Italian Chocolate Pear Cake

Ingredients

• 4 pears (- ripe but firm)
• 170 g "00" flour (- 1 1/8 cups)
• 30 g unsweetened cocoa powder (- 1/4 cup)
• 170 g granulated sugar (- 3/4 cup)
• 70 g vegetable oil, such as Canola oil or Grapeseed oil (- 5 tablespoons)
• 2 eggs
• 125 g plain whole milk yogurt, at room temperature (- 1/2 cup)
• 100 g dark chocolate chips (- 10 tablespoons)
• 14 g baking powder (- 1 tablespoon)

Instructions

1. 1

   turn the oven on: First, turn the oven on to 180°C (350°F) so it will be at the right temperature when you need to bake the cake.

2. 2

   beat: Then, using a balloon whisk or an electric hand mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar for about 2-3 minutes, until the mixture becomes frothy and light.

3. 3

   add: While you keep whisking, add the vegetable oil and set aside.

4. 4

   combine: In a large bowl, combine the powders (flour, cocoa and baking powder) and sift them together.

5. 5

   Add the powders a little at a time to the eggs, sugar and oil mixture. Mix everything together very well. Finally, add the yogurt and stir.

6. 6

   add: At this step, the dough is thick and dense, almost hard to mix. It has to be! Now add only 80 g (8 tablespoons) of dark chocolate chips, mix and set aside. Keep 2 tablespoons aside for decoration.

7. 7

   Peel the pears and cut them into thin slices. The important thing is that the pears are firm and not too watery.

8. 8

   pour: Line a springform pan with baking paper and pour in the mixture.

9. 9

   arrange: Now arrange the pear slices all around, covering the entire top of the cake. The trick to a wonderfully decorated chocolate pear cake is to not let the pear slices sink too far into the chocolate mixture. Some slices you push deeper, others you leave on the surface.

10. 10

    spread: Finally, spread the remaining chocolate chips on top as decoration.

11. 11

    Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 40-45 minutes. The time is approximate and may change depending on your oven. Remember to NEVER open the oven for the first 30 minutes.

12. 12

    cool: Chocolate pear cake is ready when it's risen almost twice as much and if you stick a toothpick in, it comes out clean and dry. Remove from the oven and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.