Flourless Chocolate Pear Cake
Serves 8
30 mins prep
35 mins cook
65 mins total
This recipe makes an intensely-flavored chocolate pear cake, with a tender crumb from almond flour and a moist texture from tender wine-poached pears. Enjoy this cake as the capper to a relaxed dinner, or daytime snack with a cup of good brewed coffee or espresso.
Yield: One 9-inch cake
For the poached pears:
For the cake:
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To make the pears
Slice the pears in half in remove the cores. Stir the wine, sugar and water together in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the pears and cook until they're tender when pierced, about 25 minutes. Cool. (The pears can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate in the syrup).
To make the cake
Preheat oven to 350 (175 C) degrees with the rack in the center. Grease an 8 or 9-inch springform pan.
Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering (not boiling) water. When the chocolate is almost melted, add the butter and stir until it melts. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar, almond flour and salt. Allow the chocolate to cool slightly, then stir in the egg yolks.
Whisk the egg whites with an electric mixer until they form stiff peaks. Fold the half the egg whites into the chocolate. Add the remaining whites and fold until no streaks are visible.
Scrape the batter into the pan. Drain the pear halves (keep the syrup for another use). Slice each into thirds or quarters and arrange on top of the batter. Bake the cake 30 - 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool the cake 10 minutes on a rack, then release the pan sides and allow to cool completely.
Dust the cake lightly with cocoa or confectioner's sugar. Slice and serve.
