Chocolate Pear & Sponge Cake

Tue, 18 February 2020

INGREDIENTS

Sponge Cake:
6 large eggs
6oz/175g caster sugar
6oz/175g self raising flour
1oz/25g cocoa powder

Garnish & Filling:
Whipped Cream
1 tin pears-chopped into small pieces
Icing sugar
Grated chocolate

METHOD

1) Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4
2) Grease three 8inch/20cm round, deep sandwich tins with melted butter and base line them with a round disc of parchment paper.
3) Whisk the eggs and the sugar together in a large mixing bowl with an electric whisk for 4-5 minutes or until the mixture is very well volumised and it holds the figure of 8 when written by the whisk. This is known as the ribbon stage.
4) Sift the flour and cocoa powder together
5) Gently fold in sifted flour and cocoa powder-being careful not to over mix and knock the air out of the mixture.
6) Pour mixture into the prepared tins and bake for up approximately 20 minutes
7) When cooked the mixture should be springy and coming away from the side of the tins.
8) Invert the cakes onto a wire rack.
9) Allow to cool and then fill with the whipped cream and the diced pears
10) Transfer to a nice serving platter and dust generously with icing sugar.
11) Garnish as desired with a little fruit and/or grated chocolate

Additional Notes:
Sometimes I use the juice from the tin of pears to moisten the sponge.