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Chocolate Pear Cake

This chocolate pear cake is an easy & delightful "snack cake", perfect for an afternoon treat paired with a cup of coffee. It's moist, not overly sweet, & has an intriguing flavor combo from the pears, chocolate, & almond extract.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Desserts

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2 large TRULY ripe pears I used Bartlett
  • Scant 1 cup of granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup of olive oil or avocado oil
  • 2 large eggs room temp
  • 2 tablespoons of good dark cocoa powder see notes
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • A few drops of almond extract optional
  • A strong dash of cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup of milk regular or non-dairy
  • 4 ounces 113 g of dark or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon of raw demerara sugar
  • Chocolate shavings optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch spring-form or loose-bottom cake pan. Set aside.
  • I chose not to peel my pears, as they were very ripe and quite thin-skinned, but you can peel yours if desired. Remove the core and dice into small pieces. Chop your chocolate as well and set aside.
  • I'd recommend using your stand mixer (I didn't and it was more whisking than I prefer). Whisk together the granulated sugar, oil, eggs, and cocoa powder for several minutes (this emulsifies and aerates).
  • Stir in the vanilla and almond extract, then gently stir in the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and all-purpose flour (use gentle pulses on your mixer). Add the milk as well and mix until it's just incorporated.
  • Fold in the cubed pear and chopped chocolate, then pour the batter into the pan. Sprinkle with raw sugar and top with chocolate shavings.
  • Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and remove from the pan. Allow to cool fully before serving. You can eat it warm but I vastly prefer it once completely cool and set.

Notes

  1. I like a cocoa powder with good flavors. I used Hershey's Special Dark, which was great. I haven't tried it with dutch-process, but might next time.