Rustic Pear and Chocolate Cake

I love chocolate. Seriously love it. And I don’t just like any kind of chocolate. I like rich, dark, creamy, acidic chocolate. No cloyingly sweet candy-bar chocolate for me!

If I could afford it, I would enjoy a square of bean-to-bar chocolate every day. However, in the practical world of economics, I’ll settle for fair trade chocolate that has at least 60% cocoa mass.

This inclination for the rich and flavourful extends to all treats. As a gluten-free person, I am often disappointed by what is available in coffee shops and bakeries. Why is sugar used to provide all the flavour in a gluten-free baked good?

It’s an issue that usually comes down to the combination of starch and rice flour that is used in most GF baked goods. But it doesn’t have to be that way. This pear and chocolate cake is the perfect combination of rich and flavourful with a balanced sweetness.

Upright Pear and Chocolate Cake

This recipe was designed to suit my tastes. I’m not a big sweet tooth, even though I love chocolate. (Have I already stressed that point enough times?) So, I’ve written the recipe using the smallest amount of sugar possible. It is not a sugar-free cake, however, it is not sweet. If you are more of a sweet tooth, then increase the sugar to 3/4 cups.

I also made this cake using gluten-free oat flour. But feel free to use all-purpose flour, pastry flour or your favourite gluten-free blend.

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 cup flour (I use GF flour)
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• 4 ripe pears

1. Start by preheating the oven to 350F.
2. Line an 8-inch spring-form cake pan with parchment paper. Do it even if it’s a non-stick pan because it makes it much easier to serve this cake.
3. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.
4. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the milk.
5. Stir in all the dry ingredients until just combined.
6. Spread the cake batter evenly in the cake pan.
7. Wash the pears. Then cut off the bottom so that they can stand upright.
8. Arrange the pears stem-side-up in the cake pan. Push the pears to the bottom of the cake pan, leaving a border of cake around the edge of the cake pan.
9. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the cake is set. The centre will be a bit moist from the pear juice.
10. Let the cake cool for 15 min before taking it out of the pan.
11. If possible, serve immediately with whipping cream or vanilla ice cream.