bittersweet chocolate and pear cake
Before we went, Alex dug up their menu online (does anyone remember life back when you actually had to arrive at a restaurant to find out what they served? Probably less tripe and rabbits feet on the menu, eh?) and decided at that very moment that we must order the torta di pere, a bittersweet chocolate and pear cake. “Fruit and chocolate together?” I said, “Why is this necessary?” as I had always insisted that they were better apart.
And of course, like all good teaching stories, then we tried it, licked the plate and then I proceeded to spend the next year and a half (until she caved) begging my friend Anna, one of the restaurant’s pastry chefs, for the recipe because, you see, I have no tact at all. Or perhaps the bittersweet chocolate and pear cake was that good. Did I mention it has browned butter in it? Obviously, good manners had to wait.
A nomination! It seems that Smitten Kitchen has been nominated as one of the best-written food blogs (aw, though the people who email me daily with grammatical corrections may beg to differ!) by the Well-Fed Network. Why thank you!
Al Di La’s Torta di Pere [Bittersweet Chocolate and Pear Cake]
Courtesy of Al Di La Restaurant in Park Slope, Brooklyn
Aside from the chocolate chunks, the bits of pear and the browned butter (like I you need to hear anything else before you take off in the direction of the kitchen) one of the coolest things about baking this cake is the eggs, that are beaten far beyond “combined” or “fluffy” but until they have the volume of a shiny, velvety ribbon of a custard, or in other words, if you have an electric mixer of any sort, this is the time to use it. You don’t want to skimp on this set.
The next coolest thing about this is that as I was making it, I was so befuddled by putting the pear and chocolate pieces on top of the cake, as I clearly remembered them to be inside it. Yet the cake rises up in the oven and tucks them into their fold and, lo, it is a glorious, delicious thing.
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, at room-temperature
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 pears, peeled, in a small dice (I used anjou, but would recommend a softer variety, like a bosc or any other of your favorites)
3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and dust with breadcrumbs (I cheated and used flour), set aside.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together, set aside.
Using a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the eggs on high speed until pale and very thick. (In a professional Kitchen Aid, it takes at least five minutes; on a home machine, it will take nine minutes to get sufficient volume)
While the eggs are whipping, brown the butter. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan (because it will foam a lot) and cook it until the butter browns and smells nutty (about 6 to 8 minutes). It helps to frequently scrape the solids off the bottom of the pan in the last couple minutes to ensure even browning. Remove from the flame but keep in a warm spot.
Add the sugar to the eggs and whip a few minutes more.
Just as the egg-sugar mixture is starting to loose volume, turn the mixture down to stir, and add the flour mixture and brown butter. Add one third of the flour mixture, then half of the butter, a third of the flour, the remaining butter, and the rest of flour. Whisk until just barely combined — no more than a minute from when the flour is first added — and then use a spatula to gently fold the batter until the ingredients are combined. It is very important not to over-whisk or fold the batter or it will lose volume.
Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle the pear and chocolate chunks over the top, and bake until the cake is golden brown and springs back to the touch, about 40 to 50 minutes [updated, thanks for your responses], or a tester comes out clean.
We served it with barely whipped whipped cream with a drop of almond extract in it, but I believe Anna serves it with buttermilk ice cream at the restaurant, which is, the best thing in the entire world, something I have the recipe for and promise to tell you about soon. (I’m just scared to make it because I ate the entire pint she gave me last time by myself. In three days.)
Update 1/27/09: I’ve added more baking suggestions in the comments: in short, please, don’t take your cake out before it is done. Doneness is much more important than baking times.
WOW! This looks yummy and easy to make. I love pears and can’t wait to also be changes from the “fruit and/or chocolate” mentality. I’ll call this an exercise to open one’s mind.
We live around the corner from Al Di La and this is my FAVORITE dessert. Wow, so excited Anna shared it with you!
Oh my heavens – this looks fantastic!!!
About the eggs: “pale and very thick” meaning… what, exactly? Soft peaks could be so described, but is clearly on the Not Enough side of it, which is why I want to be careful. Dry peaks? that starting-to-separate-again point beyond meringue?
I must make this! Though the restaurant is Italian (and I am Italian), I’ve never seen this cake – except a totally different chocolate, pear and marsala wine cake.
Funnily, “Al di là” means “the other world” and this cake really seams otherwordly. Can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing!
Wow… this looks and sounds fabulous! I’ve tried many of your recipes before and have always steered clear of baking, but this recipe looks too good to pass up!
Oh, as if I didn’t have enough things bookmarked from this page!
The eggs have to be beaten to a ribbon stage, basically. There’s a distinct trail when you pick up the whisk and the eggs fall from the whisk like ribbons. Peaks apply more to egg whites, not whole eggs.
My favorite cookbook source is Tuesday Morning, where I picked up a copy of the “Once Upon a Tart” cookbook. They have a recipe for a chocolate and pear tart that looked interesting. I haven’t made it yet, but am wondering if this is a combination of flavors that we should get to know better.
Whoops! They are in fact whole eggs. That’s what I get for reading recipes before coffee. Thanks, Sara! :D
Goodness Deb, this looks amazing!
What a combo. Thanks for sharing this.
I stopped to vote for you. Your blog is the best! I also look forward to making this cake.
Thanks for getting the recipe! And congrats on the nomination!!
Ooooh mama, pear and chocolate? This sounds drool worthy. I think the egg beating timing will be a little different with my handheld mixer but it certainly sounds worth it!
This sounds fabulous. I’ve prepared several of you recipes and have yet to be disappointed! One question though. Do you think panko bread crumbs would work here, or would it be better to use “regular” bread crumbs? (I may just use flour as you did, since that’s what I have on hand.)
Will also go over to vote for you! And you are absolutely killing me with this one! I just started Weight Watchers!
Wow, when I saw this on Flickr and begged you to post I could only imagine the chocolatey-peary goodness it held, but browned butter and fluffy eggs as well. Lady, you tease us. *dashes to check she has eggs*
Question? Does this cake need to cool completely before unmolding? Can it be unmolded to serve warm??
Like you, I’ve never been a fan of fruit and chocolate, but I’ve tasted pears and chocolate, and they do work well together. I’d like to try this..so thanks.
How gorgeous! I’m always looking for ways to use pears in things.
Congratulations on your well deserved nomination. I follow 70+ food blogs in my google reader, and yours is the only one that I read religiously as soon as there is a new item. I have tried more recipes from your blog than any other blog. Thank you for blogging!
Yum. My twitter vote came through for me! I am definitely making this cake this weekend.
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I’m hosting a dinner party this weekend and happen to know my guests love pears. I was originally thinking of making pears stuffed with mascarpone and walnuts, but this cake is dessert, kicked up a notch. Can’t wait to try it!
Hmm, I’m usually in the camp that keeps the chocolate seperate from the fruit.. But I think I would make an exception in this case. Thanks for sharing!
Goodness, you keep adding to my ‘list of recipes to try’ pile. . . I try so hard to keep up, but it’s near impossible!
This sounds like something I will make the next time people come over – there is such simplicity to the ingredients but such elegance in how they’re used. Brown butter. Bittersweet chocolate. Sold.
