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Chocolate Pear Cake - chocolate and pears go really well together in this easy cake! This cake makes a perfect breakfast and dessert!
I made this chocolate pear cake quite a while ago and really liked it, even though never before have I combined chocolate cake batter and pears. As I luckily discovered, pears and chocolate cake work really well together in this easy-to-prepare, everyday cake. Especially if you have a couple of very ripe pears that you don't know what to do with.
The original recipe called for caramelizing the pears and placing them on the bottom of the baking pan for an upside-down cake effect, but I didn't want to caramelize the pears I had because they were too soft and overly ripe already.
Instead, I just placed chopped fresh pears on top of the cake batter, expecting the cake batter to rise evenly around the pears. The cake did rise around the pears, but in very select places as you can see for yourself on the photos. Still, the cake looked reasonably pretty, especially when dusted with confectionery sugar, and, what's more important, tasted really good!
This chocolate pear cake recipe is good on many levels: it's easy-to-make, it's delicious, the chocolate cake texture is just right, and this dessert has fruit in it which is what I love. It's one of those recipes I will definitely try again. Maybe next time, I'll fold the pears directly into the batter (instead of putting them on top) or will use different fruit or berries.
Recipe Notes
- What baking pan to use? Use a 9×9 inch square pan or 9 inch round springform pan. If using a springform pan, line the bottom of the springform pan with a round piece of parchment paper.
- After your cake is baked, dust it with powdered sugar before serving: it will make this tasty cake look really pretty!
Chocolate pear cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 4 ounces dark chocolate , chopped
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole milk
- 3 pears ripe, peeled, cored, and chopped into large chunks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Grease a 9×9 inch square pan or 9 inch round springform pan. If using a springform pan, line the bottom of the springform pan with a round piece of parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt - mix to combine.
- Melt the butter and dark chocolate in a small bowl, using a microwave, or on a stove top in a small pan over low heat. Stir well.
- Transfer melted chocolate mixture to a large mixing bowl, add granulated sugar, and, using electric mixer, beat on medium-high speed for a couple of minutes until the mixture is light in color. Add eggs and vanilla and continue beating to combine. Add flour mixture and milk, alternating between the two in two additions, into the chocolate mixture.
- Pour the cake batter into the baking pan and place chopped pears on top of the cake batter. Alternatively, you can fold in chopped pears into the cake batter before adding the cake batter into the baking pan.
- Bake for about 45 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out reasonably clean and the cake bounces when touched.
- Cool on a wire rack for 15-30 minutes. If using springform pan, release the cake when completely cooled.
- Dust with powdered sugar before serving: it will make this tasty cake look really pretty!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
I thought that Dutch processed cocoa is always used with baking powder, not with baking soda?
Can this be made with gluten free flour
Not sure.
I made this with bottles pears and it turned out really well.
Sorry forgot to rate it. 5 stars from me
Thank you! 🙂
Wow my cake turned out exactly like the picture and all my guests loved it. I wanted to insert a picture of the cake I made but did not know how. this is now one of my go to cakes. thanks
Dianne, I am so happy to read comments like yours! So glad you and your guests loved the cake! 🙂
can this cake be frozen and then put sugar topping when serving
Yes, you can freeze this cake. Enjoy!
How much is a cup ~ would love to try this
1 cup of flour is 125 grams of flour.
I am hoping to serve your chocolate pears tonight however I am in uk and find cup size difficult to judge if I look up ounce it doesn't show equlivant so have gone for 8oz I cup. I see you use oz for chocolate hope it turns out ok
Fabulous fail proof recipe. Have made this multiple times, and this morning I made it for my brother for a post birthday morning tea. Not overly sweet and the pears look great when you receive your slice. Our neighbours have been sharing their pear crop, so they have been put to many uses. This one was the best!!!!
It failed me. Far too chocolatey. I converted from cups to ounces and the cocoa worked out at 2 1/2 oz but that seemed a lot so I reduced it to 2oz but it is still really dark and too chocolatey. Sorry, not for me.
Cake turned out exactly like your photos! The pear flavor is muted but no complaints from everyone as cake is really moist and chocolatey. A must try!
Maria, so glad you liked the recipe!
Hi, I wondering if I can omit the 4 oz of dark chopped chocolate and substitute another item? Thank you
Love how moist and gooey this cake is, Julia! I'm such a sucker for chocolate cake and crave it often. Love that you added pears. So creative! Thank you for sharing. Already pinned from you, but will definitely pin some more! 🙂
The combination of chocolate and pears sounds really good Julia! The cake looks perfectly moist.
I really think pears are great in baked goods. Unfortunately my family are not big fan of pears so I rarely buy them (except for those round Asian pears sometimes). So it's really nice to see a recipe that uses pears in baked goods. Chocolate and pears sound amazing! I'd really love to try this one day.