Chocolate Pear Hazelnut Cake

A simple, not too sweet, chocolatey cake, perfect for breakfast or with an afternoon coffee, this Chocolate Pear Hazelnut Cake is perfect for fall.

How do you make a moist chocolate cake?

I won’t lie, I made this cake upwards of 6 times because it was dry, and if there’s one thing I won’t do, it’s give you a dry cake. The key to keeping this chocolate cake moist is adding sour cream into the cake batter and ensuring that you don’t over bake the cake. If you don’t have access to sour cream anything from full fat yogurt to quark will work.

What pears should I use in this cake?

I love using Bartlett pears for this recipe because they keep their shape, are sweet but still have flavor! That being said if you only have a different pear, use that!

What can you use instead of hazelnut flour?

Instead of hazelnut flour for the actual cake, you can use almond flour! You can also top the cake with sliced almonds if hazelnuts aren’t your thing. If you would rather make a nut free cake, refer to this chocolate pear cake.

Tips for making a chocolate pear hazelnut cake

• It’s super important that the ingredients are all at room temperature so that they incorporate smoothly and air can be whipped into them.
• If you’re in a hurry and your eggs are cold, place them in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes first.
• Technically any cocoa powder will work for this cake but I recommend this blended cocoa powder from Saco Pantry is my go-to and has been or years. It gives you the benefits of both dutch processed and natural cocoa in one – not to mention it’s delicious chocolatey flavor.
• I baked this cake in a 9″ springform pan but a light colored metal round cake pan will work too! Dark pans tend to cause the cake to darken too quickly.
• Triple check that your pan is the correct size and that your baking soda and baking powder haven’t expired!
• The hazelnut flour can easily be replaced with almond flour and the chopped hazelnuts can be replaced with sliced almonds!
• If not using the non stick pan linked above, use a baking spray with flour in it to spray the bottom of your cake pan. Try not to spray the sides as it can make the cake rise oddly. Alternatively, grease the pan with soft butter and line the bottom with a round sheet of parchment paper.
• Cover as much of the surface of the cake with the sliced pears, this will prevent the cake from puffing too much and swallowing the pears.
• Testing to see if this cake is done can be tricky because of the pears. Try to find a spot, not in the middle but halfway between the middle and the edge where the cake is exposed and poke a toothpick in it. If it comes out clean or with just crumbs attached, you’re good. If you still have gooey batter, continue baking in 5 minute increments.

Additional Recipes to try!

• Chocolate Pear Cake
• Chocolate Hazelnut Tart
• Hot Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Pear Hazelnut Cake Ingredients

• Butter: This cake uses soft unsalted butter in the cake batter. If you plan to use salted butter, only add a pinch of salt to the cake batter.
• Sugar: This cake uses white granulated sugar in the batter. Do not replace with any brown sugars, trust me, I’ve tried. I also like to dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar!
• Salt: A little bit of salt enhances the flavors and balances out the sweetness.
• Vanilla Extract: Vanilla enhances the flavors of the cake.
• Almond Extract: I like adding a little almond extract into the cake batter just to enhance the nutty flavor.
• Espresso powder: Espresso powder enhances the chocolate flavor in the chocolate cake but it isn’t a deal breaker if you can’t get your hands on it.
• Eggs: I use standard large eggs from the store. Just make sure they are at room temperature so that they mix smoothly into the butter and sugar mixture.
• Hazelnut Flour: I usually find this at whole foods but whole almond flour works great too!
• Cocoa Powder: Dutch processed or natural cocoa powder will work for the cake batter but I prefer to use this blended cocoa powder from Saco Pantry.
• Sour Cream: The key to keeping this cake moist is the addition of sour cream. Full fat yogurt or quark will work too!
• All Purpose Flour: Any all purpose flour will work for this cake! I have not yet tried any other flours with this recipe.
• Baking Powder: Baking powder is key to getting a rise out of this cake so make sure it isn’t expired! You can also check it by adding a bit of water to a little baking powder, it should bubble and fizz when they mix.
• Baking Soda: A tiny bit of baking soda reacts with the sour cream, creating a soft and tender texture in the cake.
• Pears: I like using bartlett pears on top of this cake because they keep their shape and flavor once baked.
• Hazelnuts: Toasted and chopped hazelnuts add texture and flavor to the top of the cake.

How to make a Chocolate Pear Hazelnut Cake?

• Preheat the oven to 350 F and place a rack in the middle of the oven.

Prep the Pears & hazelnuts

• Rinse the pears. Cut in half lengthwise and then lengthwise again.
• Use a spoon, starting at the top of each quarter and carefully remove the core, scooping deeper where the seeds are and then coming back up at the bottom.
• Slice the quarters into 1/4″ slices and set aside. I usually end up needing 1 full pear and 3/4 of another.
• Roughly chop the hazelnuts for the top and set aside.

Chocolate cake batter

• In a medium bowl, beat together the softened butter, sugar, salt, espresso powder, almond extract, and vanilla extract until smooth, light and fluffy. You really gotta whip it so feel free to use an electric mixer. The whole mixture should lighten in color!
• Whisk in the eggs, one at a time. Ensure each egg has been fully mixed in before adding the next.
• Pour in the hazelnut flour and sift in the cocoa powder, beat again.
• Spoon in the sour cream, and mix until just combined
• Lastly, pour in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
• Mix once more until combined and smooth.
• If not using this pan, spray the cake pan with your baking spray or grease and line with parchment paper.
• Pour the chocolate cake batter into the prepared cake pan.
• Tap the cake on the counter until the top is level.
• Fan each quarter set of thinly sliced pears over the top of the cake, cover as much of the surface as possible.
• Sprinkle the roughly chopped hazelnuts on top.

Bake

• Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, rotate the cake 180 degrees and bake for another 20ish minutes.
• When the cake is finished baking, check it by sticking a toothpick into an exposed portion of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, or just with crumbs, the cake is fully baked.
• Remove the cake from the oven and leave it to cool for 10 minutes before removing the spring form.
• After 10 minutes, remove the springform.
• Dust the top with powdered sugar and enjoy warm or at room temperature. Optionally serve with a lightly sweetened soft whipped cream.

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