With pears in abundance here in the Autumn, what’s the most delicious way to celebrate this quintessentially British autumn fruit? Without doubt, it’s this flourless chocolate pear cake. An amazingly versatile cake that can transition effortlessly from a cozy afternoon tea to the grand finale of a dinner party with friends. A totally added bonus is that it’s gluten-free as well!
The perfect pairing: chocolate and fruit
There’s something magical about the pairing of some fruits and chocolate. Pears add a delicate, honeyed flavour, that melds beautifully with rich, dark chocolate. When baked together, we’re creating something incredibly moist, with an almost fudgy texture, that feels totally indulgent. The ground almonds provide structure to the cake whilst keeping everything beautifully dense and rich. Think sophisticated brownie meets French patisserie.
The British pear
October and November bring a glorious abundance of pears to British gardens and markets. Whether you’ve got Conference pears from your own tree, Williams from a generous neighbour, or Comice from the local farm shop, this recipe welcomes them all. Even those slightly bruised or imperfect pears that are past their eating-fresh prime find new purpose here, transforming into something special when nestled into chocolate batter.
Natural gluten-free elegance
Going flourless isn’t necessarily just a dietary requirement it’s what makes this cake so incredibly special. The absence of flour means this cake keeps beautifully moist for days (if it lasts that long!), making it ideal for preparing ahead. It actually improves on day two as the flavours deepen and meld together.
Celebration for every occasion
Served slightly warm or cold with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream, a dollop of creme fraiche, or simply dusted with icing sugar. This flourless chocolate pear cake is comforting elegance and the perfect way to celebrate and showcase the seasonal pear.
Other chocolate recipes
Ground hazelnuts would also work well in place of the ground almonds.
Flourless Chocolate Pear Cake
Equipment
- 25cm/10in loose bottom cake tin
Ingredients
- 85 g caster sugar
- 85 g butter
- 85 g dark chocolate min 70% cocoa
- 1 tbsp brandy optional
- 3 eggs separated
- 85 g ground almonds
- 4 ripe pears peeled, halved and cored 3 if they are large
- 2 tsp icing sugar to serve
- 8 tbsp creme fraiche to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 180 °C
- Grease and line the base of your loose bottomed cake tin and sprinkle in 1tbsp of the caster sugar.
- In a saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter together. Stir in the brandy if using and set aside to cool slightly.
- Prepare the pears by peeling them, cut them into half or quarters (depending on the size) and remove the core.
- In a free-standing mixer, or with a hand whisk, whisk the egg yolks together with the remaining sugar until pale and thick. When you lift your whisk the beater should leave a trail for a second or two. Fold in the chocolate mixture and the ground almonds.
- Using a clean whisk, whisk the egg whites until stiff. Add in a couple of large spoons of the whisked egg white mixture into the main bowl and stir. Then gently fold in the remaining whisked whites, trying to maintain as much air as possible.
- Pour the cake mix into the tin. Arrange the pears on top with the cut side down.
- Bake in the pre-heated oven for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely before removing from the tin. Serve dusted with some icing sugar and a spoon of creme fraiche on the side if you like. Another suggestion would be to gently warm the cake and add a scoop of good vanilla ice-cream.
Notes
- Instead of ground almonds you can also use ground hazelnuts which would go well.
