If you are a dark chocolate and pears lover like me, this is the cake for you! This recipe is one of my own, based on one of my mum's cake recipes.
The cake tastes beautifully moist with the thin layer of chocolate, sitting well with combination of different flavours: the gin and the pears! Enjoy a slice of this cake alongside your morning coffee or with a glass of Gin&Tonic during the evening.
INGREDIENTS:
3 eggs (room temperature)
250g flour
16/18 g dry baking yeast (suggested Paneangeli Vanilla Flavoured Dry Yeast)
6 large pears
6tspn of Gin
70ml sunflower oil
180g sugar
Brown sugar
150 g of 75% dark chocolate
20 g of butter
20 g of sugar
2 large pears cut in sliced
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 356°F fan.
Prepare an easy release springform round cake tin, sprinkled with sunflower oil.
Peel the 4 pears and cut them into very small cubes pieces. Place them in a small bowl and keep in a side.
Peel the remaining 2 pears and cut them into slices, removing the seeds as you go. Place them in a seperate small bowl with 2 teaspoons of gin and brown sugar. Mix and keep to rest on the side, as you'll need them later to decorate the top of the cake.
In a large bowl whisk the eggs with electric mixer at low speed for a few minutes, add the sugar and whisk again for few minutes. With the mixer on, continue to add your ingredients - the oil, the rest of the gin and then slowly add 125g of flour. After mixing for a few minutes, add the baking powder until it is combined. Pour in the rest of the flour, until it is well incorporated into the mixture. Remove the electric mixer, add the small pieces of pear and combine using a spatula.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, while you prepare the topping.
Fill a medium saucepan with 4cm of water. Place over a medium heat and bring to a very gentle simmer.
Place a heatproof bowl on top of the pan so that it fits snuggly, but doesn’t touch the water.
Lower the heat to remain at a very gentle simmer. Add the chocolate, butter and sugar and stir regularly for 4-5 minutes, until the chocolate is melted and the ingredients are combined.
Carefully remove the pan from the heat and allow the chocolate to cool a little before using.
After the cake has baked for 30 minutes, remove it from the oven and completely cover it with chocolate. Softly layer the slices of pear on top of the chocolate, being careful not to push them. Complete this step quickly, as you want the cake to remain as hot as possible.
Once decorated, put the cake back into the oven for another 10 - 15 minutes, or until a stick comes out clean.
Commentaires