Edited 19/04/2010
A family gathering for Easter was the perfect excuse to bake a cake. This dark chocolate, pear and pistachio cake recipe has been adapted came from the April 2010, Australian Gourmet Traveller's Chef's Recipes - originally supposedly originating from Tartine in Armadale, Melbourne. According to the FiFi Report 042, it was first published in Vogue Entertaining 2001. This moist delicious cake has a wonderful texture. The sweet pears, the fragrant pistachio nuts, along with the dark chocolate, and luscious velvety ganache make this cake simply irresistible.
Ingredients
200 grams good quality dark chocolate, chopped
70 grams (3/4 cup) pistachio nuts (plus extra for garnish)
150 grams unsalted butter, softened
150 grams caster sugar
3 X 60 gram eggs
150 grams plain (all purpose) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 firm ripe pear( peeled, cored and diced)
For the chocolate ganache:
150 good quality dark chocolate, chopped
150 ml pure cream (pouring cream)
Directions
Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan forced). Grease a 22 cm springform cake tin and line with baking paper.
In a food processor, grind the chocolate and pistachio nuts to a coarse crumb (don't make it too fine). Set aside.
In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until well combined. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Stir into the creamed mixture.
Stir in the chocolate and pistachio crumbs, then the diced pear. Pour into the prepared cake tin.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until skewer inserted coes out clean.
Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn onto cake rack to cool to room temperature.
For the ganache, combine chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir with a metal spoon until smooth. Remove the bowl from heat and set aside to cool, stirring occasionally, until the ganache is thick and spreadable. Smooth the ganache over the top of the cake and let it drizzle over the sides. Garnish with the extra chopped pistachio nuts. The cake will keep for 3 days in an airtight container.
200 grams good quality dark chocolate, chopped
70 grams (3/4 cup) pistachio nuts (plus extra for garnish)
150 grams unsalted butter, softened
150 grams caster sugar
3 X 60 gram eggs
150 grams plain (all purpose) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 firm ripe pear( peeled, cored and diced)
For the chocolate ganache:
150 good quality dark chocolate, chopped
150 ml pure cream (pouring cream)
Directions
Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan forced). Grease a 22 cm springform cake tin and line with baking paper.
In a food processor, grind the chocolate and pistachio nuts to a coarse crumb (don't make it too fine). Set aside.
In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until well combined. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Stir into the creamed mixture.
Stir in the chocolate and pistachio crumbs, then the diced pear. Pour into the prepared cake tin.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until skewer inserted coes out clean.
Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn onto cake rack to cool to room temperature.
For the ganache, combine chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir with a metal spoon until smooth. Remove the bowl from heat and set aside to cool, stirring occasionally, until the ganache is thick and spreadable. Smooth the ganache over the top of the cake and let it drizzle over the sides. Garnish with the extra chopped pistachio nuts. The cake will keep for 3 days in an airtight container.
