Cakes & biscuits
Pear and chocolate Bundt cake
Small pear cubes and chocolate pieces make this Bundt cake moist without changing its characteristic golden sponge exterior.
- Total time
- 85 min
- Servings / pieces
- 12
- Topic
- Cakes & biscuits
Small pear cubes and chocolate pieces make this Bundt cake moist without changing its characteristic golden sponge exterior. Choose firm, ripe pears: rock-hard fruit stays unpleasant, while very soft pears collapse and release too much juice. Cutting small pieces helps distribute them and makes the ring easier to turn out intact. Carefully greasing the tin matters as much as resting the cake briefly after baking. It needs no heavy glaze, although a light dusting of icing sugar is welcome just before serving. Allow the cake to cool fully before slicing.
Method
Step by step
- 01
Prepare the tin and fruit
Heat the oven to 175°C conventional. Grease every groove of the tin carefully and coat thinly with breadcrumbs. Peel and core the pears, then cut into cubes about 1 cm wide. Chop the chocolate coarsely.
- 02
Cream the butter
Beat butter and sugar for three to four minutes until pale and creamy. Beat in the eggs individually for about 30 seconds each. Similar temperatures help the eggs and butter combine without splitting.
- 03
Mix the batter
Combine flour, almonds, baking powder and salt. Briefly mix into the butter mixture in two additions, alternating with milk and vanilla. Stop once no pockets of dry flour remain.
- 04
Fold in fruit
Toss the pears with one tablespoon of flour and gently fold into the batter with the chocolate. Spoon into the tin and level. The tin should be no more than about three-quarters full.
- 05
Bake and turn out
Bake on the lower middle shelf for 50–60 minutes. Test a cake section without chocolate using a skewer; it should emerge without raw batter. Rest in the tin for ten to 15 minutes, then turn out and cool completely.
Times are a guide. Your hob, oven and ingredients affect the result; use the cooking cues as well as the clock.
Distributing the pears
Flour on the fruit will not prevent sinking in a very thin batter, but it helps distribution. Small pieces and a thick cake mixture matter more. Pat particularly juicy pear cubes dry before adding.
Releasing the cake
Grease all recesses even in a coated tin. If the cake sticks, wait a few more minutes and gently loosen the outer edge. Avoid vigorous shaking, as warm sections containing fruit are fragile.
Kitchen questions
One more question?
Can I use milk chocolate?
Yes, although it makes a sweeter cake. Reduce the batter sugar by about 20 g if desired; the texture remains similar.
How should I store it?
Once cool, cover and keep somewhere cool, eating within two to three days because it contains fresh pears. Individual slices can be frozen.
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