Warm Ginger Chocolate Cake with Maple Pears

As I’m sure everyone is aware, we’re currently snowed in for the foreseeable future, so that means it’s peak baking time. Hopefully I’m not jinxing myself when I say this, but I have so far not had my power go out. I’m very grateful for that because it means I can get back on track with my recipes.

With that being said, I would like to petition this recipe as your snow day bake. It’s simple, delicious, and cozy. I was actually going to post this earlier in the week but decided to wait until the snow started falling to make it more seasonal.

Although the subject of this post is obviously this recipe, if you’re looking for another snow day recipe my coffee cardamom sticky toffee pudding is my top suggestion. That was one of my favorite recipes of 2025, and I think it’s just perfect for a cozy comforting winter snowstorm bake. But let’s address the matter at hand, this recipe.

Describe this Cake to Me

Taste: The pastry shell of this cake/tart is perfectly buttery and lightly sweet which perfectly compliments the rich bittersweet chocolate filling. The crystalized ginger sprinkled throughout adds the perfect kick and ties the chocolate together with the bittersweet pears.
Texture: The puff pastry shell is perfectly flakey, while the chocolate filling is warm and gooey. The pears are soft, while the maple syrup add a little crunch after it’s been caramelized. Lastly, the vanilla ice cream on top adds a sweet creaminess to cut through the rest of the dish.

The Chocolate Cake

I call this a cake, but I guess it’s really closer to a tart. It starts with a flakey puff pastry crust, which is sprinkled with sugar that caramelizes just a little bit. The chocolate filling is almost like a brownie, with bittersweet chocolate, sharp crystalized ginger pieces, and sweet vanilla. When baked it’s perfectly gooey, with puddles of melted chocolate pieces throughout.

The Pears

The pear topping for this cake is extremely simple, but adds so much to the recipe. It starts by bringing some maple syrup to a boil on the stove, which we then add our sliced pears to. We cook this until the pears are soft and the maple syrup has caramelized. When we pour this on top of the cake, the syrup will harden into a caramel, adding a little crunch to this recipe while the pears stay soft and melt in your mouth.

Warm Ginger Chocolate Cake with Maple Pears

This cozy skillet cake is the perfect unique snow day treat! Flakey puff pastry is filled with gooey chocolate and crystalized ginger, and topped with maple caramelized pears and ice cream. This recipe is simple to throw together, but tastes so delicious.

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

Crust

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

Warm Ginger Chocolate Cake

• 5 large eggs
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• ½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 ½ sticks salted butter melted and slightly cooled
• 1 Tablespoon bourbon
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped into chunks
• ⅓ cup finely chopped crystalized ginger

Pears

• ¾ cup maple syrup
• 2 large pears cut into large pieces
• vanilla ice cream

Method

 

Par bake the puff pastry

1. Preheat the oven to 375℉.
2. Grease an 8 inch cast iron skillet with butter. Mold the puff pastry dough into the skillet with at lease an inch of overhang. You may need to roll out the dough more in order to make it fit depending on the brand you use. If you do, make sure your work surface is heavily floured to prevent the dough from sticking and tearing.
3. Once fit into the skillet, lightly prick the bottom of the dough with a fork to create holes to release air. Line the pastry with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the weights and parchment, sprinkle the bottom with 2 Tablespoons of sugar, and bake for another 5-7 minutes or until the pastry starts to brown. If it has puffed up, poke it a little with your fork to release some air, and it should slowly deflate while we make the filling. Reduce the oven temperature to 350℉.

Make the filling

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and granulated sugar. Whisk in the cocoa powder. Next, whisk in the melted butter, bourbon, and vanilla. Finally, whisk in the chopped chocolate and crystalized ginger.
2. Pour the mixture into the pastry crust and bake for 40-50 minutes or until set on the top and sides but still jiggly in the center. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes before serving. In the meantime, make the pears.

Make the pears

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring the maple syrup to a boil. Once boiling, add in the pears and stir to coat in the syrup. Reduce the temperature slightly and cover the pan with a lid. Cook covered for 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so to prevent burning. The syrup should caramelize and the pears will soften a little .
2. To serve, cut the warm cake into slices and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, one or two pear slices, and a generous drizzle of the maple sauce. Leftovers last up to 5 days sealed in an airtight container in the refrigerator.