Chocolate Pear Torte

Serves 6-8

For the pears

60g / 2oz caster sugar

Peel of ½ orange

3 dessert pears, peeled, cored and quartered

 

For the torte

300g / 10 ½ oz dark chocolate, roughly chopped

250g / 9oz unsalted butter

4 large eggs, separated

100g / 3 ½ oz caster sugar

200g / 7oz ground almonds

Pinch of sea salt

1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

 

Lightly grease and base line a 25cm / 10inch springform cake tin.  Put 250ml / 9fl oz water in a saucepan with the sugar and orange peel and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Add the pars, cover with a lid and simmer gently for 5-10 minutes until just cooked.  Remove the pears with a slotted spoon and leave to cool.  Continue to simmer the poaching liquid until its reduced to a thick syrup, then set aside to cool.  Preheat the oven to 180C / Fan 160C / Gas 4

 

To make the torte, melt the butter in a saucepan over a very low heat, add the chopped chocolate and turn the heat off – let the chocolate melt in the hot butter.  Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy, then using a metal spoon fold in almonds, salt and vanilla.

 

In another bowl whisk the egg whites to soft peaks and carefully fold in along with the chocolate and butter mixture.  Spoon into the tin, rounded side up in a circular shape into the cake batter.  Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the cake is beginning to shrink from the side of the tin.

 

Cool and then chill for 2 hours.  Brush with some of the reserved pear juice before slicing and serving.

 

To get ahead: The torte can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in the fridge.

 

To freeze: The torte can be frozen up to 1 month ahead.