Name: Italian Chocolate Pear Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 4 pears (ripe but firm); 170 g flour (1 ⅛ cups); 30 g cocoa powder (¼ cup, unsweetened); 170 g granulated sugar (¾ cup); 70 g vegetable oil (5 tablespoons, such as Canola oil or Grapeseed oil); 2 eggs; 125 g yogurt (½ cup of plain whole milk yogurt, at room temperature); 100 g chocolate chips (10 tablespoons, dark chocolate); 14 g baking powder (1 tablespoon)

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Have you ever tried the combination of pears and dark chocolate? It's a real treat! In fact, this combo is widely used in baking to make a lot of pies, tarts and cakes!

Chocolate pear cake is a classic Italian dessert with a unique sweetness! It's a delicious recipe, very easy to make and ready in minutes!

Chocolate and Pear cake, like other Italian classic chocolate cakes, such as Torta Caprese or Torta Tenerina, has a soft and choco-licious texture that melts in your mouth.As you eat it, feel the contrast of the dark chocolate with the sweetness of the pears that make it a great recipe!

Chocolate pear cake is the perfect treat for all occasions: you can serve it as a dessert or at breakfast or as a delicious and nutritious mid-afternoon snack.

If you love the combination of pears and chocolate, try this recipe. You will definitely make this super yummy cake throughout the fall/winter season, when pears are at their best.

On cold winter days, this cake is perfect, with maybe a steaming cup of tea or milk!

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Ingredients
Kitchen Tools and Equipment
Instructions
Storage
Variations
Recipe Card

Ingredients

Prep Time: 15 Min | Cook Time: 40 Min | Servings: 6

Doses for a 22 cm (9 inch) Non-stick Springform Pan with Removable Bottom

4 pears, ripe but firm
170 g (1 ⅛ cup) of flour
30 g (¼ cup) of unsweetened cocoa powder
170 g (¾ cup) of granulated sugar
70 g (5 tablespoons) of vegetable oil such as Canola oil or Grapeseed oil
2 whole eggs
125 g (½ cup) of plain whole milk yogurt, at room temperature
100 g (10 tablespoons) of dark chocolate chips
14 g (1 tablespoon) of baking powder

Kitchen Tools and Equipment

WHISK: You don't need any special equipment to make traditional Italian Chocolate Pear Cake.However, if you don't already have it, get a Balloon Whisk to whisk the eggs with the sugar.
MIXER: If you don't want to do it manually, check out this Electric Hand Mixer, Beaters and Whisk, with Snap-On Storage Case.
MESH STRAINER: It's also very important to mix the powders together. For best results, we recommend sifting the powders with a Fine Mesh Strainer. This will allow the flour, cocoa and baking powder to mix evenly.
BAKING PAN: A 22 cm (9 inch) Non-stick Springform Pan with Removable Bottom can be very useful to more conveniently remove the cake once baked.
CAKE DOME: Finally, we recommend using a cake dome to preserve its fragrance and softness.

Instructions

Make the Dough

Step 1) - First, turn the oven on to 180°C (350°F) so it will be at the right temperature when you need to bake the cake.

Then, using a balloon whisk or an electric hand mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar for about 2-3 minutes, until the mixture becomes frothy and light.

While you keep whisking, add the vegetable oil and set aside.

Step 2) - In a large bowl, combine the powders (flour, cocoa and baking powder) and sift them together.

Step 3) - Now add the powders a little at a time to the eggs, sugar and oil mixture. Mix everything together very well. Finally, add the yogurt and stir.

Step 4) - At this step, the dough is thick and dense, almost hard to mix. It has to be! Now add only 80 g (8 tablespoons) of dark chocolate chips, mix and set aside. Keep 2 tablespoons aside for decoration.

Step 5) - Peel the pears and cut them into thin slices. The important thing is that the pears are firm and not too watery. Line a springform pan with baking paper

Bake

Step 6) - and pour in the mixture.

Now arrange the pear slices all around, covering the entire top of the cake.

The trick to a wonderfully decorated chocolate pear cake is to not let the pear slices sink too far into the chocolate mixture. Some slices you push deeper, others you leave on the surface.

Finally, spread the remaining chocolate chips on top as decoration.

Step 7) - Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 40-45 minutes. The time is approximate and may change depending on your oven. Remember to NEVER open the oven for the first 30 minutes.

Chocolate pear cake is ready when it's risen almost twice as much and if you stick a toothpick in, it comes out clean and dry.

Remove from the oven and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

The chocolate pear cake is ready! It's soft, sweet and really choco-licious! ;-D

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Storage

You can keep Chocolate Pear cake at room temperature for 3 - 4 days, in a dry place. Cover it with a cloth or a cake dome.

Variations

Let's see together some variations of this delicious Italian chocolate and pear cake recipe.

DARK CHOCOLATE: Instead of chocolate chips, you can use coarsely chopped dark chocolate.
CRUNCHY: For a crunchy touch, you can add cookies chopped into large pieces. Choose plain, dry cookies. Put them in a plastic food bag and break them up with a meat pounder, then add to the mixture. DO NOT chop with a food processor.
CINNAMON: You can flavor your chocolate pear cake mixture with half a teaspoon of cinnamon or add a little orange zest.
DRIED FRUITS: For the sweet tooth: you can add a handful of chopped hazelnuts or almonds along with the chocolate chips.
BUTTER: Finally, if you do not have vegetable oil at home or if you want a richer taste, you can use melted butter (always 70 g / 5 tablespoons).

Recipe Card

STEP BY STEP PHOTOS ABOVE!Have a look at my step-by-step photo instructions, variations and tips. That way, you can get it perfect the first time you try it!