Chocolate Pear Spice Cake Recipes

Steps:

• For the pretzel crust: In a food processor, pulse the pretzels, sugar and butter together until nearly as fine as graham cracker crumbs.
• Line a 9-inch cake pan with parchment and press the pretzel crumbs into the base.
• Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 10 minutes. Cool on a rack.
• Once cooled, scatter the caramel pieces over the top and set aside
• For the flourless chocolate cake: Adjust the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler over medium heat.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium-high speed until they reach medium peaks.
• Add the sugar and whip to stiff peaks. Add the egg yolks and whip for two minutes.
• Fold in the chocolate mixture in three stages, being careful not to deflate the batter.
• Pour the batter into the pretzel crust, and bake for 15 minutes. When done, the center should feel slightly bouncy, but an inserted cake tester should come out like a moist brownie batter.
• Allow the cake to cool overnight before unmolding.
• For the spice blend: In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon, ginger and star anise until well blended. Set aside.
• For the sauteed pears: In a saute pan over medium heat, saute the pears until slightly translucent.
• Add the sugar and 1/2 tablespoon of the spice blend, and cook until the pears are tender and their juices slightly thickened. Allow to cool before use.
• For the salted caramel sauce: In a large pot, combine the sugar, water, corn syrup and salt. Cook until the mixture acquires a nice amber color, indicating it has reached the caramel stage (325 degrees F on a candy thermometer). Remove from the heat.
• Gently heat the cream in the microwave, then add it slowly to the caramel (be very careful¿the mixture will bubble up!).
• Once all cream is added, stir in the butter. Taste and season with more salt if necessary. Let cool.
• To finish: Top the cake with sauteed pears and pour caramel over. Chill until the caramel sets.
• Serve with brandy-flavored sweetened whipped cream.

Steps:

• Poach the pears:
• Peel pears. Using a 1/2 tsp. measuring spoon or small melon baller, scoop upward from bottom of pears 1 1/2-2" to remove core and seeds; discard. Combine pears, wine, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, vanilla, and 3 cups water in a large, heavy pot. Cut a round of parchment to fit just inside pot and cover pears.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, turning pears occasionally to coat with liquid, until pears are very tender but not falling apart, 20-25 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pears to a large bowl and cover with parchment round.
• Bring poaching liquid to a boil, then cook over medium heat until reduced to the consistency of thick syrup, 12-15 minutes (you should have 1/2 cup). Transfer 5 pears to a medium bowl, reserving remaining pears for cake, and pour syrup over. Cover with parchment and let cool, or chill overnight.
• Bake the cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease cake pan with butter and line bottom with parchment paper.
• Toast hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 6-8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl.
• Pulse 1/2 cup dry ingredients and 3/4 cup hazelnuts in a food processor until hazelnuts are chopped into a fine flour; reserve remaining hazelnuts. Transfer chopped hazelnuts to bowl with dry ingredients.
• Wipe out food processor bowl and add 5 poached pears. Pulse until smooth. Transfer 2 cups to a small bowl; discard leftover purée.
• Beat brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, and 3/4 cup butter on medium-high speed in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Scrape down bowl and add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Add half of pear purée and beat on low speed. Add half of flour mixture and beat on low to incorporate. Beat in remaining pear purée and flour mixture until combined. Pour into prepared pan; smooth top. Set pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake cake, rotating sheet halfway through, until center is set and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour, 15 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool.
• Assemble the cake:
• Turn chilled pears in liquid to coat, then transfer liquid (about 1/2 cup) to a small saucepan. Add chocolate and 3/4 cup cream and cook over medium-low heat, stirring, just until chocolate is melted. Whisk to combine, then transfer to a medium bowl. Chill, stirring occasionally so chocolate doesn't set, until room temperature, about 10 minutes.
• Remove cake from pan, trim top with a serrated knife if domed, and invert onto a 12" platter. Remove parchment. Using a toothpick, poke holes all over top of cake. Using a pastry brush, brush top with 1/4 cup chocolate sauce.
• Meanwhile, coarsely chop remaining 1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts. Whip remaining 3/4 cup cream to medium-soft peaks in stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
• Top cake with whipped cream, pears, and hazelnuts. Drizzle chocolate sauce over pears. Serve remaining chocolate sauce alongside.
• Do Ahead
• Cake and pears can be made 2 days ahead; cover in separate containers and chill.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and line the base and sides of a deep, 20cm loose-bottomed round cake tin. Mix the sugar, flours, ground almonds, baking powder and spices in a big bowl. Mix together the chopped nuts. Set aside 2 heaped tbsp of them for decoration and stir the rest into the dry ingredients with the chopped chocolate or chips. Whisk together the melted butter, eggs and almond extract.
• Tip the butter mixture into the dry ingredients and stir thoroughly to combine, then fold in the diced pear. Scrape the mixture into the tin and bake for 45 mins, then cover with foil and bake for 20 mins more until a skewer poked in comes out clean. Cool in the tin overnight.
• For the icing, put the soured cream and chocolate chunks in a small pan. Heat very gently, stirring, until melted. Chill until spreadable (overnight is fine).
• Remove the cake from the tin, spread over the icing and scatter with the reserved nuts.

