it onto a plate. If any of the apples stay in the skillet, just use a spoon to take them out and place them back on the cake.