Seattlest has a wicked crush on Macrina Bakery and Cafe, and we know we aren’t the only ones. We’ve seen you there, standing in line next to us, eyeballing the cinnamon monkey bread and that savory galette with butternut squash, apples, sage, and Gorgonzola. We sat next to you that Sunday morning and watched your fried egg sandwich on potato bread ooze yellow yolk and homemade tomato sauce seductively onto your plate. She’s beautiful, that Macrina, and luckily, there’s plenty of her to go around. She’s in Belltown and on Queen Anne. She’s in the bread basket at your favorite restaurant and on the fresh bread aisle of your local supermarket. And if you’re willing to fork over a few dollars for Leslie Mackie’s Macrina Bakery & Café Cookbook, you can bring Macrina home, prop her up on your kitchen counter, and keep her forever. We like the sound of that.

Because while it’s certainly easy enough to run out for a cherry almond scone or a wedge of fresh fruit crostata with sesame-almond crust, sometimes Seattlest just can’t be bothered. We’d rather stay home with our dirty hair and our flour-coated hands, smudge our bowls with batter, and make Macrina in our own kitchen. After all, a dozen homemade scones is often cheaper than parking in Belltown, and for us greedy types, a single serving of crostata just isn’t enough. And really, once you’ve tried making Macrina’s ginger pear upside-down cake, well, you’ll never want to leave the kitchen again. We’d gladly invite this big, buttery beauty into our oven anytime. Deep brown with molasses, toasty, and moist, this is not Grandma’s gingerbread; Macrina’s rendition is laced with fresh ginger and topped with saucy cinnamon-sugar caramelized pears. In case you were wondering what Seattlest plans to make for dessert on Thanksgiving, now you know. She’s beautiful, that Macrina, and we’re taking her home to meet the family.

Ginger Pear Upside-Down Cake
Adapted from Leslie Mackie’s Macrina Bakery & Café Cookbook

For the topping:
3 Tbs unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup light brown sugar
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
4-5 medium to large ripe pears, peeled, cored, and quartered lengthwise

For the batter:
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar
2 Tbs peeled, grated ginger
3 large eggs
2/3 cup molasses
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Oil a 9-inch springform pan, and line the bottom with a 10-inch circle of parchment paper.

To make the topping, combine 3 Tbs butter, ½ cup brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Melt the butter over medium heat for about 1 minute; then pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan, completely coating the parchment paper. Place the quartered pears on top of the butter-sugar mixture, lining the pieces up tightly in a decorative circle so that none of the bottom shows through.

To make the batter, cut 2 sticks of butter into 1-inch pieces, and put them in a large mixing bowl. Add ¾ cup brown sugar, and cream the mixture on medium speed for 3-5 minutes, until it is smooth and a pale tan color. Add the grated ginger, and beat 1 minute more. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs one at a time, beating on low speed and making sure that each egg is fully incorporated before adding another. When all the eggs have been added, slowly pour in the molasses and beat to fully mix. The mixture will look as though it is “breaking” or curdling, but don’t worry—it will come together when the dry ingredients are added.

In a separate medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to fully combine.

Alternately add small amounts of flour and buttermilk to the batter, stirring and folding with a rubber spatula until the dry ingredients are just absorbed. Do not overmix the batter. Pour and scrape the batter into the pear-lined pan, smoothing the top with a rubber surface. The pan will be nearly full.

Carefully transfer the pan to the center rack of the oven, and bake for about 1 hour and 45 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the cake’s center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Cover the pan with an upside-down serving plate; then carefully invert them together. Release the sides of the pan, and lift it away. Gently lift the pan’s base off the cake, and peel away the parchment paper. Allow the cake to cool for a half hour or so, and serve warm, with whipped cream.

Yield: One big cake, likely serving 10-12 people