Pear, Pecan and Ginger Cake

I can't put my finger on what was wrong with this cake, but I didn't really enjoy it. Perhaps there was nothing wrong with it, and it's just my taste buds which weren't satisfied. To me there was strange aftertaste to the cake, but I'm not sure it was because of the pecans or the fresh ginger - perhaps I shouldn't have used the ginger, but it seemed a good flavour combination in my head! On the other hand, the ginger couldn't really be tasted, although I could feel it as a warmth at the back of the mouth. CT didn't realise it was there at all until I told him!

The recipe originates from the Magnolia Bakery cookbook, but I found it here, on Rolling Pin Tales, complete with a translation to British weights and measurements! The only change I made to the cake batter was to add a large 'thumb' of fresh, grated ginger. I didn't add any frosting at all - just a dusting of icing sugar.

The cake was quite dense and heavy, although the pear chunks kept it moist. The crust of the cake was really hard too, and split during baking, so that the cake rose with a peculiar ridge around the top, as if a lid was being opened up. The hard crust made it difficult to slice the cake neatly as it cracked when a knife was inserted. 

I think the cake needed something more than just the pears and pecans, to boost the flavour but perhaps ginger didn't fulfill that need. I have seen versions of this recipe which add lemon zest to the batter, or perhaps some cinnamon would have worked better. I'm not sure this will be a recipe I try again.