It looks great, though I speak as someone who can’t stomach the idea of chocolate adulterated by pear, orange, strawberry, raspberry or mint.
You said it best, this looks like a “glorious and delicious thing”! Can’t wait to give it a try. Thanks for wrangling the recipe for us!
Phoo-D
ooooooooooo wow gorgeous, I’ve made pear andchocolate tart before but this is intriguing!! YUM!!!
Boy does this sound good! I want to make it for an upcoming party, but am a little worried about the “1 TABLESPOON” baking powder. I’ve never seen so much used before and in quickly checking other recipes for this on the web, see measurements more like 1 teaspoon or even 1/2 a teaspoon. Could it be a typo? Someone weigh in on this, as I really want to try it!
This looks wickedly good. The combo of chocolate and pears is inspired.
This looks WONDERFUL!
as much I love having the recipe for it, what i really want is to order it from you right now delivered to my doorstep. do you deliver to la?
I am hosting a baby shower in a few weeks and will definitely be making this and the clementine cake. I imagine both would be perfect served with coffee, tea, or punch immediately following canapes.
SOLD. Even though I still have part of the clementine cake sitting in my fridge. That’s what gyms are for, right? Working off cakes?
MMMMMmmm…..Sounds and Looks wonderful. I am going to have to stop checking out your blog, You make me soooooo hungry.
I didn’t realize eating a pint of ice cream over the course of three days was something to feel sheepish about. If I don’t scoop out a separate serving, I can easily take down a whole pint of hagen dazs fro-yo over the course of a single episode of LOST. (hence the predominance of fro-yo over real ice cream in my freezer)
mmmhmm! What is better than chocolate and fruit?
Ahh yes, a “First, Take a Stick of Butter” recipe. Guaranteed to be delicious. And it’s still winter, so all the puffy coats and sweaters cover up any extras.
Is there any way to make this in a ramekin? Surely we can’t be trusted with a full 9 incher!
I’m three for three with your recipies! Next up: this one and the wheat bread you posted not too long ago. Cheers and congrats on a well-deserved nomination!
awww….your gift of persuasion has triumphed! yay you! looks fab!
Another cake for me to try.
I think you and Dorie Greenspan are the only people I trust when it comes to baking (Nick Malgieri too).
I love your mom’s apple cake,
Your mom’s choc chip sour cream cake
Your Gramercy Tavern gingerbread cake
and I love Al Di La (best place in Bklyn….I hear Franny’s is awesome too), so I will be posting another Smitten Kitchen recipe I guess.
I find it very comforting to be among such fine company in my dislike of chocolate and fruit together. And, like the rest of you, I am willing to bet that this is the recipe that’s going to change my mind. MMMMMmmmmm.
Dear Smitten,
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have been waiting for a recipe like this for four years. In Kyoto, Japan, I had the most amazing pear chocolate cake, and experimented with the combination at my wedding, trying to delight my guests, but gave up as I couldn’t find quite the right combination of flavors. This one looks promising, and I can’t wait to get home from work and try it!
The combination of pears and chocolate is a great one, but one that I use far too little!
do share the buttermilk ice cream recipe! that sounds awesome good! MAYBE it is healthier than Ruth Riechel’s fudgy chocolate ice cream (so rich it wouldn’t melt)? I think so.
the cake looks great. i think i’m going to use up some leftover chopped up chocolate for this (from a chocolate tempering event).
i live only a couple blocks away from al di la for four years now and still haven’t been! always end up somewhere else along the way. but this cake sounds delicious, even if it goes against the very instinctual response of chocolate and fruit = yuck!
I agree with Jeni above, we need the Buttermilk Ice Cream recipe! I just love fruit and chocolate together – don’t think it gets much better!
As always love your photographs – especially the way you set up the eggs in this post.
AHHHHHHH. Must have it immediately. I have been living on poached pears with chocolate ganache lately. I suppose this is a slightly elevated version. Certainly looks worth the extra effort.
Congratulations!
And this is so generous of you to share this recipe. It will be on my ‘to try’ list.
Thanks.
I’ve just made the cake and the browned butter flavour is oh so wonderful. I can’t stop eating it. Because I wanted to make it now/today and didn’t have any pears in the house, I used apples instead. Will buy pears for next time. It is delicious.
this cake looks delicious. you made the right choice of asking for the recipe :)
I love that it is so different, but still sounds so good.
I’m not a huge fan of chocolate and fruit together, but if you say this is good, it must be. (…making sure to check for any spelling mistakes lest I be called out on it!)
oh, deb. i LOVE al di la, and i LOVE you.
this is something i absolutely must try.
every time my boyfriend and i go to al di la, we ask about the gelato/ sorbet selection for the evening. so far, i think my favorite combination is the buttermilk gelato with apple cider sorbet and black pepper gelato. the entire staff there is GENIUS.
really- such a pleasure when one of my favorite restaurants and most fervently read food blogs meet in such happy union.
applause on the nomination!
so glad you went with the chocolate option ;o)
Ooo my mom has a fabulous blueberry cake recipe similar to this, where you place the blueberries on top and they become incorporated during baking – it always mystified me! But anyway, this recipe sounds delicious (you had me at “chocolate”!), I think I’ll wait until I’m back at home though, where we have a reliable mixer…
OOOO this looks and sounds so so delicicous I cant wait to make it though I don’t know if I’ll use bitersweet maybe semisweet chocolate.
You just made my boyfriend’s weekend! We have had this cake at al di la several times now, and he has raved, and we have even attempted similar cakes, but they have never been as good. Hurrah! And, thank you! Just a quick question about the browning of the butter. Should that happen over high heat? Medium-high? Does it matter? Thanks again!
I have never combined chocolate and pears. This cakes sounds delicious! And it looks, from the amount of sugar, that it wouldn’t be sickeningly sweet.
does this have to be made in a spring form pan? it sounds absolutely glorious, but i don’t own a spring form pan. any suggestions as to something else i could bake it in, if possible even in the slightest?
Randa — So funny! A friend and I had a cook a thon last month from that book. Made the fennel/rosemary tart, which I’ll get to one of these days, and the chocolate walnut. I was actually pretty disappointed by each. I can’t imagine anything going wrong with the pear, however.
Libby — I am sure either would work. However, I actually only tried the recipe with flour.
Susan — I am sure it would be fine to serve it while still warm.
Judith — The amount is correct. I made it exactly as it is printed. It is high, but it works. The cake is fairly tall… bigger than most 9-inch cakes.
Duo Dishes — I am sure a ramekin would work but make sure you butter it very well. And watch the baking time!
Amber — I usually use medium high. I don’t want to scorch it, but as long as you’re stirring it and scraping from the bottom, it can handle heat
Shannon — I’ve only made it in a springform pan. It was on the tall side; it might be too tall for a layer cake pan with regular 2-inch sides. If you try it, though, do let us know how it goes. I know not everyone has springforms. (But totally think they’re a great, inexpensive investment. Cheesecakes!)
