Sweet, tender pears nestle into a deep chocolate cake, with their golden tops still visible after baking. Melted dark chocolate and unsweetened cocoa powder give the crumb its rich flavor and moist texture. It is a simple cake for a cool afternoon, with no frosting needed.
A contrast of tender fruit and rich chocolate
Mildly sweet pears balance the cocoa, while a thick batter supports the fruit as the cake rises around it. Choose ripe but firm pears rather than hard or very soft ones. Brief mixing after the flour goes in helps keep the crumb tender, and cooling the cake before slicing lets it set around the fruit.
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At a glance
Chocolate Pear Cake with Sunken Fruit and a Rich Chocolate Crumb
- Prep time
- 25 min
- Cook time
- 50 min
- Total time
- 2 hr 15 min
- Yield
- 12 cake slices
Total time includes 1 hr of additional time. See the instructions for details.
Ingredients for 12 slices, using a 24 cm springform pan
Prep: about 25 minutes · Bake: about 50 minutes (45–55 minutes) · Cooling: at least 60 minutes · Total: about 2 hours 15 minutes. A 24 cm pan is about 9½ inches; metric weights are the reference amounts.
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| Amount | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 400 g | pears, peeled, halved lengthwise and cored (about 14 oz; roughly 5–6 halves from about 3 pears, depending on size) |
| 150 g | plain dark chocolate*, about 70% cacao (5¼ oz), without filling |
| 125 g | unsalted butter (4.4 oz), plus 5 g (about 1 teaspoon) for the pan |
| 120 g | fine granulated sugar* (about ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons) |
| 3 | eggs, at room temperature (150 g without shells; about 3 US large eggs) |
| 180 g | all-purpose flour* (about 1½ cups, spooned and leveled) |
| 25 g | unsweetened cocoa powder* (about ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon) |
| 8 g | baking powder* (about 2 teaspoons) |
| 2 g | fine salt* (about ⅓ teaspoon) |
| 100 ml | whole milk, at room temperature (about ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons) |
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) conventional or 320°F (160°C) fan. Line the base of a 24 cm springform pan with parchment and lightly grease the sides with 5 g butter. Pat the prepared pear halves dry. If the halves are especially thick, trim the rounded undersides slightly so they cook evenly; use about 400 g prepared fruit in total.
- Chop the dark chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl with 125 g butter. Set over a pan of barely simmering water without letting the bowl touch the water. Stir until melted and smooth, remove from the heat and let cool to lukewarm so it will not cook the eggs.
- Beat the eggs and sugar with a hand mixer for about 3–4 minutes until pale and foamy. Briefly mix in the lukewarm chocolate and butter on low speed.
- Thoroughly combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, sifting if lumpy. Add in two batches, alternating with the milk, and mix briefly until no dry flour remains. Do not continue beating the thick batter once combined.
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Arrange the pear halves cut side up, with their narrow ends toward the center. Press in gently until roughly their lower halves sit in the batter. Do not push them all the way to the bottom, and leave a little space between the fruit.
- Bake on the middle rack for about 45–55 minutes. Starting at 45 minutes, insert a wooden skewer into the cake between the pears: a few moist crumbs are fine, but liquid batter means it needs longer. Continue baking for a few minutes and check again if needed. A small knife should also slide easily into the pears. Loosely cover with parchment or foil if the top gets too dark.
- Let cool in the pan on a rack for at least 20 minutes. Carefully loosen the edge and release the springform ring, then cool for at least another 40 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cut into twelve slices. The cake slices most neatly when completely cool.
Choosing pears
Use ripe but firm pears, such as Bosc, Conference or another variety that holds its shape. Very hard fruit may stay firm in the cake, while overripe pears can release too much juice. Ripeness and similar size matter more than the variety name. Trim unusually thick halves and weigh the prepared fruit.
How far should the pears sink?
Press the halves only about halfway into the batter. The cake rises around them, leaving some fruit visible on top. If unusually large halves overcrowd the pan, save the excess pear for another use: the prepared weight and a little space between the fruit matter more than an exact number of halves.
Chocolate and cocoa choices
Use plain chocolate with about 70% cacao and unsweetened cocoa powder. Filled bars, sweetened drinking-chocolate mixes and white chocolate will not behave the same way. Different chocolate brands change the sweetness and nutrition. Let the melted chocolate and butter cool to lukewarm before adding them to the egg mixture.
Storage and freezing
Cover the cooled cake, refrigerate and eat within 2–3 days. Let individual slices lose their chill before serving. Wrap portions well and freeze for up to 2 months, then thaw in the refrigerator. The pears may become a little softer after thawing.
Approximate nutrition per slice
About 293 calories, 32 g carbohydrate, 4.9 g protein and 16 g fat for one of twelve equal slices. Includes all chocolate, milk and butter used to grease the pan. These are calculated estimates and vary with ingredients and slice size; extra accompaniments are not included.
Contains wheat/gluten, eggs and milk. Chocolate may contain soy or traces of nuts depending on the product; check labels. Do not taste raw batter containing flour and eggs.
Recipe by myai
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