Chili Chocolate Pear Upside Down Cake

Posted on by BethMichelle on November 14th, 2011 | 54 Comments »

It has been a while since I have posted anything new and I have been meaning to get on the computer, sit down and write something new, post about my trip to Berlin and the amazing food I ate there. However, sometimes life gets in the way of doing things you want to do. Life and laryngitis. Now, finally after a 2 week hiatus I am back and so excited to resume regular blog posts!

Fall is arriving in Be’er Sheva and though it is way behind most of the world, it could not be more welcomed. The days feel more like spring than fall but, my rimon tree is starting to loose its leaves which makes me nostalgic for New York autumn. Nights are cool enough for sweat shirts and days are getting shorter. I have been buying pumpkin, butternut squash and pears by the kilos, and recently stocked up on chestnuts that are sitting in the pantry waiting to be roasted.

This recipe stemmed from my husbands declaration of love for pears (which before this I had not known existed) in which he boldly asked “Why don’t you ever buy me pears?”. I bought so many that they weren’t consumed fast enough and I was left with a fruit drawer filled with the lovely fruit about to go bad.

I found this recipe on epicurious.com which is from Rustic Fruit Desserts: Crumble, Buckles, Cobblers, Pandowdies, and More. Pears and chocolate make for a wonderful combination (as do most fruits and chocolate) along with that and the mouthwatering photo of this cake, it wasn’t long before I was making it to serve to friends for dessert.

I adapted the recipe slightly and added chili powder which gave the cake an extra layer of depth. It was an easy cake to make and a big hit. I served it with whipped cream but dont be shy to top it with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Rustic, elegant, beautiful and delicious this chili chocolate pear upside down cake is sure to be a big hit.

Ingredients:

For Pear Topping:

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
3 pears, peeled, cored and sliced
2 teaspoons chili powder

For Cake:

1/4 cup butter
6 ounces dark chocolate chips
1 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons chili powder
pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9 inch cake pan, set aside.
To make the pear topping, combine sugar, water and butter in a saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar is disolved.
Bring mixture to a boil, then cover and cook for 3 minutes.
Uncover pot saucepan and continue to simmer, gently swirling the pan as needed until the mixture turns an amber color.
Carefully pour the sugar mixture into prepared cake pan and set aside to harden.
Toss pear slices with chili powder and set aside.
To make the cake, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and chili powder in a bowl and set aside.
Combine the butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat and melt, stirring occasionally.
Transfer melted chocolate to a mixing bowl and beat in sugar using an electric mixture.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Stir in the flour mixture and the buttermilk in additions, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
Arrange pear slices on the top of the hardened sugar in the cake pan.
Pour cake batter over pears and bake for 40-45 minutes or until cake springs bake slightly when touched.
Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then carefully invert cake onto a plate.
Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Beth Michelle

Chili Chocolate Pear Upside Down Cake

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