Ingredients
- 225g butter, softened
- 300g dark brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp of vanilla
- 150g dark chocolate, melted
- 250g self-raising flour
- 100g toasted hazelnuts (50g crushed and 50g roughly crumbled for the top)
- 1 tsp of baking powder
- 225ml of boiling water
- 3 British pears
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
- Melt the chocolate and put to one side to cool.
- Cream together the butter and sugar and then beat in the eggs and vanilla.
- Gently mix in the melted chocolate.
- Sieve in the flour and baking powder and fold in with the crushed hazelnuts.
- Add the water and mix to combine.
- Line a cake tin with baking paper or a cake tin liner.
- Peel and halve the pears longways, carefully use a sharp knife to remove the core and to slice off the bottom, so the halved pear will stand up.
- Stand the pear halves in the lined cake tin.
- Spoon in the cake mixture, smooth gently to level and fill the gaps around the pears.
- Sprinkle the remaining hazelnuts on top.
- Stand on a baking tray and put into the middle of the preheated oven.
- Bake for 40 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 160 degrees and bake for a further 10-15 minutes or until the cake is stable and a knife comes out clean.
- Then indulge in a slice with family and friends.