Chocolate, pear & hazelnut traybake

Name: Chocolate, pear & hazelnut traybake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 16
Ingredients: 200 g Essential Plain Flour; 70 g dark rye flour (or plain flour, if preferred); 2 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 100 g cocoa powder; 200 g light brown soft sugar; 250 g golden caster sugar; 300 g Essential Unsalted Butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing; 300 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), roughly chopped; 3 British Blacktail Free Range Large Eggs; 284 ml Essential Buttermilk; 2 ripe pears (such as Williams), cored and thinly sliced; 50 g blanched hazelnuts, roughly chopped; 2 tbsp demerara sugar (or extra caster sugar); Double cream, to serve (optional)

This moist and fudgy cake is brownie meets sponge; with the addition of juicy pears and crunchy hazelnuts, it makes the perfect autumnal dessert or teatime treat.

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Vegetarian

Serves16
CourseDessert
Prepare20 mins
Cook1 hr
Total time1 hr 20 mins
PlusPreparation time 20 minutes + cooling

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Ingredients

200g Essential Plain Flour
70g dark rye flour (or plain flour, if preferred)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
100g cocoa powder
200g light brown soft sugar
250g golden caster sugar
300g Essential Unsalted Butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing
300g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), roughly chopped
3 British Blacktail Free Range Large Eggs
284ml Essential Buttermilk
2 ripe pears (such as Williams), cored and thinly sliced
50g blanched hazelnuts, roughly chopped
2 tbsp demerara sugar (or extra caster sugar)
Double cream, to serve (optional)

Method

Grease a deep 20x30cm baking tin and line with baking parchment. Preheat the oven to 180ºC, gas mark 4. Put the flours, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cocoa powder, sugars and a good pinch of salt into a large mixing bowl. Mix well. Boil the kettle.
Melt the butter and chocolate together in a large heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, then set aside to cool slightly. Measure 200ml boiling water into a jug.
Beat the eggs and buttermilk into the cooled melted butter and chocolate, followed by the hot water. (It may look like it has split as you beat in the water, but it will come back together.) Gradually beat the wet mixture into the dry, incorporating everything thoroughly.
Scoop into the prepared tin, top with the sliced pear and sprinkle over the hazelnuts and demerara or extra caster sugar. Bake for about 50-60 minutes, until well risen, just firm and caramelised on the top (a skewer inserted into the centre will come out with a few damp crumbs). Cool for about 20 minutes in the tin before lifting to a rack to cool. Enjoy warm or cold with cream drizzled over the top, if liked.

Cook’s tip

If you don’t have pears, apples could be used instead, and throw a few blackberries in for good measure. Pecans, walnuts or almonds could take the place of hazelnuts, too.