Sometimes the universe sends you a little magic and that is just what happened here. I found some very juicy and perfectly ripe Crimson pears at the farmer’s market, at the same time my neighbor gifted a big bag of macadamia nuts from Hawaii to me. It took me about a second to decide that these 2 ingredients needed to combine with some dark chocolate to make a cake.
First, the pears are peeled, cored and coarsely chopped. Put them in a separate bowl and stir in the cloves and cane sugar. The bowl is set aside to let the sugar draw out some of the pear juice and infuse the whole concoction with cloves. Yum!
A good dark chocolate is coarsely chopped with the macadamia nuts. I used bittersweet but any chocolate will work. The pear flavor is very sweet and I like the contrast of the not too sweet bittersweet chocolate. The nuts and chocolate for the cake and the drizzle can be chopped at the same time. Just remember to not throw the whole lot in the cake and reserve some for the top.
Pear Chocolate Drizzle Cake
INGREDIENTS FOR CAKE:
3 large pears, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3 tablespoons of cane sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1. 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 eggs
1 cup of light brown sugar
1/8 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts (if you neighbor does not bring you macadamias from Hawaii - you can sub pecans or walnuts or leave them out)
1/2 cup dark chocolate, chopped
INGREDIENTS FOR DRIZZLE:
1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
2-3 tablespoons of buttermilk (full or reduced fat both work)
1/4 cup dark chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a loaf pan with grease and parchment paper.
Peel, core and chop pears. Stir in cloves and cane sugar. Set aside.
In separate small bowl stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In larger bowl whisk eggs and light brown sugar together until fluffy. Stir in lemon juice, vanilla extract and olive oil. Add dry ingredients all at once into the egg mixture. Stir until all ingredients are almost incorporated.
Stir in pears, including all the juice. Stir in nuts and dark chocolate.
Pour batter into loaf pan and bake until tester comes out clean. The average loaf pan takes about 50 minutes. Adjust up or down depending on size of pan.
When done remove and cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Carefully remove loaf and let cool completely on the rack.
Stir together sifted confectioners sugar and buttermilk. Start with 2 tablespoons buttermilk and gradually add more to get a thick pourable consistency. Spoon over cooled loaf. Sprinkle in remaining dark chocolate and nuts.
Enjoy with whipped cream or ice cream for dessert. Plain is great for a special breakfast coffee treat.
NOTES:
I have made this recipe with all sizes of loaf pans. Mini to long and thin work fine. Just watch your loaves and adjust the cooking time to have a clean tester.
I use bittersweet chocolate to counteract to natural sweetness of the pears. Any chocolate you like will work well. I do encourage you to buy bar chocolate and chop it though. The chunks and fine shavings that result are so nice. In pinch - use chocolate chips.
The nuts are optional! Recipe will turn out fine if you omit them.