Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch cake pan and place a round parchment liner on the bottom.

Make the caramel sauce. In a small pot, heat the brown sugar, ½ cup of the coconut milk, and butter over medium-low heat. Cook while whisking, for about 8 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Pour about half of the caramel sauce on the bottom of the cake pan. Reserve the remaining sauce for serving. Arrange pears decoratively over the caramel. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring the remaining 1 cup of coconut milk to a simmer in a small pot. Whisk in molasses and vanilla.

In a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt.

Using a hand or stand mixer, beat together butter and brown sugar until creamy, about 1 ½ minutes. Alternately mix in flour mixture and molasses-milk mixture in 3 batches at low speed until smooth.

Carefully pour batter over pears and caramel in the cake pan, spreading evenly and being careful not to disturb pears. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the center is springy to the touch and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool cake for 5 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan then invert a large plate over the pan. Invert cake onto the plate. Peel off cake liner and replace any pears that stick. Serve warm or at room temperature with a scoop of ice cream and reserved caramel sauce.