Bittersweet Chocolate and Pear Cake
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Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs, at room-temperature
- 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 pears, peeled, in a small dice (Anjou or softer variety like Bosc)
- 3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks
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Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 2
Butter a 9-inch springform pan and dust with breadcrumbs or flour.
Step 3
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together, set aside.
Step 4
Using a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the eggs on high speed until pale and very thick (5 minutes with a professional mixer, 9 minutes with a home mixer).
Step 5
While the eggs are whipping, brown the butter: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and cook until it browns and smells nutty, about 6 to 8 minutes. Frequent scraping of solids ensures even browning.
Step 6
Add sugar to the eggs and whip a few more minutes.
Step 7
Just as the egg-sugar mixture begins to lose volume, turn the mixer down to stir and add the flour mixture and brown butter alternately: one-third of flour, half the butter, another third of flour, remaining butter, and the last of flour.
Step 8
Whisk until just barely combined, using a spatula to gently fold the batter until ingredients are combined. Be careful not to over-whisk or fold, to prevent volume loss.
Step 9
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Step 10
Sprinkle pear and chocolate chunks over the top.
Step 11
Bake until the cake is golden brown and springs back to the touch, about 40 to 50 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.
Step 12
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Chef's notes
Serve with whipped cream with a drop of almond extract or Anna's recommended buttermilk ice cream.
Ensure the cake is fully baked before removing from the oven, as doneness is critical.
