This easy pear cake with chocolate chunks is the perfect dessert when you need something quick, delicious and homemade any day of the week. Made with simple baking staples, fresh pears and real dark chocolate, this moist cake comes together with minimal efforts and is perfect for serving with coffee, tea or as an after-dinner treat.
This pear cake with dark chocolate takes me straight back to fall in Eastern Europe, when the pears in everyone's backyard would all ripen at once. We always had so many pears that my mom would store them arranged neatly on top of kitchen towels. It sounds odd, but it actually helped them stay fresh longer, and made it easy to spot which ones were ripe and ready to use. Once they started getting soft, it was time to bake.
We always cooked with what was in season, and I try to do the same living in the USA, even though you can find most fruit year-round here. Simple cakes like this were our thing-plain, simple, and full of flavor.
If you like this one, you might enjoy my other simple cakes too: chocolate snack cake with apricot jam, apple sponge cake, one-layer honey cake, rhubarb sour cream cake, strawberry pound cake, and apricot cake.
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Recipe highlights
- Moderately sweet: the pears will add a natural sweet taste, while the batter remains only moderately sweet with added sugar.
- Rich: A real dark chocolate bar will give the cake a bold, slightly bitter, and rich chocolate taste to contrast the sweet pears
- Easy cake recipe: it is one bowl, one pan, and one layer - does not get easier than this.
Ingredients
This is the ingredients overview and possible substitutions for some of the ingredients. Please, see the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the ingredients' quantities
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour.
- Sugar: I used granulated white sugar for this recipe.
- Eggs: preferably room temperature.
- Yogurt: plain 5% or less Greek yogurt. You can also use sour cream instead.
- Milk: whole or low-fat milk.
- Olive oil: to make the cake moist. You can also use vegetable oil instead.
- Pure vanilla extract: you can also use almond extract instead of vanilla.
- Baking powder: it will make the texture of the cake lighter.
- Salt: for balancing the sweetness.
- Pears: I used Bartlett pears. You can use other types of pears, such as anjou or bosc pears. They should be ripe, but not soft.
- Chocolate: I used an 85% dark chocolate bar. You can also use dark chocolate chunks or chocolate chips instead. Semisweet chocolate also works well, if you do not like dark one.
- Almonds: sliced almonds are optional for the topping. I love how they add extra crunch to the cake.
How to make pear and chocolate cake
I recommend having all the ingredients measured and ready to go on a counter, as this recipe comes together easily and quickly.
Below, I have included the process image for each recipe step described below it.
Step 1. Peel and core the pears. Slice them thinly.
Step 2. Place the chocolate bar on a cutting board and chop it finely or coarsely (the way you prefer) with a sharp knife.
Step 3. Sift flour, fine salt, and baking powder into a separate bowl (not shown on a picture). In a large mixing bowl, add eggs and sugar. Using an electric mixer, mix sugar and eggs on high speed for one minute or until creamy.
Step 4. Add Greek yogurt, milk, olive oil, and vanilla extract to the bowl. Mix it again with on high speed for about 30-40 seconds or until all is well combined.
Step 5. While the mixer is on, slowly add the flour. Once the batter is formed, turn off the mixer.
Step 6. With a help of silicone spatula, fold in all chopped chocolate and half of the sliced pears into the batter.
Step 7. Line a 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Pour the cake mixture into the cake pan.
Step 8. Arrange the remaining pears on top of the cake.
Step 9. Sprinkle the cake with sliced almonds on top.
Step 10. Bake the cake at 350 degrees F for about 40-50 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clear and the pears look golden brown on top. Let the cake cool down for about 10 minutes. Remove it from the pan. You can enjoy it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Once the cake cools down, dust it with some powdered sugar on top before serving.
Quick note: if you want to make this cake even more chocolate, add about 3-4 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder to the batter.
Nataliia's recipe tips
- Select ripe but still firm pears.
- Add sliced almonds for texture and flavor.
- Use a dark chocolate bar for a richer taste.
- Do not overmix the batter with the mixer, as it may result in a dense texture. Mix the ingredients only until well combines.
How to store
First, let the pear and chocolate cake cool down completely at room temperature.
Then, wrap it in plastic wrap tightly and place it in the fridge. It will last in the fridge for about 3-4 days.
You can also freeze it for up to several months. When ready to enjoy, thaw it in the fridge overnight.
Before serving, bring it to room temperature for the best taste and flavor.
Frequently asked questions
You can use any kind of pears that are ripe but firm. The most common types are Barlett or anjou pears.
I recommend using fresh pears. Although the texture and flavor will be different, you can use canned or frozen pears to make this recipe. Ensure you thaw frozen pears and drain the canned ones before baking.
📖 Recipe
Everyday Pear With Chocolate Chunks
Equipment
- 2 large bowls
- 1 electric mixer
- 1 9-inch cake pan1
Ingredients
- 1¾ cup (250 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (170 g) sugar
- 3 eggs preferably room temperature
- ⅔ cup (150 g) Greek plain yogurt, 5 % preferably room temperature
- ¼ cup milk, whole or 2% preferably room temperature
- ¼ cup light extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 4 medium pears
- 1 (85 g) 85% chocolate bar
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- ¼ cup powdered sugar, optional, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper. You can slightly grease the pan with butter or cooking spray so parchment paper stays better in place.
- Peel, quarter, core and slice the pears thinly. Chop the dark chocolate bar with a knife into small pieces.
- In the first large bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt.
- In the second large bowl, add ¾ cup sugar and 3 eggs. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar for about 1-2 minutes or until the mixture becomes thick and one consistency.
- Add ⅔ cup Greek plain yogurt, ¼ cup milk, ¼ cup olive oil and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract to the bowl. Beat it again with the mixer for about 30 seconds or until all well combined.
- Turn the mixer on the lower speed and slowly add there the dry ingredients. Once the batter is formed, turn off the mixer.
- With as silicone spatula, fold in half of the sliced pears and all the chocolate chunks.
- Pour the cake batter into prepared pan. Place the remaining pear slices on top, arranging them in circles. Sprinkle with sliced almonds on top.
- Bake the cake for about 40-50 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean and the cake is golden brown on top. Let it cool down slightly before removing from the pan. Right before serving, dust it with powdered sugar.
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