Chocolate upside-down cake with poached pears
Pears and chocolate are a delicious pairing, particularly when accompanied by a bit of spice. In this recipe, the pears are poached first, making them beautifully tender and golden when baked within the cake. Served with honeyed crème fraîche, this makes for an elegant dessert or moreish mid-afternoon snack.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
For the mulled wine poached pears
- 4 pears, peeled, cored and sliced
- 80g of unsalted butter
- 250g of light brown sugar
- 400ml of red wine
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- 2 star anise
- 1 pinch of ground nutmeg
- 1 pinch of ground cardamom
- 1 pinch of ground ginger
- peel of 1 orange
- 1 pinch of salt
For the caramel pear base
- 100g of caster sugar
- 50ml of water
- 100g of butter
- 1 tbsp of spiced rum
For the chocolate upside-down cake base
- 250g of unsalted butter, softened
- 250g of caster sugar
- 4 Freshlay Farms Golden Yolker® eggs
- 250g of Doves Farm Organic Plain White Flour
- 1 tsp Doves Farm Baking Powder
- 60g of cocoa powder
For the garnish
- 100g of crème fraîche, drizzled with 2 tablespoons of honey
Equipment
- 20cm cake tin
Method
Start by making the mulled wine caramel pears. Melt the butter then add in the sugar and red wine then stir to dissolve
- 80g of unsalted butter
- 250g of light brown sugar
- 400ml of red wine
Add in the spices, orange peel and salt, then bring everything to a low simmer. Add the pears and poach gently for around 5 minutes, then remove them from the mulled wine mixture
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- 2 star anise
- 1 pinch of ground nutmeg
- 1 pinch of ground cardamom
- 1 pinch of ground ginger
- peel of 1 orange
- 1 pinch of salt
- 4 pears, peeled, cored and sliced
In a separate pan, make the caramel. Bring the water and sugar to a simmer in a heavy-bottomed, high-sided pan, and swirl the pan to dissolve the sugar
- 100g of caster sugar
- 50ml of water
Cook until you have a light caramel, swirling occasionally. The sugar should be around 170°C
Remove from the heat and – very carefully – add in the butter and stir with a spoon until melted and mixed through
- 100g of butter
Stir in the rum, then leave to cool for around 10 minutes, then carefully mix the poached pears into the caramel
- 1 tbsp of spiced rum
Line a 20 cm cake tin with parchment paper, then layer the caramel-coated pear slices over the base of the parchment in a fan shape
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan)
To a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the butter and caster sugar then whisk until light and fluffy
- 250g of unsalted butter, softened
- 250g of caster sugar
Add in the eggs one at a time, whisking until smooth, then add in the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder and mix until smooth
Spoon the mixture over the pears in the lined cake tin then bake for 40 minutes until risen and cooked through
Once the cake has baked, while still warm, loosen the sides of the cake tin and place a serving plate over the top of the cake before turning over. Remove the parchment paper. Slice and serve with some honeyed crème fraîche
- 100g of crème fraîche, mixed with 2 tablespoons of honey
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