Preparation

Make the cake

• Position racks in the bottom and top thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.

  Butter three 9×2-inch round cake pans and line each with a parchment round. Butter the parchment.

  In a large bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, and salt.

  使用装有桨叶附件的立式搅拌机，将黄油和糖涂在中等高中，直到淡淡而蓬松，大约3分钟。一次添加一个鸡蛋，每次添加后跳动30秒。

  On low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three increments, alternating with the milk in two increments, starting and ending with the flour. Beat on low speed between each addition until just incorporated. The batter will be thick and fluffy. Stir in the pears, candied ginger, and vanilla.

  Divide the batter evenly among the three prepared pans. Level the batter with a spatula. Set two pans on the top rack and the third on the lower rack. Stagger the pans on the oven racks so that no pan is directly over another. Bake, swapping and rotating the pans’ positions after 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool on racks for 30 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the racks, remove the parchment, and cool completely.

Make the caramel glaze

• Fill a cup measure with water and put a pastry brush in it. In a heavy-duty 3-quart saucepan, stir the sugar, lemon juice, and 1/3 cup cold water. Brush down the sides of the pan to wash away any sugar crystals. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, occasionally brushing down the sides of the pan, until the mixture starts to color around the edges, 5 to 8 minutes. Gently swirl the pan once to even out the color and prevent the sugar from burning in isolated spots so that the sugar caramelizes evenly. Brush down the sides of the pan if the sugar threatens to burn. Continue to cook until the sugar turns medium amber, about 30 seconds more. (Once the mixture begins to color, it will darken very quickly so keep an eye on it.)

  Reduce the heat to low and carefully stir in the butter. It will bubble up. Keep stirring until the bubbles settle down, then add the cream a couple of tablespoons at a time, stirring to combine after each addition. Continue stirring until the caramel is smooth, about 2 minutes.

  Remove from the heat and stir in the rum and salt. Strain the caramel through a fine sieve into a heatproof measuring cup to remove any small pieces of sugar. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. You should have about 1-2/3 cups.

Make the whipped cream

• Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and a cold bowl, whip the cream on medium speed until it starts to thicken, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar, raise the speed to medium high, and continue to whip until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes more. Raise the speed to high until the cream forms stiff peaks and is very thick, about 30 seconds more.

Assemble the cake

• 将蛋糕层放在扁平的盘子上或衬有蜡条的蛋糕架上，以使其在结冰时保持清洁。在层上撒上2杯鲜奶油，几乎用金属蛋糕刮刀将其均匀地撒在蛋糕的边缘上。将下一个蛋糕层放在馅料上，然后再撒2杯鲜奶油。上面放上最后一个蛋糕层，厚厚地涂在蛋糕的侧面和顶部，剩下的鲜奶油。将蛋糕冷藏30分钟。

Glaze the cake

• 将釉料慢慢倒在蛋糕的顶部，确保其覆盖顶部并淋上侧面（某些鲜奶油霜，应通过侧面的毛毛雨显示）。

  Press the coarsely chopped candied ginger pieces in a 1-inch band around the base of the cake for decoration. Remove the waxed paper strips.

  Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours before serving.