The blistery cold days of winter are coming. I read that the Northeast is going to get a big dose of cold and snowy days this winter. There are going to be a lot of school closures and many people will choose to work from home. Judging from past years’ experience, I know that I will not be venturing out in the snow. 

One good thing about staying home is that you can fine-tune your baking skills. I can already imagine getting cozy in my favorite chair, and sipping some hot cocoa while there are delicious treats in the oven. Just the smell of baking will warm you up, and the anticipation of eating it will make you happy if it is a miserable day.

I love these kinds of days because they force me to do nothing, as opposed to running around all hacking away at an endless list of errands and chores. As I have said before, cooking is my therapy, and I get lots of it on those cold, bitter days.

Even though it happened to beautiful out today, I decided to bake up this upside-down skillet pear cake. This is one you should definitely put away for one of the coldest days. It was moist and delicious–perfect for keeping the chill away. The molasses gives it a rich sweetness, and the ginger and cloves bring a savory flavor. The pears give it fruity touch, and the toasted pecans add a nutty crunch for the perfect finish. Just watch the cooking time; mine took a lot longer to bake than the instructions provided.

This recipe is courtesy of Food 52 and will serve 6 to 8 people who will want to stay inside on the next snow day.

Ingredients for Gingerbread Pear Upside Down Skillet Cake:

4 tablespoons butter
1/4cup dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons molasses
1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans
3 medium pears, peeled, cored and sliced

For the filling:

½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup butter
1 egg
1 cup molasses
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup hot water

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, melt 4 tablespoons butter to begin the topping mixture.

Stir in brown sugar, molasses and pecans.

Evenly layer pears over the sugar mixture.

To make gingerbread, cream butter and sugar and add egg.

Add molasses.

Stir together dry ingredients and slowly add to molasses mixture.

Add hot water and mix well.

Pour batter on top of pears.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes (mine took a lot longer, so keep checking it) until gingerbread springs back lightly when pressed with a finger. Mine sprung back when I pressed it my finger, but it wasn’t cooked through. I suggest you use a toothpick, insert it in the middle, and see if it comes back clean. 

Remove skillet from oven and invert onto a heatproof serving plate.

Serve warm or cold.

Very good with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

It’s that simple!