Ozark Pudding Cake

Ingredients

• 2 large but firm pears, peeled, quartered, and cored
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup, plus one teaspoon sugar
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sliced natural almonds, toasted
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, optional
• Vanilla ice cream, for serving, optional

Directions

1. Set a rack in the center of the oven and heat it to 350ºF. Finely chop 1 pear; cut the other into thin slices.
2. In a bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder, ginger and salt, then whisk by hand so the dry ingredients are evenly combined.
3. Fit a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter with the sugar on medium speed until it looks like damp sand. Add the egg and vanilla, switch to medium-high, and beat until the mixture turns fluffy, about 5 minutes; pause now and then to scrape the bowl. Reduce the mixer speed to low, add the flour mixture in one go, and mix only until the batter comes together. It will be thick.
4. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the chopped pear, saving the sliced pear for the top, along with 1/2 the almonds and the cranberries; stop once everything is combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared skillet and smooth it into an even layer. Arrange the pear slices over the top, then scatter on the remaining almonds and the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar.
5. Slide the skillet onto the middle rack and bake until the cake is golden and the center bounces back when you touch it gently, 38 to 40 minutes. The skillet’s retained heat keeps working once it is out of the oven, so pull the cake when it has only just finished baking. Serve the cake warm from the skillet, with vanilla ice cream alongside. For the nicest texture, enjoy it on the baking day. Covered well, it can stay in the skillet at room temperature for up to 2 days.