Chocolate Pear Cake (Gâteau poire chocolat)

Like many, I find myself going weak in the knees for a good chocolate dessert. Be it an American favorite like brownies or a French classic like this chocolate pear cake, I find a rich dose of chocolat does a girl good.

Chocolate Pear Cake

While Nutella may have been all the rage these past couple of years, I’ve always held steadfast to my belief that chocolate is best when it’s pure and unadulterated. 

This chocolate pear cake drives that point home. 

There are just a small handful of ingredients in the chocolate cake batter, with the chocolate stealing the show. As I always say, use quality chocolate. You deserve it. 

The cake itself is rich, moist and fudgy. It’s very much like a brownie. It’s actually the same recipe I use to make my dark chocolate cake with red wine glaze. 

Aux Poires

The pears are a fun and tasty addition. I say fun because I love the way they’re sort of dunked in the cake. I think the fact that their stems are kept intact also adds a rustic touch that’s really pretty. 

I like to use the Anjou variety when choosing a type of pear to use for this cake. Anjou pears are dense, hold up well in baking, and are not the juiciest kind of pears, which is great for this cake. 

That said, expect a very moist and gooey texture with the cake when using the pears. The outer crust of the cake will be crisp, but the inside will be oh-so-tender and ooey gooey. 

The pears themselves will soften up, and each shaving of the pear, coupled with a forkful of chocolate cake, will be a reminder of just how close a chocolate pear cake can get us to experiencing heaven.

If you wanted to take this cake to the next level, I recommend poaching the pears in spiced, red wine. You can use the recipe for my red wine apple pear galette to poach the pears. 

Serving this Cake

Because the cake is really moist and delicate, it’s important to allow the cake to properly cool. Give the cake at least an hour to cool in the pan, before taking it out.

I find it really difficult to simply flip this cake out, so instead, I cut the cake into slices while it’s sitting in the loaf pan. I then turn the pan onto its side and use a sharp-edged spatula to gently wedge out a couple of slices at a time.

Ideally, the cake slices will also be on their side (since your pan has been turned onto its side) and simply slide out as they sit on the spatula. You can then move the spatula over to your serving plate and flip the cake slices right-side up. 

A light dusting of powdered sugar is just the lovely, extra touch before serving this chocolate pear cake. 

Chocolate Pear Cake

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

A tender, rich chocolate cake with sweet Anjou pears dunked inside. 

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Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, (94 grams)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, (114 grams) softened, plus more for greasing pan
• 4 oz. dark chocolate (70-72% cocoa), (110 grams) melted and cooled
• 2 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour, (18 grams)
• 1/4 tsp salt, (1.4 grams)
• 3 pears, peeled, sliced in half vertically with stems intact
• powdered sugar, for dusting top with

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease a 1 lb. loaf pan with some butter, then set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until they're a bit paler in color.
2. Add the granulated sugar to the eggs, and whisk to combine. Add in the softened butter and whisk until it's incorporated.
3. Pour in the melted chocolate, whisking until it's blended in. Follow with the all-purpose flour, then salt. Whisk everything until it's relatively smooth. 
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the batter out so it's evenly distributed. Gently submerge 5 or 6 pear halves into the batter in a single file, alternating between the ones that have stems and the ones that don't. 
5. Bake the cake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean and the batter around the surface of the pears is no longer wet and bubbly. It should all look pretty set. Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 1 hour. To remove, run a sharp knife along the edges of the cake, then make 6-8 slices in the cake. Then, gently turn the pan onto it's side and use a sharp-edged spatula to slide underneath the cake slices (a couple slices at a time) and move them out of the pan. Transfer to your serving plate, turning the cake slices right-side up. Dust with powdered sugar. 

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 6 Servings
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 410