• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted, then cooled to room temperature
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 3 pear, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2-1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour, sifted
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt (necessary)
• 2 tsp. ground ginger, or 3 Tbs. fresh gingerroot, peeled and grated and 3 Tbs. crystallized ginger, minced
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
• 1 tsp. Dutch processed cocoa
• 3/4 cup unsulphured molasses
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup lowfat milk
• 1 largeegg
• 1-1/2 cups light frozen dessert topping

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease sides of a 7 x 11 inch rectangular metal baking pan. Pour 4 Tbs. melted butter into pan. Spread brown sugar evenly over pan bottom. Arrange pear slices over brown sugar mixture, overlapping slightly. Sift flour and next 8 ingredients together in a bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat remaining butter and next 5 ingredients together in another bowl. Add dry ingredients to liquid and beat 1 minute on medium speed, until mixture is smooth. Do not overmix. (If using the fresh ginger, batter will be lumpy.) Pour batter over pear slices and smooth surface. Bake 50-60 minutes, or until edges have pulled away from the pan sides and top is springy. Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes. Invert onto serving plate, cut and serve with a dollop of topping.