This recipe first appeared in New Zealand Woman’s Weekly.
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Ingredients
Method
1.Preheat oven to 180°C fanbake. Line a 25cm springform tin with baking paper.
2.Cream the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and continue beating for 1-2 minutes.
3.Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Stir half into the creamed mixture. Add the buttermilk, then the remaining dry ingredients.
4.Scrape the batter into the prepared tin. Smooth the top with the back of a wet spoon.
5.Place the pears core-side down to cover the batter. No need to press them in.
6.Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes in the tin before removing to cool further on a wire rack.
7.Make a chocolate drizzle by warming the cream and dark chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water. Whisk until smooth and glossy.
8.When ready to serve, drizzle chocolate over the cake. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.
If you don’t have buttermilk, use regular milk with 3 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar added. Leave to curdle, then use as per recipe.
Note