Chocolate, Pear and hazelnut cake

This simple but decadent dark chocolate delight has hints of hazelnut and is elevated by the fresh pear slices. This recipe really is so easy to make and can be whipped up using mostly store cupboard ingredients. If hazelnuts aren’t for you, swap them for almonds, it will taste just as delicious.

Ingredients

• 225 Light brown sugar
• 225 Unsalted butter
• 100g Dark chocolate (we used Green and blacks 70%)
• 4 Free range eggs
• 140g Ground, blanched hazelnuts
• 60g Self-raising flour
• 60g Cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 pear
• 50g hazelnuts, halved, blanched and lightly toasted

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°c fan.
2. Tip the sugar, butter and dark chocolate into a saucepan over a low heat and stir until all items are glossy and melted. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool for at least 10 minutes, or just warm to the touch. If the mixture is too warm, it will scramble the eggs.
3. Whilst the chocolate mixture cools, wash the pear, cut off the top, base and halve vertically. Thinly slice to around 2mm thick (or thicker if you prefer larger pieces) and set aside a moment.
4. In a separate bowl, sift in the self raising flour, cocoa, baking powder and tip in the ground hazelnuts before stirring gently to combine. Once the chocolate mixture is cooled enough, whisk in the eggs and pour into the flour mix, folding together gently before pouring into a 20cm tin lined with baking parchment.
5. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a skewer (inserted into the middle and away from the pears) comes out clean. If the skewer comes out wet, just return to the oven for 5-10 minutes, keeping half an eye on it.
6. Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Serve with a sprinkling of hazelnuts and a dusting of icing sugar and serve with a piping hot cup of tea!