Pear-Gingerbread Cake

Recipe I've yet to try, but here for safe keeping. From Cooking Pleasures magazine, sent in by Nita Thedford, McKinney, TX.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 16

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup butter, melted
• 2  Anjou pears, sliced (1/4-inch)
• 1⁄2 cup  packed light brown sugar
• 1  tablespoon ground cinnamon, divided
• 1  teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
• 2  cups all-purpose flour
• 1  cup  unsweetened cocoa
• 2  teaspoons baking soda
• 1  teaspoon ground ginger
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup sugar, plus
• 2  tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1⁄2 cup shortening
• 1  egg
• 1  cup molasses
• 1  cup hot water
• 2  cups  whipping cream

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350. Pour butter into 13x9 pan; arrange pears over bottom of pan. In small bowl, stir together brown sugar and 1 Tbs of the cinnamon; sprinkle over pears.
2. In medium bolw, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, ginger, remaining 1 tsp cinnamon, cloves and salt.
3. In large bowl, beat 1/2 cup of sugar and shortening at medium speed 3 minutes til blended. Beat in egg. Beat in molasses. Beat in flour mixture in 3 parts alternately with water, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
4. Pour batter over pears. Bake 35-40 minutes til toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean with some moist crumbs attached. Cook in pan on wire rack 30 minutes. Invert onto serving platter; remove pan.
5. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, beat cream and remaining 2 Tbs sugar at medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Serve cake warm with whipped cream.