I’m so glad you liked the cake, Deb! Just to quickly respond to one comment, it is 1 Tbs baking powder. (Oh, and we serve it with whipped cream, flavored with vanilla bean and sugar, but I’m sure it’s delicious with buttermilk ice cream too!) The cake is best warm and the day it is made, but I love having a sliver of leftover cake with coffee for breakfast too.
How lucky for all of us that she shared this recipe with you. I’m definitely going to give this a try. It sounds amazing.
Two other quick things! You could bake this in a regular cake pan, but I would line it with parchment since the pears tend to stick to the bottom. I’m actually the only dessert-focused kitchen person there. Calling myself a pastry chef always seems too fancy, but I guess that’s what I do.
Once again, I’m glad you liked the cake. I’ve made the chocolate sorbet recipe and that bittersweet chocolate tart recipe (with a different crust) you’ve posted to rave reviews, so thanks to you too!
xo
ap
Since I had everything on hand, I decided to make this for company tonight. I can’t speak for the completed cake, but I can hardly wait…the batter is AMAZING!
Oh! My very most favorite restaurant in the whole world. I love everything I’ve had there and can’t wait to make this cake. YUM! Thank you.
I wonder what I did wrong- I baked it FOREVER (50+ minutes) and it’s still not cooked. Could it be too many pears? I cannot figure it out.
Perhaps it had taken me longer in my oven, too. Keep baking it. It will eventually set. It’s a deep cake.
Congratulations on the nomination! I sent in my vote for you a couple days ago. This cake sounds incredible, and I love the bits and pieces poking through the top. Thanks for sharing.
Finally a way to use that chunk of good chocolate that’s been hiding in my pantry.
it took me 45 minutes before it sprang back when i touched it…very excited to try it, i always love the recipes you post!
You so need to win the Best Food Blogger award… frankly, i was dumbstruck to see that you were not even *nominated* for the 2008 Weblog Awards! What the hey?
But i digress. This cake looks absolutely heavenly… one of my favorite “tea breads” to make is a pear-chocolate chip loaf with sour cream and cardamom, holy moly.
Can’t wait to give this one a go ;) Thanks for the great photos and instructions, as always!
Congrats on your nomination!
The cake looks too good to be true! Thanks for working the recipe out of your friend Anna =)
Never had pear and chocolate together before, but it looks wonderful.
And I thought Jim and I were the only ppl who deliberate about menus before making reservations.
One of my favorite combinations. This cake sounds heavenly!! Congratulations on the nomination. This blog is truly one of my favorites.
This looks amazing! Thanks for the recipe, we will most definitely be trying this out very, very soon.
I LOVE browned butter. I bet this is fantastic!
Do I need a mixer with a whisk attatchment ?
It will help. You could also use a hand mixer. It’s not that it can’t be whisked by hand, but it will probably take twice as long and be infinitely exhausting. Albeit, a great arm workout.
I added my vote just now. I agree.
This looks wonderful; will make it Sunday for sis-in-law’s birthday. I’m glad I didn’t boycott the site because to your lack of appreciation for cilantro.
Mmm mmm… I had a free night and made this- it is fantastic! Even my cake-hating fiance is raving about it :)
I definitely had to bake it longer than 30 minutes- more like 40 or 45. It set pretty quickly, though, once it decided it was done, so I was glad I was checking it every few minutes.
Thanks for another fabulous recipe!
My Dad grows pears, so I always have ready access to them and I will be making this cake this weekend. And of COURSE fruit and chocolate goes together!! Oh, by-the-way, try letting your pears ripen a little more (put in paper bag with either a banana or apple, D’anjou pears will start to get a yellow tinge to them).
Tonia
We just finished making the cake, we made it with four pears and that was a good number of pears. I think that the next time I make it I will make it with a half cup of chocolate instead. Question, how important is it to have the eggs at room temperature? I had them at room temp. for 10-15 minutes and my eggs did not thicken to the ribbon consistency. I will definitely make this again, it was delicious!!!
OMG OMG OMG. I’ve lived just a few blocks away from Al Di La for years and my boyfriend is crazy about this tart. The next time he needs spoiling I’ll know just what to do. Thank you for sharing!!
just made this cake – turned out perfectly! took a good 30-35 minutes to bake. what other fillings do you think would go well besides pear and chocolate?
What a fabulous recipe! I put a round of parchment paper in the bottom of the springform pan for easy removal; and buttered the pan and dusted it with flour instead of breadcrumbs. Baked it for 45 – 50 minutes. Delicious!
holy mackerel! it is 7 am and i am sitting in a cube, tucked away in a lonely basement of a governement building in dc, drooling! we’re making your braised short ribs tomorrow for dinner, and we agreed no dessert, but now.. now, i see that i have no choice…..
best. website.ever.
Hi Deb:
Just one little “pet peeve” with some of the posters on your blog…..blog in after youve actually TRIED the recipe!!!! We dont need to hear that your gonna do it, will try it tonight, looks so good,…blah blah blah….so much better if one saves their comments for after they’ve tried the recipe. I really like reading about other peoples successes and failures and ingredient subsitutions, etc etc after theyve actually TRIED the recipe…its a more engaging read and we can learn from eachother that way!!!
1. Three days for a pint of ice cream? Pffft. Amateur.
2. Somewhere, once, I had a recipe for something that combined chocolate and orange in an unexpectedly marvelous way. I will throw it at you sometime.
Hi Mora — 15 minutes is probably not enough to get the chill off of them. I usually do it for at least an hour, or leave it in my frighteningly warm bathroom (where they’re pictured in the second photo) for 30.
Julie — Heh. I’ll try harder next time! Promise.
Hi Deb,
I just voted for you, and you are leading in a landslide at the moment!
The cake sounds awesome – thanks for the recipe. Oh, and I did find a tiny typo: you wrote ‘loose’ instead of ‘lose volume.’ BTW: Yours is the first email I open each day!
Thank you!!
Love that recipe! No time to read the comments to check but if you don’t already know, you’re also up for best photography, food, and design on the Bloggies.
Thanks Binnie — now fixed.
Thanks Judith — I can hardly believe it!
3/4 cup chocolate chunks. Hmmm. Could you translate that into ounces, please, to be more precise?
Hi Mora, When I need to warm up eggs, I put them in a bowl, whole and uncracked, with very warm tap water (not too hot) and let them sit for about 5 minutes. It really takes the chill off.
Katie — It will really depend on the size of the chunks you are using. For standard, smallish chocolate chips, 3/4 cup would be 4.5 ounces. But ideally, you’re using something bigger or chunkier for this cake so the weight will vary.
wow! thank you for your persistence in getting this recipe. it sounds divine.
Pears and chocolate..mmm. This looks great. Especially with the browned butter. Makes everything so nutty and rich. Great recipe.
I love the OUAT book. The tomato tart is outstanding, also love the potato/onion, and especially the caramelized onion (without the olives).
THANK YOU. I don’t know what it is, but everything is fine in my life, and suddenly you post a recipe like this, and all activity has to STOP until I can get to the grocery store and buy pears and make this forthwith.
It took 55 minutes in my oven. Big difference between 50 minutes and 55, so yes to what everyone says about checking frequently. I used Ghirardelli 60% baking chips, and added a little more than 3/4 cup so as to evenly distribute them amongst the pears (and I love me my chocolate, so I figured a little more would be a-ok). It was a little more than half a bag, I think.
