Gâteau aux poires et chocolat – pear and chocolate cake Recipe
This moist French cake combines tender pears and chunks of chocolate in one simple bake. In France, cakes like this often appear as a “gâteau du dimanche” – a Sunday cake for coffee, baked without any special occasion. The flavour is reminiscent of a mix between brownie and apple pie, just in a pear version.
A simple French-style everyday cake that feels a bit like a cross between brownie and fruit pie, with juicy pears and pockets of melted chocolate in a moist crumb.
Chef's tips
Do not overmix the batter after adding the flour – this is key to keeping the cake soft and tender. If your pears are very ripe and juicy, you can lightly pat them dry with a paper towel before adding to the batter so the cake doesn’t become too wet in the centre.
How to serve
Serve slightly warm so the chocolate is still a bit soft, with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a more dessert-like version. It also makes a great simple cake to bring to a coffee gathering or potluck.
Ingredients
- pears - 3 piece
- chocolate - 120 g
- wheat flour - 180 g
- sugar - 120 g
- butter - 100 g
- egg - 3 piece
- baking powder - 8 g
- milk - 60 ml
- vanilla - 5 ml
- salt - 1 pinch
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (top and bottom heat). Line a cake tin about 22–24 cm in diameter with baking paper or grease with butter and dust with flour.
- Peel the pears, cut into quarters, remove the cores, then cut into cubes of about 1.5 cm. Chop the chocolate with a knife into smaller pieces if you’re not using ready-made chips.
- In a bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar using a mixer for 3–4 minutes, until the mixture becomes paler and slightly fluffy.
- Add the melted, cooled butter, milk and vanilla, and briefly mix to combine.
- Mix the flour with the baking powder and a pinch of salt. Add to the wet ingredients and gently fold with a spatula or mix on the lowest speed only until combined, so the cake doesn’t turn out too dense.
- Add the chopped pears and 2/3 of the chopped chocolate, and gently mix with a spoon so they are evenly distributed in the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate.
- Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the top is golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out dry or with a few moist crumbs (but no raw batter). Let the cake cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
Storage
Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 1–2 days, or in the fridge if your kitchen is very warm. You can gently reheat slices in a low oven to refresh them.
This is the kind of unfussy French cake that feels at home on any table – quick to put together, forgiving, and always appreciated with a cup of coffee or tea.
