Better Homes and Gardens/December 2006

Chocolate-Pear Spice Cake
Servings Preparation Time Cooking Time Temperature Notes Calories Saturated Fat Fat Sodium Carbohydrates Protein Cholesterol
12 40 minutes Bake: 1 hour Cool: 10 minutes Stand: 45 minutes 350 F. Prepare, bake, and cool cake. Wrap tightly with foil and store at room temperatue for up to 24 hours or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen cake and serve at room temperature.


INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2/3 cup butter, softened 1 cup sugar 3 tablespoons molasses
2 eggs 1-1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce 1 tablespoon finely shredded orange peel
1 small Bosc pear, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced 2 ounces bittersweet and/or milk chocolate, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, hazelnuts (filberts), or pecans
whipped cream (optional) pear chips (optional)



1 Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan; set aside.
2 In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, nutmeg, and cloves.
3 In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, and molasses with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined after each addition. Beat in flour mixture alternately with applesauce, starting and ending with flour mixture. Stir in orange peel.
4 Spoon batter into the prepared pan. Arrange pear slices in a layer on top of the batter. Sprinkle with chocolate and nuts. Bake about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
5 Remove sides of pan. Let stand about 45 minutes and serve warm or cool completely. If desired, serve with whipped cream and Pear Chips.
6 PEAR CHIPS: Using a mandoline, very thinly slice a cored small Bosc pear. Place pear slice on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a 300F oven for 20 the 25 minutes or until golden and crisp, turning once. Store in an airtight container and chill for up to 2 days.

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