The combination of pears and chocolate is a nostalgic one for me, as one of my mum’s signature puddings when I was growing up was a soft, liquid-centred chocolate cake with tinned pears set inside it. It’s a happy marriage, and one I am only too happy to reinterpret and recreate in Italy.
Everybody should have one flourless chocolate cake recipe up their sleeve; the little black dress of the cake world. Based (very loosely) on a torta caprese, a classic chocolate cake from Capri, this is the one I have. It has a lovely depth, thanks to the brown sugar, and feels a little autumnal, thanks to the pears and hazelnuts. As this is essentially a baked chocolate mousse, the texture inside is moist and fudgy, and it is much lighter in the eating than it perhaps looks.
You can add the pear pieces raw if you are short on time, but they are nicer (and more reminiscent of the tinned pears my mum used) when poached first, as they become more giving in texture and their flavour is intensified.
Serves 8-10
For the pears
sugar 3 tbsp
water 300ml
pears 2 medium, peeled, cored and sliced into eighths
For the cake
melted butter for greasing
hazelnuts 100g
dark chocolate 150g
butter 150g, cut into pieces
salt a pinch
eggs 4, separated
brown sugar 130g (demerara or light muscovado)
mascarpone or pouring cream to serve
For the pears, bring the sugar and water to a simmer in a saucepan. Add the pear pieces, cover with a piece of baking parchment cut to the size of the pan, and poach over a low heat for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain the pear pieces (you can use the poaching liquid in another recipe) and allow the pears to cool.
Preheat the oven to 140C fan/gas mark 3. Using a pastry brush, grease a 22-23cm cake tin with the melted butter and line with baking parchment. (This cake rises then sinks a lot once cooked, so I make it in a smaller 22cm tin to give it some extra height, but you can use a 23cm tin if that’s all you have.)
Spread the hazelnuts over the base of a baking sheet and roast in the oven until golden. In a blender or food processor (or in a pestle and mortar), grind the hazelnuts to a fine rubble.
Melt the chocolate, butter and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water (don’t let the base of the bowl touch the water). Once completely melted, set aside to cool for 1-2 minutes.
Stir the egg yolks gently into the cooled chocolate mixture until incorporated.
In a clean, grease-free mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites with the brown sugar to form soft, shiny peaks (they will look creamy when they are ready, and be akin to softly whipped cream).
Stir the ground hazelnuts gently into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the egg whites. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and top with the poached pear slices. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until just set in the middle.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning out and serving with a dollop of mascarpone or some pouring cream.
From La Vita e Dolce by Letitia Clark (Hardie Grant, £27)