Such a pretty cake! Hurray!
The Clementine cake was the best! Moist, not heavy, with wonderful flavor of
the clementines. Not too sweet nor too tart. To die for ! Thank you. It reminded me of a walnut cake I had years ago. I like the citrus/ almond flavor of yours much better.
Hi Deb. – I am a serious lurker and lead baker at a west coast university. Saw this cake at 4 am when I arrived and decided thats what the lucky students would be getting for their dessert tonight. I baked it in full sized sheet pans with collars and used liquid egg product ( it took about 45 min to get 24 cups of egg whipped up from a refrigerated state!) The end result was great! Very even and high rise to the cake and it helped me use all the slighlty damaged pears the dining hall sends me. Thanks for the inspiration this morning!
Oh, I love Al Di La! The lines can get intense though. Thanks for this recipe, I can’t wait to try it.
Hi Deb,
I’m not a huge pear fan, do you think this would work with other fruit and which would you recommend? Pears and chocolate, really?? I guess I trust you on that one.
Also, can I make this in a bundt pan you think?
Thanks and it looks delish!! Can’t wait to make it this weekend I hope.
Maytal
Deb, Congratulations on your nomination, it is well deserved. On another matter entirely, I can’t help but agree with Maria (post 89) that it is sometimes a trial to read through all of the oohs and ahhs to get to posts that actually inform me about your recipes. I’m not a crabby person by nature . . . just busy, so I was wondering if the people who have questions or comments about a recipe that they have tried could post their comments in italics or capital letters so as to distinguish them from the well deserved accolades. Just a thought………
I *love* Al di la! Near where I went to college! This cake looks fantastic–fruit and chocolate look OK together here to me!
ok, it’s gonna sound like I’m spending my days on blog awards, but I just saw that you are not only nominated for the best food blog – writing award, but also for the best food blog and best photography on the 2009 bloggies (http://2009.bloggies.com/). Some more voting for your readers! :-)
Oh, by the way, I just baked this lovely cake, and it took 40 minutes (in my oven) to set. My question is how to store this beauty if, in the unlikely event, there is any left over. This my be a moot question but does it need refrigeration or can it sit on my counter until breakfast?
Congratulations on so many blogging accomplishments! This cake sounds amazing and the restaurant sounds like a must-try.
You are so modest. You didn’t even mention the Bloggies! Congratulations! This cake sounds incredible. Can’t wait to make it. Your clementine cake was made to rave reviews last week.
Wow! This cake looks amazing! I adore pears and dark chocolate together.
Thanks for your persistence in getting this recipe, I’m definitely going to try it!!
looks heavenly
I am responding to my own comment earlier (#101) and saying to resist the urge to add more chocolate. My over-liberal sprinkling of chips was a bit too much. I think it would be better to have the pears shine a bit more than the chocolate. In fact, next time I might even add a little less than 3/4 cup (the horror! I can’t believe I’m contemplating adding LESS than the prescribed amount of chocolate in anything, but there you go).
SmartCookie: I wrapped it in plastic wrap and left it on my counter, and that was fine. I did upend an aluminum bowl over it to hide it from my children.
Maytal, I think this would rock with apples too, but the pears are also perfect.
Mine is in the oven and has been there about 40 minutes – so I’m guessing it will be about 45 before it’s done (the edges are done but the center isn’t). Looks divine! And I’m honored to have the opportunity to make an Al Di La recipe. :)
Looks delish… you are certainly getting some award nominations! I just voted for you over at the Bloggies – congrats. Well deserved!!!
:-)
BB
PS Perhaps you can show me how stuff a zucchini better than I did this week? (http://bushbabe.blogspot.com/2009/01/holy-giant-zucchini.html) A challenge?
I am so freaking excited about your blog. I just made this, and it’s amazing. For lactose intolerant folks (like my boyfriend) I subbed Soy Margarine for the butter, and it browned up just fine.
Tonight: Potato stuffed with sausage yumminess!! Hooray!!
(I’d like to put you on my blogroll, if that’s all right)
Uh, boyfriend=husband (blushes). I still make that mistake sometimes, even though it’s been 3 years. I wonder if what that means . . .
Congrats on the award nomination! I just went to vote and, well, not to be too competitive, but they’re going DOWN! You’re kicking some butt!
Wish I had access to restaurants worthy of first degree recipe theft, but alas, I’m stuck with awful chains such as Mimi’s Cafe and McDonald’s. And that’s why I cook.
Thanks for posting recipes worth the calories and gym time!
I made this tonight (for company lunch tomorrow) and it’s about to come out of the oven…the batter tasted delicious and it’s rising a little bit, but not as much as your picture…I had to beat the eggs with a handheld mixer and it was difficult for me to guess the right consistency but I think it will still be great!
question… don’t know where my 9-inch springform walked off to, but all i can find is my 10-inch pan. will this work? any adjustments to quantities? i’m assuming cooking time will be less, since it will be thinner, but do you think it will work out okay?
Deb, this recipe is a winner! My house smells great and I had a piece…then had a second one just to confirm its deliciosity. Thank you! Congrats on the terrific nominations.
I have sadly been on a baking hiatus since christmas, you know, with the new year’s resolution and all… it seems I just found a great reason to get my kitchenaid out again :)
My goodness but that looks good – am thinking about attempting it – maybe I’ll just show my boyfriend and he can make it instead! :) Lovely, lovely blog – will be voting for you in the blog awards!
This was delicious! It was so incredibly perfect. My favourite part was that I had all of the ingredients in my fridge and cupboard! I love recipes like that! I made it with a friend and we baked the cake for about 50 minutes. We did cover it with foil for some of it’s cooking time because we were concerned about how brown the top was getting. This was amazing. Gourmet, but not too hard. I loved the look of the eggs as they beat in the mixer especially once the sugar was added. Thanks for your website Deb. I look forward to each and every new post! One variation that I was thinking would be interesting is forgoing or only adding in 1/4 cup choc. chips and then serving it with chocolate whipping cream.
I was pretty excited to make this today. I ended up using 3 pears and their flavor was definitely center stage. I was a little sad because I felt like the cake was really gooey with the chocolate and pears in the middle, but kinda dry on the outside. I thought I had distributed them evenly but maybe not. If I make it again, I might fold them into the batter rather than sprinkling them on top so I have a more consistent moisture throughout. Oh, and it took about 40 minutes in my oven.
mej – i was just coming back in to write about the same issue! the middle of the cake (especially on the bottom) was definitely gooey. the butter/flour combination on the cakepan surely didn’t help, but i was thinking that my pears were not cut up quite small enough, or maybe there was too much ’stuff’ in general? next time i will definitely make the pear dice smaller and take more care to distribute evenly (maybe even skewing towards the outer edges).
