December
KQED Kitchen, hosted by Kim Goodfriend, brings you
seasonal dessert recipes that you can follow
step by step through online slideshows.
This month, Kim prepares a bittersweet chocolate cake with oven-roasted pears, a seasonal dessert for December.
A deep, dark, moist yet dense chocolate cake is topped with warm and fragrant pears in this decadent holiday dessert. It's extremely versatile too; you can serve this dessert for an elegant dinner party or a cozy family supper. If you don't have a lot of time, make the pears and serve them atop a good-quality chocolate pound cake from your favorite bakery. Or just serve the pears alone, topped with crème fraiche, a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, or a dollop of whipped cream. However you serve it, you are in for a warm winter treat.
Bittersweet Chocolate Cake with Oven-Roasted Pears Slideshow
5 ounces good-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large whole eggs
1/2 cup sour cream or plain, whole yogurt
1 cup hot water
For the pears:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise and scraped
6 pears, such as Bartlett, Bosc, or Anjou, peeled, halved, and cored
Juice of 1/2 lemon, strained
Juice of 1 orange, strained
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons brandy
For the crème fraiche:
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons buttermilk
Preparation:
To make the crème fraiche, mix the heavy cream and buttermilk in a plastic container, cover partially, and let sit at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours, stirring every so often. Then refrigerate. Use within 4-5 days.
Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan. Preheat the oven to 375º F.
To make the cake, sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl.
Melt the chocolate and 4 tablespoons of the butter in a medium bowl set over a saucepan with barely simmering water. Make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir the chocolate-butter mixture until melted and smooth. Remove the bowl from over the saucepan and set aside to cool slightly.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the sugar and remaining butter on medium speed until the mixture looks like wet sand. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the bowl a couple of times to make sure all of the ingredients are incorporated. Beat the mixture until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add the sour cream and mix until incorporated. Add the melted chocolate and beat until incorporated. With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, ½ of the hot water, then 1/3 of the flour mixture, the remaining water, and end with the flour mixture. Beat until just mixed together. The batter will be slightly lumpy.
Immediately pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Place the springform pan on a baking sheet and bake for about 75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out only slightly damp. Do not overbake.
Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for about 15 minutes. Release the sides of the pan and using an offset or icing spatula, slide the cake from the bottom of the pan onto the cooling rack. Let cool while you prepare the pears.
To make the pears, melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Mix in the vanilla bean pod and scrapings. Set aside.
Place the pear halves in a large mixing bowl and toss with the lemon and orange juice. Set aside.
Remove the vanilla bean pod from the butter and stir in the brown sugar and brandy. Pour the butter mixture over the pear halves and toss gently to mix. Place the pears in a glass baking dish large enough to hold the 12 pear halves, and pour the remaining juices in the mixing bowl over the pears. Bake the pears until just tender, about 20 minutes. Baste the pears occasionally while they are baking.
Remove the pears from the baking dish with a slotted spoon and return the pan with the pear juices to the oven. Cook the liquid down until it is slightly syrupy, about 15 minutes.
To assemble, spoon 2-3 tablespoons of crème fraiche onto a serving plate. Top with a slice of the warm chocolate cake. Slice a pear half, leaving the top held together. Place a pear half on top of the cake, fanning the slices. Drizzle the pear with the pear juices and serve immediately.
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