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!
See also:
- Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Amaretti Cookies and Chocolate Chips
- Chocolate Salami
- Chocolate Gelato Recipe
- Apricot Cake Recipe with Fresh Apricots
How to Make Italian Chocolate Pear Cake
- Prep Time: 15 Min
- Cook Time:40 Min
- Servings: 6
Ingredients
Doses for a 22 cm (9 inch) Non-stick Springform Pan with Removable Bottom
- 4 pears, ripe but firm
- 170 g (1 1/4 cup) of “00” flour
- 30 g (1/4 cup) of unsweetened cocoa powder
- 170 g (3/4 cup) of granulated sugar
- 70 g (5 tablespoons) of vegetable oil such as Canola oil or Grapeseed oil
- 2 whole eggs
- 125 g (1/2 cup) of plain whole milk yogurt at room temperature
- 100 g (10 tablespoons) of dark chocolate chips
- 15 g (1 tablespoon) of baking powder
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Kitchen Tools and Equipment
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.
If you don’t want to do it manually, check out this Electric Hand Mixer, Beaters and Whisk, with Snap-On Storage Case.
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.
A 22 cm (9 inch) Non-stick Springform Pan with Removable Bottom can be very useful to more conveniently remove the cake once baked.
Finally, we recommend using a cake dome to preserve its fragrance and softness.
Directions
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 (read the paragraph below “What are the Best Pears to Use for Baking?”). Line a springform pan with baking paper
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
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.
Variants
Let’s see together some variations of this delicious Italian chocolate and pear cake recipe.
Dark Chocolate Pear Cake
Instead of chocolate chips, you can use coarsely chopped dark chocolate.
Crunchy Chocolate Pear Cake
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.
Flavored Chocolate Pear Cake
You can flavor your chocolate pear cake mixture with half a teaspoon of cinnamon or add a little orange zest.
Chocolate Pear and Dried Fruit Cake
For the sweet tooth: you can add a handful of chopped hazelnuts or almonds along with the chocolate chips.
Vegetable Oil or 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).
What are the Best Pears to Use for Baking?
Pears with their delicious firm and sugary pulp are an extremely multipurpose ingredient in the kitchen.
They are perfect for making cakes, cookies, sorbets … Pears are also excellent for savory dishes, especially in combination with very tasty cheeses, such as in Risotto with Gorgonzola, Pears and Walnuts.
But not all qualities of pears are right for every recipe.
- Cakes and Cookies: use firm pears that are ripe without being mushy.
- Smoothies, Jams, Sorbets: here instead it’s better to use very ripe, soft pears.
The most used qualities of pears in Italy for making desserts are Kaiser, Abate and Decana pears. These are firm and crisp varieties.
Also good are the Anjou pear and the Bosc pear.
Barlett pear, in Italy called Williams, is a very good and common quality of pear, but being very juicy it should be used only when it’s not very ripe.
In conclusion, the only recommendation for the best chocolate and pear cake recipe – and of all pastry recipes with leavening – is to use firm and plump pears, therefore not too watery.
Keep in mind that the more the pear has a juicy and soft pulp, the less suitable it is for making cakes, because the juice makes the mixture watery and difficult to bake, but most of all it hinders leavening.
You have the best authentic Italian recipes I’ve seen. And, I’m Italian! Thank you so much. God Bless!