Steps:

• For the pears: Lightly butter a 9-inch round cake pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, and butter the paper. Put the butter, brown sugar, and lemon zest and juice in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until melted. Add the pears, cover, and simmer, turning once, until the pears are soft and juicy, about 4 minutes. Pour the pears and their syrup into a strainer set over a saucepan. Set the syrup and 1 pear quarter aside. Arrange remaining pears in the prepared pan, stem ends toward center, rounded sides down, and 1/4-inch from the side. Chop reserved pear and use just enough to fill center.
• For the cake: Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Scald milk in a small saucepan; keep warm. Whisk flour with almonds, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Beat butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high and gradually add granulated sugar; continue beating until mixture is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl. Add cocoa powder and vanilla and beat 1 minute. While mixing at medium-low speed, add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
• While mixing slowly, add the flour mixture in 4 additions; turn off the mixer and fold in the hot milk with a rubber spatula. Spread the batter over the pears, taking care not to disturb them. Tap the pan lightly on the counter to settle the batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in the pan on a rack for 20 minutes, then invert the cake onto a serving plate. Cool briefly, carefully peel the parchment paper from the top, and then cool completely.
• To finish the cake: Boil the reserved pear syrup until slightly thick and lightly brush the top of the cake with syrup. Whisk a few tablespoons of cocoa powder with an equal amount of confectioners' sugar, and sift over the cake; serve.

Steps:

• For the cake, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the pear slices on a baking sheet and roast until tender, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan. Place the pears in a food processor and puree until smooth. Set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until very light; batter will appear curdled at this point. Mix in the vanilla and the pear puree.
• Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. Mix the dry ingredients into the batter just until combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the top springs back when touched in the center, about 1 hour. Place on a rack to cool. Turn the cake out of the pan and reinvert onto a cake plate.
• To make the sauce, place the chocolate in a double boiler over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted. Whisk in the cream and brandy. If making the sauce in advance, rewarm before serving. To serve, place a slice of cake on a plate and spoon the chocolate sauce beside it.

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in the walnuts, brown sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon until blended. Pour into a greased 9-in. round baking pan. Arrange pear slices in a single layer over walnut mixture., In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks; beat well. Stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition., In a small bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually fold into batter. Spoon over pears. Bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Coat a 9-inch round pan with cooking spray.
• Beat butter or margarine in large bowl until creamy; add white sugar, and beat until fluffy.
• Beat in egg and vanilla.
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; add alternately with the milk to the creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.
• Spread a little more than half of the batter in the prepared pan.
• Cover with pear slices and dust with chocolate, and add remaining batter by tablespoons covering well pears and chocolate.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 50 to 60 minutes, until toothpick test done.
• Remove pan to wire rack to cool.
• If you wish dust with confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• For pear compote:
• Mix sugar, lime juice, and salt in heavy large saucepan. Add pears and toss gently to coat. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until pears are just tender, stirring occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer mixture to bowl. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill until cold, then cover and keep chilled.
• For buttermilk spice cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides; line pan with round of parchment paper. Sift first 9 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, beating until smooth. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean and add lime peel; beat to blend. Beat in flour mixture in 4 additions alternately with buttermilk in 3 additions, scraping down bowl occasionally. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
• Bake cake until beginning to brown on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cake in pan on cooling rack. DO AHEAD: Cake can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.
• Cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Turn cake out onto rack; peel off parchment and turn right side up onto platter. Sift powdered sugar over. Cut into wedges. Serve with pear compote and dollop of crème fraîche.
• A brown, star-shaped seedpod that's available in the spice section of some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Asian markets.
• ** Available at most supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.

Steps:

• Spray a 9 or 10" pan, ideally a springform, with cooking spray.
• Combine egg whites, sugar and vanilla, add and stir in cocoa, flour and baking powder.
• Stir in apple sauce.
• Carefully stir in the cubed pears, (count out 6 half-pears, eat any extras).
• Pour batter into greased pan and bake at 350° for about 45 minutes.
• Cool and unmold, dust with cocoa and/or powdered sugar to decorate.