PLUMCAKE WITH PEARS IN WINE AND CHOCOLATE, a simple and delicious sweet recipe. The pear and chocolate combination is a timeless classic, (Chocolate Cake with Pears and Rum) that offers a rich and enveloping taste. It’s also a dessert that lends itself to various versions; for example, you can add chocolate chips, nuts, or spices to the batter. In this recipe, I used unsweetened cocoa and pears cooked in spiced wine, a delight that is sunk into a super soft and truly delicious batter. When cut, the dessert shows particularly spectacular slices and thus is perfect not only for breakfast but also as a dessert after meals, maybe accompanied by a dollop of unsweetened cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I used Abate pears, but you can also use Williams; the important thing is that they are not particularly ripe and not too big, they should stick out about a third from the surface of the plumcake batter. Try it!
Here are other chocolate recipes:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter and Spring
- Energy 560.27 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 77.26 (g) of which sugars 47.68 (g)
- Proteins 7.55 (g)
- Fat 22.89 (g) of which saturated 14.42 (g)of which unsaturated 8.15 (g)
- Fibers 4.67 (g)
- Sodium 118.17 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 224 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/8 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup milk
- 13 tbsp butter (melted)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 packet baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 Abate pears
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 cups red wine (sweet)
- 1 lemon (grated zest)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 5 cloves
Tools
- Loaf Pan Guardini Gardenia, Loaf Pan with Removable Base 12×4.5 inches, Steel with Non-stick Coating, Black
- Electric Mixer Philips Domestic Appliances Viva Collection HR3741/00 Hand Mixer, White 450 W
- Saucepan Lagostina Every Deep Saucepan Ø 8.7 inches in Stainless Steel 18/10 with Lagoseal Plus Base, Satin Exterior, and Wide Handles, Suitable for All Heat Sources, Including Induction
Steps
Let’s start with the pears. Peel them with a vegetable peeler and place them in a saucepan with the wine, sugar, cinnamon stick, lemon zest, and cloves. Put on the heat and bring to a boil. From this moment, cook for 15 minutes; the pears should soften but not fall apart. Drain them gently and set aside.
Now, let’s focus on the plumcake. In a stand mixer (or by hand in a bowl with an electric whisk), beat the eggs with sugar and salt until you get a frothy mixture. Add the sifted flour, cocoa, and baking powder, mixing while gradually incorporating the milk. Finally, add the melted butter in two batches, mixing until the mixture is homogeneous.
Once the batter is ready, pour it into a 12 x 5 inches loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Level it and insert the pears upright, evenly spaced from each other. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 50 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely before removing it from the pan. Serve it dusted with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
It keeps for about a week at room temperature, covered with a glass dome or wrapped in plastic wrap.
