Jameson Ginger and Pear Coffee Cake

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Words by Michelle Gayer
Photography by Pamela Sutton

Jameson Ginger and Pear Coffee Cake (Because Jameson is good at all hours.)

Jameson Ginger Syrup

  • 1 cup Granulated Sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 cup Jameson Irish Whiskey
  • Scraped Vanilla Bean pod

Bring all three ingredients to a simmer. Stir until all the sugar is dissolved. Take off heat and let sit for 30 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.

Oatmeal Streusel

  • 4oz Cold Butter
  • ½ cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 cup All Purpose Flour
  • ¾ cup Rolled Oats
  • Pinch of Salt

Cut your cold butter into ½ inch cubes. Mix all ingredients until crumbly.

Flat Icing

  • 1 cup Granulated Sugar
  • 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoons of Jameson
  • 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract

Whisk everything together until smooth. Add more sugar if too runny.

Crème Fraîche Cake

  • 8oz Unsalted Butter
  • 2 cups Granulated Sugar
  • Zest of 1 Lemon
  • 1 Vanilla Bean, Scraped. (Save your pod!)
  • 2 Eggs
  • 10 oz Crème Fraîche (or sour cream)
  • 2 ¼ cups Cake Flour (sifted)
  • ¾ teaspoon Baking Powder
  • ½ teaspoon Salt
  • 1-2 Ripe Bartlett pears, peeled and sliced

Cake Instructions:

Cream butter, sugar, zest and vanilla bean. Add eggs one at a time. Scrape your bowl! Add half of your sifted dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add Crème Fraîche and mix on low until combined. Scrape your bowl again! Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Scrape your bowl one last time!

Pour batter into well-greased medium large bundt pan. Layer pears evenly on the top and push them down slightly so they are nestled in the batter. Sprinkle chopped candied ginger over the pears and cover everything with oatmeal streusel.

Bake at 375 degrees F. until cake tests clean when you poke a toothpick in the middle. About 45 minutes. If the top of the cake is getting too dark you can cover it with tin foil for the remaining time.

After Baking:

Allow cake to cool slightly before flipping it out of the pan and upside down onto the serving platter. Poke holes in the sides and the bottom of the cake and brush generously with the Jameson syrup. Repeat brushing it with the syrup every 15 minutes, 3 times. Save the remaining syrup for serving.

To Serve:

Flip cake onto your serving platter so that the streusel is on the top. Drizzle with flat icing. Top with more candied ginger.

Drizzle a small amount of Jameson syrup on each slice of coffee cake.  Enjoy!

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