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Chocolate, pear and chilli cake

Chocolate, pear and chilli cake

Yields 1 Servings
occasions
Dessert
dairy ingredients
Butter
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Chocolate, pear and chilli cake

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients checklist for crumble

DIRECTIONS

1
Peel, quarter and core the pears, then thinly slice across. Toss these in a large bowl with a couple of tablespoons of the sugar and the lemon juice and set aside for 10 minutes.
2
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas mark 6 and butter a 20cm cake tin with sides 7cm deep and a removable base. Whisk the oil, eggs and orange juice in a large bowl with the Tabasco to taste, and any juices given out by the pears.
3
Whisk in the remaining sugar. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder together and whisk into the mixture, then stir in the pears and chocolate chips. Transfer the mixture to the cake tin.
4
Put the ingredients for the crumble in the bowl of a food processor and whizz until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Scatter this over the surface of the cake and bake for 50–60 minutes until golden and risen, and a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean or with no more than a smear of chocolate on it. Run a knife around the edge and leave to cool. Serve the cake with a teaspoon of the chilli syrup (below), if wished.

Ingredients checklist for crumble

5
1 medium–hot red chilli, core and seeds discarded, cut into fine 1–2cm lengths.

50ml smooth orange juice
50g caster sugar

If using, put all the ingredients into a small saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer over a very low heat for 5 minutes. Transfer this to a bowl and leave to cool.

SOURCE OF VIT E Energy 476 Kcal | Fat 24.8g | Sat fat 8.1g | Carbs 56.4g | Sugar 35.4g | Protein 5g | Salt 0.5g

Cakes are inclined to fall into an all-or-nothing scenario when it comes to dairy, either
insanely rich and buttery or fiercely right on and made with grated vegetables and oil. So I wanted a truce between the warring factions, and here the sponge takes its cue from a carrot-style cake, with just a little buttery crumble scattered over. But the real treat is the chilli that spars masterfully with the chocolate, courtesy of a dribble of Tabasco. Should you want to shout about it, then the chilli syrup provides added pep.

Ingredients Checklist

Ingredients checklist for crumble

Instructions

1
Peel, quarter and core the pears, then thinly slice across. Toss these in a large bowl with a couple of tablespoons of the sugar and the lemon juice and set aside for 10 minutes.
2
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas mark 6 and butter a 20cm cake tin with sides 7cm deep and a removable base. Whisk the oil, eggs and orange juice in a large bowl with the Tabasco to taste, and any juices given out by the pears.
3
Whisk in the remaining sugar. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder together and whisk into the mixture, then stir in the pears and chocolate chips. Transfer the mixture to the cake tin.
4
Put the ingredients for the crumble in the bowl of a food processor and whizz until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Scatter this over the surface of the cake and bake for 50–60 minutes until golden and risen, and a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean or with no more than a smear of chocolate on it. Run a knife around the edge and leave to cool. Serve the cake with a teaspoon of the chilli syrup (below), if wished.

Chilli Syrup (Optional)

1
1 medium–hot red chilli, core and seeds discarded, cut into fine 1–2cm lengths.

50ml smooth orange juice
50g caster sugar

If using, put all the ingredients into a small saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer over a very low heat for 5 minutes. Transfer this to a bowl and leave to cool.

SOURCE OF VIT E Energy 476 Kcal | Fat 24.8g | Sat fat 8.1g | Carbs 56.4g | Sugar 35.4g | Protein 5g | Salt 0.5g
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