A Fluffy Chocolate Pear Cake

This fluffy chocolate pear cake is one of the easiest cakes you can prepare. With a handful of ingredients, it is so simple and makes a perfect breakfast or a mouthwatering snack in the afternoon. It takes just a few minutes to make the batter and bake.

Believe it or not, pears combine perfectly with chocolate in this dream cake. That’s why I want to share this recipe with you. It is a heavenly balance between the strong and bitter taste of the chocolate and the delicious sweetness of juicy pears. What a wonderful combination!

How I describe this recipe

It’s simply delicious! Believe me, my mother isn’t usually very complimentary, but this cake really pleases her, so it must be amazing. When she cooks, my mom is used to cutting down on a lot of ingredients, but she fully appreciates this dessert. Do you know what the funniest thing is? Every time I make this cake she asks, “It is really delicious, so who gave you this recipe?” My answer is always: “You did, mom!” The fact is that she has changed her own traditional recipe so much that she has turned it into something unrecognizable with little or no sugar, less flour, and no butter. My feeling is if you want to make a cake, make it tasty and use all the required ingredients. Have it less frequently, but make it worthwhile.  

5 suggestions for a perfect pear and chocolate cake 

1. Be very careful with the quantities: the accuracy in the weight of the ingredients is fundamental. In fact, if you are going to do a lot of baking, the best thing you can do is to buy a good electronic kitchen scale. They are not very expensive on Amazon and cooking in grams is so much more accurate than with cups and spoons.
2. Baking: a rigorous control of the cooking time makes your cake perfect. Of course, the baking time often depends on your oven and its functionality. Try to understand how your oven works and adjust the time properly. 
3. Sift the flour carefully. Although it is not clearly stated in the recipe, you should always sift the flour, baking powder, and cornstarch together before combining them with all the other ingredients. This way you’ll get rid of any clumps and the batter will be smoother.
4.  Don’t use any non-stick baking spray in the baking pan; use parchment paper instead. Lay the pan on the parchment paper and draw the outline of the pan and cut it out with scissors. 
5. Let the cake cool down completely before cutting it; it won’t break apart. A pastry chef’s trick is to take the cake out of the oven, flip it over a cooling rack, and let it cool down completely.  

More advice for a fluffy cake 

• The temperature of the ingredients: use room temperature eggs and butter. If you are short on time, take the eggs out of the fridge put them in hot water for a few seconds, and then lightly soften the butter in the microwave. 
• Be very careful not to deflate the mixture when you fold in the egg whites. Add a little egg white mixture at a time and try to maintain as much volume as possible. 
• Use the static oven at the right temperature, but never open the oven door during the baking process. There shouldn’t be any drop in temperature at the end either. Let it cool down naturally. 

Only super simple ingredients are needed

• Butter: use good AA butter and organic if you have it. Soften the butter in the microwave and then let it cool down before adding it to the eggs. You don’t want to cook with scrambled eggs.
• Eggs: add three large eggs, organic if possible. 
• Sugar: use granulated sugar. If you want a more rustic texture, use raw cane sugar, which is better reserved for the top of the cake. 
• Flour: for this cake I used pastry flour, but in the US, all-purpose flour works well.

• Cornstarch: this is the special ingredient in this recipe—it makes the butter fluffier and provides a softer texture. You can also use potato starch.
• Pears and chocolate: let yourself loose here because quantities may vary according to your own taste. I like my cake very rich in chocolate, so I add plenty of chocolate chips. Remember to top the batter with the pears just before baking so that they integrate evenly into the cake.

How can you store it?

This cake keeps fresh for up to 3 days (but I don’t think it will last; it is definitely delicious) in an air-tight cake container.  

Don’t you like this couple? A few more matchings

I do like apple cake but you may experiment with plenty of combinations. What about white chocolate and strawberries? Or mixed berries or only blueberries? Do you like apples? Why don’t you combine them with raisins that you have previously soaked in a little rum and water? Do you feel like a very sweet treat? Canned pineapple and grated coconut would definitely be delicious. 

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