Pear and Cranberry Coffee Cake

​Serves 12-16
Ingredients:
For the cake:

•  ⅔ to 1 cup dried cranberries (or 1 cup fresh, lightly chopped)
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour      
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted
• ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
• 1 large or 2 small firm pears (about 1 cup, peeled, cored, and diced)

 For the streusel:

• ½ cup brown sugar, packed
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

 
Directions:
Preparing the Cranberries:
If you’re using dried cranberries, soak them in warm water for about 30 minutes to plump them up and help soften them. Drain off the water once they’re nice and soft. If using fresh cranberries, no need to soak; just chop lightly chop.
Making the Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 9x9-inch pan with parchment paper and give it a light spray with cooking oil.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices (ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg).
3. In a larger bowl, mix the melted butter and brown sugar together until it’s smooth.  Let that cool a bit if it’s too warm, and then stir in the egg and vanilla. Now, add in your buttermilk or yogurt.
4. Fold those dry ingredients right into the wet mixture until smooth. Then gently fold in your diced pears and cranberries.
5. Spread the thick batter into your prepared pan, making sure it gets into all the corners.

Make the Streusel

1. In a separate bowl, mix together the brown sugar, flour, and ground ginger.
2. Cut in your cold butter with a pastry blender, or two knives if that’s what you’ve got. You could even use a small food processor if you’re in a hurry. What you want is a crumbly mix—no large chunks of butter left.
3. Sprinkle that beautiful streusel evenly over your batter.

Baking and Serving:

1. Put the pan in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean.
2. Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes before slicing into it. 
3. Serve warm or at room temperature,