The crumble cake with pears and chocolate is a lactose-free dessert that is very simple to prepare. Unlike classic crumble cakes, such as the crumble with cream and apples, the ricotta and jam crumble, the cherry crumble or tiramisu one, in this recipe I specifically wanted to prepare a lactose-free crumble: in the crust, I replaced butter with oil and in the filling, I used no cream, just lots of delicious fresh fruit and dark chocolate.
Moreover, it is also a very quick dessert to make because the shortcrust pastry does not require resting time, so it can be prepared really in no time.
This crumble cake is a dessert without butter and milk, but equally very delicious and perfect for breakfast or a snack. It can be prepared any time of the year: for the filling, all varieties of pears available throughout the year can be used. I used Coscia pears, the small ones usually found in summer, but any type of pear is fine. Clearly, the riper the fruit, the sweeter and more delightful the crumble filling will be.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 10
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 412.32 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 50.88 (g) of which sugars 18.25 (g)
- Proteins 8.30 (g)
- Fat 20.71 (g) of which saturated 7.34 (g)of which unsaturated 12.15 (g)
- Fibers 4.72 (g)
- Sodium 63.87 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 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 for making the crumble cake with pears and chocolate
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sunflower seed oil
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- lemon zest (grated)
- 1 egg (medium)
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 200 g pears (peeled and cored)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 5 1/2 oz dark chocolate
Tools for making the crumble cake with pears and chocolate
- Bowl
- Cutting Board
- Springform Pan 9.5 inches with removable bottom
- Knife
- Parchment paper
Steps for making the crumble cake with pears and chocolate
Let’s see together how to prepare this delicious crumble cake with pears and chocolate, without butter and milk.
Let’s start by preparing the crust. In a bowl, first put the egg and oil, then the sugar, flour, a pinch of salt, the grated zest of a lemon, and finally, the baking powder. Knead all the ingredients until you get a crumbly mixture.
If you like, you can also use a Bimby or another kitchen robot to prepare the crust: just put all the ingredients in the bowl and work for 20-30 seconds.
Set aside.
Clean the pears and cut them into pieces. Put them in a saucepan with two tablespoons of sugar. If the pears used are not very ripe, I recommend using two heaping tablespoons of sugar. Also, if the pears are not very juicy, before turning on the heat, add 2-3 tablespoons of water: this will prevent the pears from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Cook over low heat for about ten minutes, until all the liquid that forms at the bottom of the pot has almost completely evaporated.
Once ready, turn off the heat and let it cool.
Line a 9-9.5 inch springform pan with parchment paper.
Pour half of the shortcrust pastry on the bottom and compact it with your hands or the back of a spoon, also creating a slight raised edge on the sides.
Pour the now-cold pears into the center, leaving about half an inch from the edges.
Coarsely chop the dark chocolate with a knife until you get chunks. Sprinkle it over the pears, leaving a handful aside.
Finally, put the other half of the crumbled shortcrust over the filling. This time, though, the mixture should not be compacted, but left in crumbs, giving the cake the classic “crumbled” look.
Then sprinkle the rest of the dark chocolate pieces you had set aside on the surface.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 30 minutes. In the last 5-6 minutes of baking, place your crumble cake with pears and chocolate without butter and milk on the bottom part of the oven or leave only the bottom heat of the oven on: this way, the base will also cook perfectly.
When your crumble cake is ready and well browned, take it out of the oven and let it cool completely before removing it from the pan and cutting it.
Storage and Tips
– The crumble cake with pears and chocolate can be stored for 2-3 days in a well-sealed container, but especially if the external temperatures are high, I recommend storing it in the refrigerator to prevent the pears from turning sour.
– If the pears used remain a bit juicy even after cooking, I recommend sprinkling the inside of the shortcrust base with a layer of breadcrumbs or crushed dry biscuits: they will help absorb the moisture from the fruit and prevent the base of the crumble from getting soggy.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I use butter instead of oil in the crumbled shortcrust pastry?
Yes, if you don’t have lactose intolerance issues or if you tolerate lactose-free butter, you can use 100 g of butter instead of 1/3 cup of oil.
Can I use other fruits instead of pears?
Of course, you can replace the pears with apples or strawberries (using the same procedure) or even bananas, cherries, etc. I do not recommend very watery fruits as they could soak the base and make it wet even after baking.
