Cakes & Pies
TORTA DI PERE E CIOCCOLATO - PEARS AND CHOCOLATE CAKE
Pears, like apples, are favorite Autumn fruits and used a lot in Italian desserts. In fact, many recipes using seasonal fruits, were born from the fact that they’d spoil if not used within a reasonable time. Refrigerators were not available back then so people found different ways to use what they had to avoid waste.
TORTA DI PERE E CIOCCOLATO - PEARS AND CHOCOLATE CAKE
Ingredients:
3 ripe pears
4 Oz mini chocolate chips
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
Additional 3 TBSPs chocolate chips for top
Directions:
Grease and flour a 9” springform round pan.
Preheat oven to 375F.
Peel, core and dice pears.
In a large bowl, place eggs, sugar and oil.
Blend well with a fork or hand mixer.
Add flour, salt and baking powder, a little at a time to avoid lumps.
Slowly add milk to thin out batter.
Mix until smooth.
Add diced pears and chocolate chips.
Fold into batter by hand with spatula.
Pour batter in the prepared pan.
Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips over top of cake batter.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown.
Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
TIPS:
Make sure the pears are ripe but firm.
You can substitute chocolate chips with chopped dark chocolate bar.
I’ve made this cake by using a fork since it’s that easy. Just make sure you beat the sugar into the eggs until fully incorporated.
This cake batter can be baked as muffins. Just divide it equally among 12 cupcake liners placed into a 12 muffin pan. Bake at 375F for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden.