Pear & Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
2 large pears
40 grams butter
2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
100 grams self-raising flour
25 grams cocoa powder
100 grams ground almonds
150 grams butter, softened
150 grams caster sugar
2 large free-range eggs (room temperature)
1/2 cup milk
Method
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Preheat your oven to 180°C (170°C if using fan-forced oven).
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Grease and line a 20 centimetre springform cake tin and line.
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Peel, and core the pears and cut into thin segments.
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Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the brown sugar and orange zest and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
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Add the pears and cook them gently for a few minutes, turning frequently, until tender. Set aside.
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Sift the flour and cocoa in a large bowl and set aside.
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Beat the butter and sugar in a mixer for several minutes until light and fluffy.
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Add the eggs, one at a time, adding a spoonful of the flour mixture with each.
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Fold in the remaining flour mixture and almond meal alternately with splashes of milk.
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Spread the cake mixture in the prepared tin and arrange the pears on top, finishing them off with the juices from the pan.
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Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the sponge comes out clean. Leave to cool slightly in the tin.