Pear and Cardamom Chocolate Cake
This cake is simultaneously complex and comforting. It’s a great wintery mid afternoon tea cake. I know it doesn't sit well - but using jarred pears is key. That way you can count on a distinct “pearishness” to the cake which is really important for standing up to the dark chocolate and cardamom.
Pear and Cardamom Chocolate Cake
Yield: 1 cake
A complex yet comforting wintery tea cake.
Time
- Prep: 20 minutes
- Cook: 45 minutes
- Total: 1 hour 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cardamom
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4+ pear halves from pears jarred in juice (everywhere has these it just sounds rare – I like Trader Joe’s Pears in Grape Juice)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 4oz dark chocolate
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup juice from pear jar
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- Confectioner’s sugar for dusting, if you’d like
Recipe
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9 inch cake pan.
- 2. In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, cocoa, baking pow, baking soda, cardamom and salt.
- 3. Over very low heat (so it doesn't burn!) or in a double boiler, melt together the chocolate and the butter. Pour into a big mixing bowl.
- 4. Add sugar and juice from pear jar and using an electric whisker whip until silky. Add in vanilla and eggs and whisk again for 1-2 minutes until mixture is sort of like mousse-y. Add the flour and milk alternately, stirring to incorporate after each addition. It should take 2 or 3 additions of each. Spoon whipped cake batter out into your greased pan.
- 5. Slice the pear halves and arrange them into a lovely pattern on top of the cake.
- 6. Bake for 45-55 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely and then turn it out from the pan onto a plate. Dust with confectioner’s sugar for fun.