Chocolate, Hazelnut, and Pear Cake

The chocolate, hazelnut, and pear cake is an exquisite dessert that combines delicate and intense flavors. Here’s how to make it:

Ingredients

• 200 g of dark chocolate
• 150 g of butter
• 150 g of sugar
• 100 g of hazelnut flour
• 3 eggs
• 3 ripe but firm pears
• 1 sachet of baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt
• Powdered sugar for decorating (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and add the butter until it melts, stirring until a smooth cream is obtained.
3. In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar until the mixture is frothy and light.
4. Add the melted chocolate and butter to the egg and sugar mixture, stirring gently.
5. Fold in the hazelnut flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt, mixing everything without deflating the batter.
6. Pour the mixture into a buttered and floured cake tin.
7. Peel the pears, cut them in half and remove the core. Slice them and arrange them in a radial pattern on top of the batter.
8. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
9. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack.
10. Before serving, dust with powdered sugar for a sweet and refined finish.

While pears and hazelnuts are well paired with chocolate in an international context, here we have created a combination pleasantly familiar to the Italian palate. Indeed, hazelnuts and pears are two ingredients commonly used in our country’s pastry making, and together they create a perfect blend.

Enjoy your preparation and bon appétit!