Pear Gingerbread

Source: Williams-sonoma

Ingredients

• 1 Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
• 1 large Pear (Anjou Or Bosc), Peel, Core, Cut ¼″ Dice
• 1½ cups Unbleached Flour
• ¾ cups Whole Wheat Flour
• 1½ teaspoons Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
• 1¼ cups Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed
• ¾ cups Unsulfured Molasses
• 2 Eggs
• 2 teaspoons Fresh Ginger, Peeled And Grated
• 1 cup Buttermilk
• 2 cups Plain Yogurt

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 7x11 pan with butter. Dust with flour. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, melt 1 tbsp butter. Add pear and cook, stirring often, until softened, 3-4 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and let cool. In another bowl, sift together the flour, whole wheat flour, soda and spices. Set aside. In a separate bowl, using electric mixer set on medium, beat together the ½ c. Butter and ¾ c. Brown sugar until light and fluffy, approx. 2-3 minutes. Gradually beat in molasses. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in fresh ginger. With mixer on low speed, beat flour mixture into egg mixture in 3 batches alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Beat until just mixed. Stir in pear. Pour into prepared pan. Bake until test comes out clean, 45-50 minutes. Transfer pan to rack. Cool 15 minutes. While cooling, in small bowl, stir together yogurt and remaining ½ c. Brown sugar. Cut cake into squares and serve warm with dollop of yogurt.