I made this for an inauguration party last night – oh my goodness, this is one yummy cake! I was a little freaked out about the amount of diced pear generated by 3 pears but it worked out. 3/4 cup bittersweet choc chips seems like to much, it was a little too chocolaty in some spots (I know, too chocolaty is almost an oxymoron). Or maybe the chunks were too big – the bittersweet chips I had were quite large. The cake didn’t rise enough to totally envelope the pears and chocolate (neither did Deb’s, I noticed), but a heavy dusting of powdered sugar corrected that. Maybe it’s my oven, it does bake a little unevenly. Anyhow, another great recipe. Many thanks!
i made this last night for dinner guests and it was amazing. i was nervous about the cook time (50 minutes total) but it came out just right. as for cooking unevenly, it was touch and go for a while, but everything evened out in the end. i’m holding back right now from taking the leftovers and shoving them in my face… i will make this again and again. thanks for the recipe!
Al Di La is our favorite restaurant. This cake is amazing along with the Apricot Almond Tart she used to make. Two of the greatest tasting things we’ve ever had for dessert. Making up the shopping list now. Anna Klinger is a fantastic chef/owner.
I made this cake last night, and everyone loved it!! I made homemade vanilla ice cream w/ dark chocolate truffles to accompany it, but i would love the buttermilk recipe (please). this cake took at least 55 minutes to bake. It’s really good if the chocolate chunks are “chunky.” Thank you for sharing all your wonderful recipes. Thank you, thank you.
Wow. That cake was amazing. It took about 45 minutes. Served it with the almond whipped cream, but added a little Mascarpone cheese as well. You never disappoint!
This cake is a keeper! Next time I have my family together, this is what I’m serving them for dessert, or maybe we’ll just skip the main course and go straight to cake! Thanks a bunch!
Made this yesterday for a dinner party! Delicious!
I made this yesterday… It’s really, really delicious! Everybody who tried it thought it was perfect. It’s rare that I’m ever quick to react about making food I see online, but timing was right (I had access to a stand mixer), and this sounded too good not to try. This definitely goes in my repertoire of Things to Wow People. I’m anxiously awaiting the corresponding Buttermilk Ice Cream recipe; I think that would send this over the moon! Thanks!
The cake is in the oven. It smells divine; my hips are damned.
I made this cake Saturday night. It was wonderful. I had no trouble with the middle being gooey. Thanks for a great recipe.
Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe. Your tips were super helpful and my friends and I ate every last crumb!
I made this over the weekend. I don’t have a 9″ springform, only an 8″ and a 10″. I went with the 10″ and I don’t really recommend it. The cake took 40 min. I found it a little dry on the outside and it didn’t have the great texture in the middle that it sounds like the 9″ cakes have. The pears also weren’t completely soft. It sounds to me like the cake needs to be baked in a 9″ pan in part so it is in the oven long enough to thoroughly soften the pears. Sometimes I have luck adjusting pan sizes, but not this time.
Still, this was a really tasty accompaniment to our West Wing watching, especially with the almond whipped cream, which I will make again and again. (Not sure what I never thought of that! Great tip.)
Made this yesterday but I stopped reading at “about 30 minutes*, or a tester comes out clean.” Totally missed the “Start checking at 30 minutes, but make sure you’ve allocated an hour in case it takes much longer!” After 45 minutes, I pulled it out because the sides were browned. Sadly, the center was still funny. But no leftovers. I will certainly do it again. It a nice not-so-sweet cake. Thanks. Again.
I meant “runny” not “funny”. tee hee
Deb! Thank god you posted this recipe! Due to a shipping snafu I ended up with 3 boxes of pears and have no idea what the hell I’m going to do with all of them.
I just took this cake out of the oven and I hope like hell it’s done all the way through (it was in the oven for nearly 50 minutes). It looks and smells amazing. I absolutely cannot wait to eat it.
Hi Everyone — I am bummed to hear that so many of you are facing cakes with runny centers. Clearly, it needs to bake much longer than 30 minutes (as I warned in the note). Please, please please please please do me a favor and do not take your cakes out of the oven before they are done. Ever. Use a toothpick or cake tester, and when it comes out batter-free, you can take the cake out. Doneness is much more important than baking times, and I’d hate for any more lovely brown butter batters to go to waste because of this. Should your cake be overly brown on top but still not cooked in the middle, cover the cake pan with foil until it is done–it shouldn’t brown further after that.
Good luck!
I made this last week. I used a 10 inch springform and also wondered about the 1 tablespoon of baking powder. Huge success! It was devoured by my family. Thank you Deb for sharing.
I am always making your recipes about a week late, when you have moved on to new things that are on my never ending list of must-make items. We made this for dessert this weekend, and consumed every last morsel. Do I make another of these, or move on to the blood orange tart? Ah, the decisions I must make…
Did we ever get a finally baking time?
I am about to bake this cake. I’m guessing 45-50 mins.
Made it, loved it, and posted a pic on my FaceBook page, where it’s getting LOTS of ink. Well-ripened pears made for lovely soft texture and a touch of sweetness that balanced nicely with the chocolate. It was a big hit with a gal pal of mine who was an Al Di La regular when she lived on Park Slope. One more slice to savor, then taking a shot at the Clementine Cake. Thanks, and cheers!
David, I was hoping to see your cake pic on facebook. Mine is in the oven right now! I will be posting on facebook later.
Mine was in the oven 40 minutes. I should’ve checked it at 35, I think it was just a hair overdone. That didn’t stop people from eating it, though. The springform pan has already been washed, and I’d bet that my neighbor is finishing off the last crumbs from the piece I sent next door….
I finally got around to making this cake and it’s baking as we speak. I’m at about 45 minutes and it’s still not done. I don’t mind waiting though. But what makes me sad is that the pears and the chocolate are still sitting at the top. I don’t know if I didn’t dice them small enough or if I messed up somewhere along the way. I tried very hard to do the flour/butter/egg combination fast but I think I did go over a minute and it did deflate a bit. I’m not sure if that would messed the whole thing up. But maybe next time I’ll just cover the fruit and chocolate with a bit of batter just in case. :-(
this is a silly question but i’m pretty clueless when it comes to baking- can i substitute unsweetened chocolate w/ some extra sugar for the semisweet chocolate? i’m not sure if that sort of substitution only works for recipes that call for melting the chocolate and not ones like these that use chunks. i have a 10 oz unsweetened chocolate baking bar that i accidentally bought a while ago and have yet to use. i can’t wait to try this recipe! i’m going to get a springform pan tomorrow.
Hi gc — No, you shouldn’t in this cake. You can when you are melting chocolate to bake with but with chocolate chunks, the sugar won’t get into them and it will be very bitter (and very sugary all around it).
Made this cake for my family and had to restrain myself from eating all of it (didn’t want to look too piggy) Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
I feel “sacreligious” in admitting that I didnt love this cake (although i ate plenty of it-lolol) The cake batter is awesome! However, I do NOT like the chocolate in it!! The pears were great and I think itd be better if it were all fruit. Im going to try it again with pears and rasberries or pears and blueberries. Does anyone else agree with me?? Has anyone else tried something besides the chocolate?
Wow! I made this the other night just because it looked so wonderful! And the taste was no exception either! It is simple to make, and although some of the steps require a longer period of time, everything comes together pretty quickly! I halved the recipe since my family is not much of dessert-eaters unless its holiday time, but it turned out delicious (even though you cant just half an egg, i just used the smallest ones! :) it worked out) and everyone asked for seconds! It really is amazing how the batter comes up over all the fruit and chocolate also!
