Pear Cake

Pear Cake

Celebrating the blog's 4th anniversary today, the "Test Kitchen" got busy mentoring and teaching this morning. This is a pear and chocolate cake that was much appreciated. We also made one without chocolate but included lots of poached pears in it. Brushed lightly with an apple jelly mixed with rum, it was delicious.

Pear and almond cake served with a saffron creme anglaise

It will make two round 8-inch pans, buttered and floured.

5 oz salted butter
1 1/4 cup sugar

4 eggs at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla

dry ingredients, sifted and mixed together in a bowl

1 1/2 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
1/3 cup sifted flour
1 cup grated almonds, blanched and peeled

3 ripe pears, peeled and sliced

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla essence. Now lower the speed or fold gently with your hand the dry ingredients until just incorporated. Do not overwork. 

Cake #1

Spoon half of the mixture into one pan and top it with 2 pears that have been sliced and baked.

Tips

You can poach the pears if you desire.

To poach, bring a cup of red wine to a boil. Reduce the heat and immerse the pear halves for 3 minutes, turning them over until they turn a pretty pink. Then remove, cool, and slice the cake. Once baked, while still warm, brush the cake with some apple jelly glaze or apricot glaze and a bit of rum to finish it off.

 

Cake # 2

Fold into the batter, 1 peeled diced pear and 2 oz chopped dark chocolate.

Then spoon into the prepared second pan and bake. Bake both at the same time for 35 minutes at 

175 C|325 F  degrees.

Tips

Shaving a bit of dark chocolate on the cake while still warm shows well.

My published cookbooks are available for sale through myself and on Amazon.

The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders is a 3 award winning book. It has been self published in July 2019 and will be going into its second print in 2022. 

The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine was published in 2016 by Austin Macauley and continues to be available through amazon book depot book depository and from the publishers.

Photo courtesy Niloufer Mavalvala

Chocolate Cake which is a Dream

Chocolate Dream Cake

Here is something one can relate to as' Death By Chocolate'. It is dense, terribly chocolaty, and a chocoholic's dream cake. Use your favourite kind of chocolate to ensure its success. I like dark chocolate best and generally use at least 50% cocoa content. If you want to recreate this old-fashioned decadent dessert that has always been loved by both young and old, I recommend using dark chocolate rather than milk chocolate.

Eating it at room temperature is best, but again, a personal preference. There are many who prefer it chilled. I am guessing you will want to try that out for yourself.

Made this last month for our foodie group called PER

Prepare two 33 cm/ 10-nch round pans with parchment and butter.
Preheat the oven to 160 C| 325 F

Cake
200 g/7 oz butter
200 g/7 oz dark chocolate
9 large egg yolks
1 cup fine white sugar
6 large egg whites

Ganache` icing

1 cup cream
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp sugar
375 g/ 12 oz dark chocolate

In a pan over the lowest heat, melt the butter and chocolate together. It should not boil. Keep aside 

In a large metal bowl, whip the egg yolks and sugar for approximately 8 minutes, until light in colour and it leaves ribbon like trails. 

In another large bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. 

Prepare to incorporate the 3 parts of the cake. Pour the melted chocolate into the egg yolks. 
Once it is all mixed in, start folding the egg whites into thirds. Start with 1/3rd. Gently and lightly fold them into the egg yolk and chocolate mixture. Repeat with the remaining 
Pour into the prepared pans. 
Bake in the oven for 22 minutes. Test the cake in the centre of the cake with a skewer before removing it. It should be clean. 

While the cake is baking, prepare the ganache. 
In a pan heat together the cream, butter and sugar until just warm. Do not allow it to boil. 
Add the pieces of chocolate to it. Cover. Turn the stove off and leave it to melt for 10 minutes. 
Mix lightly, just until smooth. Allow it to cool until it is thick yet soft enough to apply to the cakes. 

Once the cakes are cooled, Loosen the sides, overturn the cake on a cake plate, and pour 1/3rd of the ganache over the cake. Place the second cake over the ganache and continue to ice the cake with the remaining chocolate ganache. 

Refrigerate if the cake is for the next day. Remove from the oven for at least an hour or two before serving.
The cake will be dense yet soft to eat.

Tips

Eggs should be at room temperature for best results. 

Egg whites must be clean as a whistle. Even a drop of egg yolk will not allow them to beat well. The bowl and the beaters must be clean for success. 

If your sugar is slightly larger, run it through a grinder you may have. 

If you are unsure of putting the chocolate on a stove, put it on a pot of boiling water and allow it to melt with the ''steam''. First reduce the heat to a simmer, then place the pan of chocolate over it. Do not allow the pan with the chocolate to touch the water. Remember, we need to allow the steam to rise. 

This cake is dense and rich. One can only eat little slivers. Although this cake will make 10 generous slices, more or less can be eaten from it depending on the age group. 
A bowl of fresh berries, whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, and a cup of coffee go well with it. 

I often like to add a few drops of cognac or rum to my chocolate ganache. 
It cuts the sweetness and enhances the chocolate flavour. 
Add this after it has all melted and before you allow it to cool and turn into the right consistency to become a ganache.

My published cookbooks are available for sale through myself and on Amazon.

The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders is a 3 award winning book. It has been self published in July 2019 and will be going into its second print in 2022. 

The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine was published in 2016 by Austin Macauley and continues to be available through amazon book depot book depository and from the publishers.

Readers Comments
11th October 2017

Dilnavaz Shroff Congratulations Niloufer! Terrific milestone! For me there is an obvious choice of my favorite....the absolutely yummy, moth watering chocolate cake you made especially for us! Kudos!

Chocolate log

Chocolate Chili Rocky Road is a simple yet impressive dessert. Perfect to take along as a gift for a friend to your next dinner party; It can be made days ahead. What I enjoy most is the option of adding your personal favourite nut, chocolate, and biscuit! Pick the best dark chocolate you enjoy, yes you may use your favourite milk chocolate too. 
The Marzipan adds to the luxurious feel. The Chili is such a huge burst of flavour to the palate, don't frighten yourself off before having tried it out once. The pistachios give it sweetness and a punch of green and perhaps the best substitute for these are Macadamia nuts. A delicious, fun to prepare family recipe.

Serves 12 persons.

Ingredients


300 gm  broken ginger biscuits
200 gm  broken walnuts
200 gm chopped pistachio
1/2 cup  pickled sweet and slightly hot red round peppers 
200 gm marzipan in small pieces

600 gm dark chocolate
8 oz salted butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
2 tbsp cognac 

In a bowl toss together  the biscuits, walnuts, pistachios, peppers and marzipan 

Melt over simmering water the dark chocolate, butter golden syrup and cognac

Spoon the dry ingredients into the melted chocolate mixture.

Prepare a loaf pan approximately  22cm x 12cm or 9x5 inches by lining it with a overlarge piece of cling film that should be falling over the sides.

Pour into the prepared loaf pan. Put it into the fridge and allow it to solidify. Then close the cling film and leave to store.

Tips
Dried cranberries or tart cherries can be substituted for the pickled peppers.
Rum can be substituted for cognac.
Corn syrup can be substituted for golden syrup.
Crisp sweet butter biscuits are easily interchangable for ginger biscuits.
Can be frozen for up to 1 month.

For wonderful Parsi Food recipes click The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine.

 For more amazing recipes try
Niloufer's Kitchen French Bistro
or
Niloufer's Kitchen Spanish Tapas

Readers Comments
11th October 2017
Aniheeta K. Cooper I love love the chocolate log...I've made it twice and received compliments for the same. I added candied ginger chopped finely to it with dried cranberries instead of the chilli pepper rounds...