Pear & Chocolate Cake (Torta di Pera e Cioccolato)
This dessert may be a relative newcomer compared to other local treats but it is certainly a favourite of Florentines today – you’ll find this combination of pear and chocolate cake in pastry shops and on trattoria menus alike. Sometimes this cake is encased in a shortcrust pastry too, but I love this on its own, particularly when it has a dense melt-in-the-mouth texture like this one. The chocolate part of this cake is modelled on one of my own favourites: a flourless chocolate cake of Elizabeth David’s.
Ingredients 10
50 g sugar
2 pears, peeled, cored, cut into eighths lengthways
150 g dark chocolate, chopped
90 g unsalted butter, cubed
90 g caster sugar, (superfine sugar)
90 g almond meal
3 eggs, separated
1 tsp cocoa powder, for dusting
icing sugar, (confectioners’ sugar) for dusting, optional
500 ml water
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Method 6
Combine the with the in a saucepan and set over a medium heat. Add the and poach for 10–15 minutes, or until tender but not too soft (a knife should easily penetrate the flesh without any resistance). Drain and let the pear pieces cool.
Melt the over a bain-marie or double boiler. When melted, remove from the heat, add the and stir until the butter has melted. Add the and , stirring to combine. When the mixture is cool, add the egg yolks.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F). Grease a 22–24 cm (8 3/4–9 1/4 in) round springform cake tin and dust with the .
In a separate bowl, whisk the to firm peaks, then fold them into the chocolate batter. Pour the chocolate mixture into the tin.
Arrange the pieces on the top of the batter, pushing them slightly in. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
When cool, remove the cake from the cake tin and, just before serving, dust liberally with , if desired. Serve in modest slices – this is rather rich.
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Notes
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