Pear Chocolate Cake with Hazelnuts

Ingredients

• 100 g Hazelnuts
• 2 pears
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 175 g dark chocolate couverture (at least 70% cocoa content)
• 180 g butter
• 150 g unsweetened applesauce
• 4 eggs
• 100 g raw cane sugar
• 80 g flour
• 100 g whole wheat flour
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tsp Baking powder

Instructions

1. 1.

   Chop the hazelnuts and roast them in a hot, fat‑free pan until fragrant. Let cool.

2. 2.

   Wash the pears, halve them, remove the pits, and drizzle the halves with lemon juice.

3. 3.

   Coarsely chop the chocolate with a knife. Melt it with the butter over a double boiler, then let it cool slightly again.

4. 4.

   Whisk the applesauce with the eggs and sugar in a bowl until creamy. Add the chocolate‑butter mixture and stir. Combine the flours with cocoa powder and baking powder, then fold into the chocolate mixture. Fold in the hazelnuts (reserve 2 tbsp for garnish) and pour the batter into a springform pan lined with parchment paper.

5. 5.

   Smooth the top of the batter and arrange the pear halves on it, cut side down. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C (160 °C fan‑forced, gas: level 2–3) for 25 minutes. The cake should remain moist and tender inside. Remove from the oven, let cool for a few minutes, carefully release from the pan, and sprinkle with the remaining nuts.