Chocolate and Poached Pear Cake
It’s every baker’s favourite time of year. Where people around the country come together for the most important meal of the day (morning tea!) and raise money as part of @cancercouncil Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea! It’s the perfect chance to share a cuppa, enjoy a bite to eat, and raise vital funds to help fight cancer.
And this year I’ll be making my Chocolate and Poached Pear cake. Not only do the flavours of the dark chocolate and the bright pears complement each other so well, but the textures in this cake are equally as memorable. As the cake bakes, the silky pears create a mousse-y layer that not only keeps the cake extra moist, but it also does away with any need for icing.
In another attempt to create maximum moistness, I’ve used the hot poaching liquid to ‘bloom’ the cocoa powder. There is science behind this step, but all we really need to know is that mixing the cocoa powder with a hot liquid before baking helps keep the cake nice and moist.
Ingredients
Poached Pears
3-4 small firm pears, peeled, quartered and cored
Juice of 1 lemon
100g caster sugar
300ml water
1 cinnamon quill
Cake
2 teaspoons instant coffee
70g cocoa powder, sifted
200ml hot poaching liquid (from above)
100g caster sugar
50g brown sugar
180g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon bi carb soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
70g vegetable oil (I used sunflower oil)
140g Greek yogurt, full fat, room temperature
3 eggs, room temperature
Method
To poach the pears, peel, quarter and core the pears. Place them in a bowl, squeeze over the juice on 1 lemon and set aside. Put the sugar, water and cinnamon quill into a large saucepan and place on a medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and bring to the boil. Add the pears and return to the boil and then reduce to a simmer. Continue simmering for 15-20 minutes or until the pears are tender.
While the pears are poaching, start the cake batter by adding the instant coffee powder and sifted cocoa powder to a medium bowl. Set aside.
Pre heat your oven to 160 degrees C, and line the base and sides of a 22cm spring form tin.
Scoop the poached pears out onto a plate and place in the fridge to cool slightly. Place a heat-proof jug on your scales and pour in the hot poaching liquid. You’re aiming for 200ml of liquid. Discard some of the liquid if you have too much or add some freshly boiled water to the liquid if you don’t have enough. Add the poaching liquid to the coffee and cocoa powder and whisk to full combined and lump free. Set aside to cool slightly.
Add the sugars, flour, salt, bi carb soda and baking powder to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Be sure there are no lumps of sugar in the mix. Set aside.
Add the oil and the yogurt to the slightly cooled cocoa mixture and whisk until fully combined. Next add the eggs and whisk until fully combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold until just combined. Pour the cake batter into the prepared tin and then arrange the poached pears on top of the cake in a pattern of your choosing. Remember you don’t have to use all the pears – any leftovers make a delicious snack while you’re waiting for the cake to bake!
Bake the cake for 40-50 minutes, or until only a few moist crumbs ore left on a cake skewer when pushed into the middle of the cake. Once baked, remove the sides of the cake tin and leave to cool before transferring to a cake stand.
Serve warm or at room temperature. For some extra decadence, serve with a collop of Chantilly cream or vanilla ice cream. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. Let any leftovers come back to room temperature before serving.
