Gingered Pear-Cornmeal Coffee Cake

This casual breakfast treat can also be individually wrapped in plastic and taken on your next picnic or family outing. Try substituting 3 cups of peeled and coarsely chopped tart apples plus 3/4 cup chopped cranberries, 4 cups fresh chopped pineapple or 3 cups peeled and diced peaches for the pears. Or try using 3 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries or blackberries to top the batter. From Cooking Club of America.

• Ready In: 1 hr 25 mins
• Serves: 20

Ingredients

• 4  bosc pears, peeled, coarsely chopped (about 3 1/2 to 4 cups)
• 2  tablespoons crystallized ginger, chopped
• 1  tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
• 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1⁄2 cup shortening
• 4  eggs
• 1  tablespoon vanilla
• 2  teaspoons  grated  orange peel
• 1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3⁄4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2  teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 cup buttermilk

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F Grease and flour 13x9-inch pan. In medium bowl, combine pears, ginger and lemon juice; toss gently to mix.
2. In large bowl, combine sugar, butter and shortening; beat at medium speed about 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and orange peel.
3. In another large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal and baking powder; mix well. Beating at medium speed, alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Spread batter in pan.
4. Distribute pear mixture evenly over batter. Lightly press fruit into batter.
5. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and cake begins to pull away from sides of pan. Cool on wire rack.
6. TIP *Crystallized ginger, also called candied ginger, is sliced ginger that has been cooked in a sugar syrup, then dipped in sugar. Look for it in the Asian foods section, the spice aisle or even the produce section (with other dried specialty ingredients) in the grocery store.