This is a wonderfully moist, rich and scrumptious cake with a great flavour. The chocolate and pears blend marvellously to give it a brownie-like gooeyness. What’s more, it’s quick and easy to bake.
Serves: 10 – 12
Time: 55 – 60 minutes
Level: Easy
Tins: 1 x 20cm/8” round tin, preferably loose bottomed
Ingredients
- 275g/9.5oz wholemeal self-raising flour
- 60g/2oz cocoa powder + 1 tsp to dust the tin
- 140g/5oz unsalted butter, softened
- 190g/7oz golden caster sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 60g/2oz white chocolate chips
- 2 – 3 medium pears, peeled, cored and diced
- 175ml/6fl oz milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 50g/1.75oz white chocolate to decorate (or a sprinkling of icing sugar instead)
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180C / fan 160C / 350F / Gas 4. Grease and base line the tin then add a dusting of cocoa powder.
2. Weigh out the flour into a large bowl then sift in the cocoa powder. Set aside briefly.
3. Whisk the butter for a few minutes then add the sugar. Cream them together until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, with a tsp of the flour mixture. Beat well between each addition.
4. Stir in the pears and chocolate chips. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract. Fold in the flour and cocoa powder. Combine well.
5. Spoon or pour the mixture into the prepared tin, level the surface and bake for 30 – 35 minutes, until firm and springy to the touch, or test by inserting a skewer into the middle. If it comes out clean then it’s baked OK.
6. Leave in the tin for 5 minutes then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool fully.
7. To decorate, either sprinkle with icing sugar just before serving or melt the white chocolate. (Either in the microwave using short blasts and stirring regularly, or over a bain marie. Whichever method used, be gentle and patient as white chocolate burns easily.)
8. Spoon the melted chocolate into a piping bag and cut a very fine hole. With a rapid zig-zag movement, pipe lines across the cake in several directions.
I hope you enjoy making (and eating) this lovely cake. If you want to see more chocolate cake recipes click here. Or have a look at my site for lots of other recipes, sweet and savoury. If you’d like to make a comment or ask a question please do, via the contact page.
Retired Bloke on Food n stuff 