Lately, I've been obsessed with the idea of chocolate and pears. I'm not really sure why. I actually hate chocolate and fruit together unless it's chocolate and strawberry, or maybe chocolate and frozen banana. But, I couldn't shake this combo out of my head so I went on search to find a simple recipe where I could try it for the first time. This cake is pretty low in fat and of course the pear down the middle fools you into thinking you're eating something healthy. I love the mellow sweetness of pears with chocolate and I can't wait to try this flavor combination again. Muffins? Tarts? Suggestions are welcome!
The cast of characters
Sift the dry ingredients
Whisk in the wet stuff
Pour the batter into the pan
Add the pear
Cooked cake (Be patient, it has to cool)
Pretty
Teeny slice
One year ago: English Muffins
Two years ago: Butternut Squash Pasties
Three years ago: Blushing Pom Holiday Cheesecake
Chocolate Pear Cake
(Adapted from My Creative Flavors)
Makes two 4.5-inch cakes or one 9-inch cake
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup water
1-2 small Bartlett (or other firm) pears, peeled, halved, and cored
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 4.5-inch baking pans or one 9-inch pan.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Whisk them together.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg, milk, oil, vanilla, and water. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Fill each pan half way through with the batter. Top each pan with a pear half. If you are baking the cake in a larger pan, arrange the pear halves in a circle.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. Serve the cake with a sprinkling of confectioner's sugar or ice cream if desired.
Printable Recipe
What a creative treat!! Love the giant piece of pear.
ReplyDeleteI love pears in anything! This looks so yummy. Hope you are doing great Esi. Jealous of your upcoming trip to see your mom in Africa! You'll have the best report for "What I Did over the Holidays". - mary
ReplyDeleteGorgeous cake!
ReplyDeleteWow. That looks really good!
ReplyDeleteI'm not really the biggest pear fan but I think that with chocolate around, you could get me to like anything.
ReplyDeleteSuper cute idea Esi! They make for perfect individual servings at parties.
ReplyDeleteum why was i not invited over to taste test this! looks ah-mazing!
ReplyDeleteI just pinned and tweeted this because it's so unique and elegant. I'm kind of over seeing pumpkin and chocolate and this was a nice change.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that you have fully embraced chocolate and pears & share it with us!
ReplyDeleteumm hello? is this on?
ReplyDeleteyou DO like chocolate & fruit together.
geeeez. ;-)
Such a pretty dessert and a delicious one too - how could it not be when it has two of my favorite ingredients in it!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful cake! I'd go for a slice or entire cake.
ReplyDeleteThis is so gorgeous! I love that the pear is inside like that and you get big bites of it with each spoonfull.
ReplyDeleteThe cake is looking so delightful. I am so glad it came out well when you gave it a shot and yes thanks for linking it back to mycreativeflavors. Cheers, sonia
ReplyDeletemmm, i haven't indulged in enough pears this season! this looks wonderful, especially with that big chunk of pear :)
ReplyDelete