Dark Chocolate & Pear Cake

Recipe by Pamella Higgins Looking for a way to impress that special someone? Or maybe that special someone is you, and you just want to treat yourself to a nice, warm sweet dish? Look no further, this Dark Chocolate & Pear Cake is the perfect guilt-free treat!

Ingredients:

For the pears -

• 3-4 pears, peeled, cored and quartered

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil

• 1 teaspoon Natvia 100% Natural Sweetener

For the chocolate cake -

• 100g sugar-free dark chocolate, broken up into pieces

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

• 2 eggs

• 50g Natvia 100% Natural Sweetener

• 75ml almond milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 tablespoons cacao or cocoa powder

• 75g plain flour (use gluten-free)

• 25g ground almonds or almond flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Get baking!

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and grease and line a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin.

2. First, prepare the pears: Heat the coconut oil and Natvia in a frying pan then add the pear quarters and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, to soften and caramelise. Set aside.

3. Now onto the cake: Gently melt the dark chocolate pieces and coconut oil then set aside for 5 minutes.

4. Whisk the eggs and Natvia together until increased in volume and frothy, then pour in the melted chocolate along with the almond milk and vanilla. Continue to whisk for 2 minutes.

5. Add the cacao or cocoa powder, flour, ground almonds/almond flour and baking powder and whisk for a further 1 minute until combined.

6. Pour the cake batter into the tin and smooth out. Arrange the pears on top in a pattern (you might have some leftover - save them to serve with the cake!), then place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until risen and cooked through.

7. Leave to cool then turn out onto a wire rack. Drizzle with melted dark chocolate, then slice up and serve.

Keep any remaining slices of cake in an airtight container for up to 2 days.