Thanks for the great recipe!
I made this on Sunday, baked for 45 minutes, and I also had the soggy center that others have mentioned. Nonetheless, we really liked it and I’ll try it again. I used comice pears, perfectly ripe and cut pretty small, and they were perfect for this recipe. My pears were pretty big, I might use only two next time to see if that helps with the sogginess. Thanks for posting this unusual cake!
OMG – this looks devine.
I just popped it in the oven. My batter deflated significantly while putting in the last addition of flour.
Also, I’m curious about how many of the people that mentioned long baking time have an oven thermometer. Ovens can be off as far as 75 degrees and that would greatly affect baking time. I preheated to 350 but my thermometer read at 300 so I cranked it up a bit more. We’ll see how the baking time is.
34 minutes to a clean cake tester. It didn’t brown to much, looks great.
I made this yesterday. Had a bunch of mishaps during baking, too…
First of all, I never browned butter before, so was nervous about that, and not sure what to expect (I was sorta expecting a mass changing its colour, not the little flakes at the bottom browning while the rest stayed yellow), but I judged by the smell, which was amazing. Glad I did this before everything else, though (then kept it near the stove, on one of those… things you put hot things on, what are they called?); you might want to consider changing the ‘while you whisk the eggs, brown the butter’ in the directions. Two things that need to be watched are a problem for one person cooking. True that the eggs don’t need to much watching, but it’s still too much of a stress-factor, and I found it better to have the butter, pears and chocolate prepared ahead, then when the eggs were whisking doing some cleaning up and measuring flour and sugar.
Ah yes, the flour. The big mishap. I used a measuring cup which is a bit old, and some of the measurements have partially rubbed off, and I guess I wasn’t paying enough attention, so I accidently measured 1 1/4 cup or so, then mixed it with baking powder and salt, then as I was measuring the sugar realized OH MY GOD WHAT HAVE I DONE. Judged that it was better to not have enough baking powder than to have too much flour, and through some of the flour away, but was worried it won’t rise well.
Oh yes and I also was kinda nervous about the eggs being in the right consistency, as I wasn’t sure about ‘very thick’, but eventually it seemed enough, and I added the sugar, then stirred in the flour and butter… made some mess of it of course.
But the bottom line is, everything worked! It was GREAT! The dough rose just like you said it would, and actually when we cut the cake we found the fruit and chocolate ended up at the bottom. Very cute.
We ate it with our tea – no powdered sugar on top, no whipped cream, no ice cream, and although I’m sure any of those would have been good, it was just wonderful as-is, warm and moist and wonderful.
Could hardly feel the pear flavour, but they might have been not so flavourful to begin with, and they really added a lot to the texture and moist-ness of the cake.
So just wanted to say thanks! Despite everything that made me worried while making it, it was an amazing cake
Thanks for the recipe. I think my boyfriend had three pieces. Definitely sometinig I’d made again. I have a recipe around for a pear tart with a chocolate crust, which I might dig out for comparison’s sake.
Since you have discovered the beauty of chocolate and pears, I thought you might want to try Nigella Lawson’s Chocolate Pear Pudding Cake. I heard her describe it on NPR and just had to have it. It was delicious, even though it uses, of all things, canned pears! Visit the link and scroll down for the recipe.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99641560
I made a pear-chocolate cake about a year ago, and now seeing this one, I realize it’s about time I made another! Sounds heavenly!
Margie; Thaqnks for recipe;sounds luscious. I copied recipeand plana to try it soon. Hope you are feeling better. Love, Grandma Lambdin
Deb, your timing couldn’t be better. Some friends just asked me to bring a parve dessert to their Superbowl get-together on Sunday. I have a very good health-foody margarine. I know, I know, but remember, this has to be parve, and this particular margarine generally tastes fine–not great, but fine–in baked stuff. I’ll even try to brown it, which sounds like an important step. But even without browned butter I doubt this recipe will disappoint.
I’m probably going to have a hard time finding a ripe pear of any kind, so I might end up trying it with apples. I hate making too many mods to a new recipe, though, so I’ll be wandering from store to store tonight…
Just made it for mom-in-law’s birthday… can’t wait to eat it. Looks and smells delish!
Deb, I absolutely love your site. I have tried a few recipes and have had much success. I made this cake last night, and husband and I both agreed – the cake and chocolate are great, but we weren’t sure what the pears were doing, really. The fruit just added texture, and not much flavor. I used Bosc per your suggestion, should we have used a different variety, a sweeter one, perhaps? Husband wants me to try the cake again, but with banana slices.
Just ate the first slice… mmmmmmmm mmmmmmmm.
I may not have whipped the eggs for long enough though, as the chocolate and pears stared sinking into the cake mix almost immediately and by the time it was finished cooking, they were all in the centre at the bottom.
It could also have been that the cake rose over the sides of the tin whilst cooking and as it shrunk back the top of the sides were well and truly baked onto the tin. I’ll try baking paper around the sides next time.
A delicious combination of flavours, though as husbands will, mine has a suggestion – chocolate and raspberries. I can go for that.
Sara: I used baking paper – I usually do, instead of butter-and-flour as in the instructions here. For almost every cake (or cookies), except the very very moist ones like brownies or my mum’s apple cake, I find that baking paper is incredibly helpful.
Might not be as pretty when taking the cake out (I do it the simplest way: just take a sheet of paper and put it in the baking pan, folding and squishing as necessary, then put/pour the dough etc., then trim off the bits that stick out too much), but it’s simpler and cleaner, and when the cake is good, like this cake, who cares if the sides have a few creases on them?
The cake just came out of the oven, and the smell is killing me, as I won’t get to taste it until half-time. Most of the pears and chocolate are still lying on top of the cake, and the batter that does show is browned beautifully. My chocolate, left over from my last babka attempt, had a lot of fine bits mixed in, so I should have weighed it rather than going by volume. My guess is that the chocolate probably melted into a layer on top before it got to sink in. I think next time (and there will be a next time!) larger chocolate chunks will give me that delicious-sounding buried treasure of pears and chocolate, but this will still be pretty impressive to my chocoholic friends.
Deb, could these amazingly light, heavily beaten whole eggs work instead of separated eggs with beaten whites? I had no idea whole eggs could be so fluffy. I’d be inclined to do this with all quickbreads and cakes, unless there’s a reason not to.
i made this cake over the weekend and it was great, although i personally found it too sweet. i overbaked it b/c i waited for the top to get brown and the sides and bottom ended up quite dry. it was still delicious, though.
i just tried making it again but reduced the sugar by about half, halved the chocolate and used apples. i think i must have overbeaten the batter b/c it just barely enveloped the apples and chocolate at the bottom while the rest just sat on top of the cake :( i might add the flour and butter by hand next time to avoid that problem.
Thanks to Deb for posting and Anna for releasing the recipe! I made it for my in-laws last weekend and we all enjoyed it thoroughly (in fact, everyone had seconds, even my 2-year-old daughter). Like many posters, I wasn’t 100% confident of when I had beaten the eggs long enough, though Deb’s recommended minutes in the recipe helped a lot. I also found that the very center was less cooked than I would’ve liked and the outer edges were slightly overcooked. I will play around with solutions to that in the future. Overall, though, it was yummy and different.
