Pear, Pistachio, Chocolate Chunk Cake
Studded with pistachios, chunks of pears and chocolate, and flecks of orange zest, everything about this cake is plain perfect. This is my go-to Christmas cake to share with family and friends. The flavor combinations are unique and absolutely delightful. I first came across this combination here and then modified the recipe to reduce the fat by substituting half of the butter and some of the egg yolks.
The recipe makes one 9×4” cake or 3 mini cake loaves. I use these mini loaf pans from USA pans.
Pear, Pistachio, Chocolate Chunk Cake
Ingredients
- 150 gms all purpose flour
- 150 gms granulated sugar
- 56 gms unsalted butter (1/2 stick) (at room temperature)
- 94 gms unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 egg (at room temperature)
- 4 egg whites (at room temperature)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 200 gms dark or semi-sweet chocolate chunks
- 1 pear (medium sized)
- 3/4 cup unsalted shelled pistachio kernels
- 1 navel orange
Instructions
- Peel, core, and dice the pear. Chop the pistachios. Zest the orange.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
- Generously grease and flour the baking pans. You can either use one 9×4” loaf pan or three mini loaf pans.
- Put flour, baking powder, sugar, butter, applesauce, eggs, egg whites, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until just combined. Do not over-process. This could also be done by hand.
- Stir in the chopped dark chocolate, pear, pistachio nuts, and the orange zest.
- Transfer the mixture into the prepared pans and bake in the oven for about 50-55 minutes (start checking after 45 minutes), until a skewer inserted in the center withdraws clean.
- Leave in the pan a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.
- Slice thickly and enjoy as is or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or light whipped cream, or a drizzle of salted caramel sauce.
