Chocolate Pear Cake

Ingredients

• 180 g butter
• 200 g sugar
• 1 packet vanilla sugar
• 5 eggs
• 40 g cocoa powder
• 50 g cornstarch
• 50 g flour
• 50 g ground almonds
• 4 ripe pears (e.g., Williams Christ)
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 200 g dark chocolate couverture
• 200 ml whipping cream (at least 30% fat)
• 500 g mascarpone
• 100 g sugar
• 75 g chocolate shavings
• 3 tbsp chocolate crumbs

Instructions

1. 1.

   Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Beat butter with 150 g sugar and vanilla sugar until fluffy. Separate the eggs; gradually fold the yolks into the butter mixture. Sift cocoa, cornstarch, and flour over the batter and add almonds. Whisk the egg whites with the remaining sugar until stiff peaks form and gently fold into the batter.

2. 2.

   Line the pan with parchment paper, pour in the dough, smooth the top, and bake for about 45 minutes, covering with foil if needed. Remove and let cool completely. For the topping, peel, quarter, core, and dice the pears. Drizzle with lemon juice and set aside. Chop chocolate finely and melt over a hot, non‑boiling water bath; remove from heat and let slightly cool. Whip the cream stiff.

3. 3.

   Mix mascarpone with sugar and the still liquid cooled chocolate. Gradually fold in the stiff whipped cream. Spread pear pieces on the base and smooth the chocolate mousse over them. Chill for at least 2 hours. Before serving, remove the ring, decorate the rim with chocolate shavings, and garnish the surface with chocolate crumbs.