Deb, your dessert recipes are always my favorites! I made this while the rest of the world was watching the Super Bowl. It is so delicious, despite the fact that my timer stopped working at some point while the cake was baking. The edges are a little dark and dry, but at least I didn’t have any problems with it not being done. I will definitely make this again (after I buy a new timer.) Thanks to Al Di La for sharing their recipe.
I made this tonight, and managed to leave out the baking powder altogether. I noticed the lack when I was mixing, but figured the whipped eggs would provide enough structure. The cake is a little flatter than pictured, of course, but still tasty.
A stand mixer would make this much easier! I used a hand mixer on high, and probably could have beaten the eggs a bit longer without harming the recipe. I’ll have to make this again, *with* the baking powder.
Everyone liked it, even the kids (my eight year old is not a big chocolate fan, so he did his best to eat around the chocolate, though.)
My results were mixed–or perhaps not mixed enough. The Bosc pears provided a certain creamy texture but hardly any flavor. But the cake was exciting, because with this recipe you’ve finally revealed the secret to the Salt Lake Roasting Company’s tart base. Next time I’ll probably leave out the chocolate AND the pears and replace them with apricots.
Deb, you’ve really got me cooking now!
The batter was absolutely divine, but I overcooked it because my pears and chocolate chips all ended up in the center of the cake, so all of my test toothpicks came out grainy. I must admit that I DID add a couple of tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder to the flour mixture (my mom is a chocoholic and would refuse a dessert with ONLY chocolate chips)… it seems like it would have been magnificent had I not overcooked it. The center is delicious though! :)
Oh, I also used a souffle (French casserole? Dunno, it was round) dish instead of a springform, because my springform is 10′ and whenever I make something with it that’s meant for a 9′, it’s a miserable wreck. Again, think it would have worked had it not been overcooked.
A friend of mine made this for my birthday yesterday and it was wonderful. All because I said I wasn’t really a cake person. Hah.
Hi Deb,
I usually don’t have problems with baking but had an issue with this one. I know a few people had issues but I don’t think anyone has mentioned this one – mine started to sink about 20 minutes after it had gone in the oven. I don’t think I over stirred / whisked the mixture but could there be any other explanation?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
PS I love your food (and recreating it!)
THANKS!
I have made this 4 times now and I love it. I was hesitant about making it since I am, well, horrible, when it comes to baking. I had to call 3 people to ask if I could borrow a pan and if they thought beating with a mixer would be okay. If I can make this turn out, anyone can do it. I brought in a second cake to my office since the first one garnered a reputation.
I’ve also used frozen fruit mix and chocolate when I found out someone (looking at you boyfriend) had eaten my pears.
And, I love this site, I find something at least once I week that I try.
I just baked this tonight and it was a hit with my family. I did have to bake mine for 55 minutes to get it cooked through the center but it came out perfectly. I covered the top with foil at the 45 minute mark. Maybe the cooking time has something to do with the size of the dicing on the pears and also how juicy they are? We did not find it to be overly sweet… it was just right with the bittersweet chocolate. I would make it again for sure. It sort of reminded me of an apple cake my Mom makes in the Fall. Thanks Deb… it’s a keeper for sure.
Thank you to your friend Anna and you. i am eating it this right this minute warm out of the oven all of 60 seconds, so I guess I should say hot out of the oven… it is heavenly. I baked it 55 min. and it’s perfect. This was the inauguration of buying my KichenAid mixer this afternoon, in large part because of reading this and other mixer-using blog posts of yours. Thank you thank you thank you for blogging. I enjoy it more than words can say. ~Kristin
thank you for sharing this recipe! made this last week for a potluck dinner and everyone really enjoyed it! i only had 2 pears but used the same amount of bittersweet chocolate and it was still unbelievably good…
absolutely perfect. took this to a dinner party on saturday evening and even the *mostly* vegan among us had a slice (with lightly whipped cream!)
it took about 50 minutes in my oven. the 9″ springform worked like a beauty – the batter puffed up and around all the pears and chocolate until the top was golden brown with just a few bits of chocolate and pears teasing through the top. the batter had to be THE best cake batter i’ve ever tasted. that browned butter flavor is astounding.
thank you!
This cake is absolutely amazing.
I have now made it twice. Both times with panko as the dusting (works well). Once, with bosc pears and once with asian pears (that’s what I had). The Asian pears added a bit more moisture to the cake but it was totally fine.
Baking time for me for both times have been about 35-40 minutes, but I have a convection oven —
The thing that attracted me to this recipe was the brown butter — I make shortbread with brown butter and I think it adds a great complexity to the batter.
Hi Deb – do you think I can make this 2 days in advance? Or how many days will this cake keep? Will it keep better at room temp or in the frig? Thanks!
I think it should keep for two days. I prefer to keep cakes at room temperature.
I just made this cake tonight. I did not have any problems with the cake being undercooked. I cooked it for about 50 mins. It did not get as high as I thought, however, the taste is VERY good. I used my boyfriend, to brown the butter as I took care of the eggs. It worked out perfectly with the timing. It also took away an stress of the timing. This is a cake that I will bake again, and I am sure that it would be great with apples!
this was wonderful! i loved peeking in the oven to see the cake rising over the chocolate and pear chunks, just like you said. it was easy to make, the pears added just the right moist texture, and wow– it totally satisfied any chocolate cravings, too! next time i might even use a little less chocolate… something i never thought i’d say :)
I also made this cake over the rainy weekend (along with the black-bottom cupcakes) and I loved it! The brown butter gives is such a unique flavor, and personally I think the pear and chocolate go really well together.
I made this cake last night and was AMAZED. This will def be a dessert staple in our house – thanks for the recipe!
I made this cake yesterday and despite reading all the comments and baking for just shy of an hour, I ended up with a cake with a gooey middle. My tester came out clean from several test spots, but I wonder if I just kept hitting pear and didn’t ever test a spot that was pure batter. I also used the finger test and the cake was springing back to my touch. My oven temp is fairly accurate; there’s a thermometer in there and I was monitoring the temp throughout baking. My pears weren’t overly ripe, but juicy. Could that have affected the baking? I wish I’d taken a test run with this recipe before making it for company.
ok, let’s all just get real: this cake is a bit finicky. i’ve made it about 5 times now, to different results every time. don’t let this dissuade you: when it works it is just about the best cake ever. some tips i’ve gleaned: first, don’t underbeat the eggs. when in doubt, keep going. the batter should take time to incorporate with the butter – it should be that thick. i’ve done it with both a hand mixer and a kitchenaid, and hand mixer is fine. second, i sprinkle slightly more pear/chocolate on the edges than in the middle so it doesn’t make a crater in the middle. third, i don’t peel my pears and it’s fine. fourth, to Susan’s question, the time it worked best i had used slightly less ripe pears… not sure if it’s a connection but an interesting point. fifth, as everyone knows, keep baking. my oven apparently sucks because i’ve had to go over an hour a bunch of times.
this looks incredible- i also only have an 8 inch and 10 inch pan- a few people said they do not recommend the 10 inch. has anyone tried an 8 inch?
