Chocolate and pears combine for a yummy dessert.
Ingredients:
1 ¼ cups (190 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ cup (25 g) cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp ground cardamom
½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup (160 g) brown sugar
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
1 egg, at room temperature
¼ cup (60 mL) milk
4 oz. (115 g) 54% to 64% dark chocolate, chopped
2 pears, unpeeled, seeded and grated (1 cup (250 mL)/250 mL)
1 pear, unpeeled, halved, seeded and cut into 10 slices, ¼ inch (½ cm.) thick
Directions:
With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter a 9 x 5-inch (23 x 13 cm.), 6-cup (1.5 litre) bread tin. Line with a strip of parchment paper, letting it hang over two sides.
In a bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and cardamom.
In another bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer. Add the egg and whisk until smooth. Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk. Add the chocolate and the grated pears and mix to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared tin. Place the pear slices down the center of the cake, rounded side up, pressing them into the batter until covered almost halfway.
Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool completely before unmolding.
Ricardo Larrivée, a Montreal-based television food writer, as published in The Star.