I just finished baking this but used raspberries instead of pears (since I couldn’t find a good pear). It looks like it’s suppose to be more…risen (like a souffle) but mine fell in the middle. I won’t know how it tastes until tonight. :)
i sadly had to move from nyc, but al di la is my most favorite restaurant. THANK YOU so much! you made my day. your blog is amazing.
Just another comment on this to echo those of Sabrina … I’ve made this twice now and it really does seem that the ripeness of the pears has an impact. I made it with pears that were EXTREMELY ripe and despite the cake being done, it had gooey spots that weren’t uncooked batter. They were spots were a chunk of pears had landed and broken down into mush…still good mush, but not ideal. Also sprinkling the pears and chocolate heavier around the edges seems to help.
Oh my. I just made this for a barbecue on Saturday, but may have to make it again this weekend as my birthday cake.
I’ve made this cake twice now … the first time I didn’t have access to a Kitchenaid, so used a hand mixer, which was totally not up to the task and the cake was very low in the middle. I thought the trouble was insufficient volume. No biggie. Trial #2 used the Kitchenaid, got great volume, but the middle still sunk! I can’t tell by your photos if that’s the way it’s supposed to be … (Ahem, that part’s been eaten in the profile shot… : ) Or is my torta too shorta?!?
I live a few blocks from Al Di La. I am not ashamed to say that I have been to Al Di La several times solely to have this cake.
It is SO good. I am so so so so glad you put this recipe up! I can’t wait to make it!
Instead of putting baking powder i put baking soda !!! can you tell i’m a new foodie ? What a disappointment … I’ll give it another try sometime soon but for now i don’t have pears anymore and i’m kind of frustrated …smelled good though !
I came across this recipe about a month ago and finally got around to making it. It was a HUGE success, the tartness of the pears and the sweetness of the chocolate create a wonderful balance. I’ll definitely be making this cake again.
i made this cake for my sister’s 40th birthday party. she had decided that since she liked the pear and chocolate tart-type-thing at a cafe she frequents, pear and chocolate would be the go for her cake. having urged her to pick anything she wanted and not to worry about whether i knew how to make it already, i said “of course” and then thought, “how on earth will i find a pear and chocolate cake recipe that will be special enough for a 40th?”. silly me, i should have known that smitten kitchen would have a recipe for me! although i made some mistakes (i’ve never browned butter before, for instance), the cake turned out absolutely beautiful and i got so many compliments on it. most important of all, my sis was thrilled.
thankyou!
I made this cake last night. After reading the comments I used a tube pan instead of a springform pan, and that solved the sinking middle problem. It still took 50 minutes to finish. I also used unripe bosc pears, which wasn’t the greatest idea. The pears are too crunchy and not sweet enough, but the cake isn’t too wet. The cake tastes better this morning but it definitely needs whipped cream to make it sweeter.
Robin, thanks for the tube pan idea! I made this last night for a dinner party and it was amazing!! I used overly-ripe Anjou pears and choc chips instead of chunks (I went a little crazy with those, but it was ok!). Delicious. My friends loved this dessert. Definitely a keeper, thanks Deb!
I have just discovered your site and I am so fantastically happy and excited. In 2 or 3 days I have already recommended your site to friends and family AND made lists of things to try out ;)
Now for the real stuff… I made this yesterday for the household and will you believe 3/4 of it was gone within 5 minutes of cutting it. A great hit for my working kitchen… What a delicious cake, not too sweet, with the scrumptious pairing of chocolate and fruit, always a plus with me!
Thanks!
I made this cake for a New Years Eve party and received rave reviews. I accompanied it with the recommended barely whipped cream with almond extract…lovely, thank you!
Sebastian, You can substitute 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda & 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar for baking powder. I’ve been doing it for years (didn’t like the aluminum & salt in the baking powder) Works great!
i made these just the way they are the first time and found that the cooked pear couldnt stand up to the dark chocolate, so I made it next tiem with pears poached in wine and it just tastes awesome. The cake batter is amazing. Thanks for the recipe
Well, my first attempt is in the oven–all OVER the oven. I used a 9 inch cheesecake pan – removable bottom but the side is a single molded piece of aluminum – not the kind with the latching interlocking band.
The real problem seems to be the depth of the pan, which is 2 inches. Looks to me like it needs 3 inches. I’m sure it will still taste good, but I doubt very much the chocolate and pears will hide in the interior of the cake. Since the batter is going OUT, not UP. I’m sad…
has anyone else used a tube pan instead of a springform? going to make this for a dinner party at the end of the week, and looking for feedback. don’t want a sinky cake! thanks!
Yes, check out comments 203 and 204. Sounds like a success.
hi Deb!
love ur site!
quick question… I’m not sure I’ll be able to get nice ripe pears. Usually I find Bosc but they are not too ripe. How does poaching them beforehand sound to you? Would they end up too soft after baking?
Thnx!!
Jacob — I haven’t tried it, but I see no reason why it wouldn’t work.
Thanks Deb!
I did poach them but I haven’t tasted it yet.
I guess I ended up beating the eggs too much cuz by the time I added the sugar they started deflating and more so with the flour.
The chocolate and pear did not go to the bottom and since I made it in a bundt pan, when I flipped it, some of the chocolate came off.
The middle didn’t inflate as much…
Should I serve it?? I’m somewhat afraid…
Jacob — As long as it is baked through, I think that even with sunken fruit and chocolate you will find it delightful. Or at least I hope you will too.
Another tube pan success – 35 minutes with convection oven. Will be serving tonight. Looks amazing all swaddled in saran on my counter, though! THANKS!
Hi Deb…
Just wanted to let you know the end of my story…
It came out ok… but since the pear and chocolate stayed in the bottom, the flavors didn’t really mix… and I used dark chocolate chunks…
So basically I’m gonna have to try it again in the near future to get the real blast of deliciousness…
Thnx a lot for ur help!
Oh, I struggled with this one! I made it in the tube pan. Maybe I should have cooled it in the tube pan longer? When I flipped it, it didn’t come out nicely. I was able to sort of mold it together. I took a little bite and it tastes fantastic. I’m sure it will be great for our birthday brunch tomorrow (I’ll plate it individually), but I wish it would have turned out prettier.
Debb, hi!! I just made the cake, just took it out of the oven, and the smell is weird nothing sweet, it smells like scramble eggs, it could be that the brown butter was too hot whe i added it??? I made it for a party tomorrow and i’m afraid to bring it, it’s the first time i made it, because i looks delicious!!!!! also i noticed little black points in the dough (from the butter i think) but i try it and it was so sweet, not bruned flavor at all!! please help!! or maybe I have to do it again??
Someone sent us a dozen pears….oh what to do with them? SK to the rescue. This cake is amazing. The comments, suggestions and experiences expressed in the comments were very helpful. In my experience, the key is in the volume you achieve with the eggs and it changes it’s character depending on how ripe your pears are..but all of these issues are so worth dealing with as the result is superb!!