Chocolate pear cake

225 g butter 200 g brown sugar (1 cup) 4 eggs 300 g dark chocolate 150 g roasted hazelnuts, ground (1 cup) 170 g all-purpose flour (1½ cups) 1 tbsp baking powder 1-2 pears 1 Pinch of salt 1 tsp vanilla extract

For serving

3 tbsp crushed hazelnuts 3-4 scoops vanilla ice cream

Preheat the oven to 170°C and line a 25 cm pan with parchment paper.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat until foamy and golden. Remove from heat. Add the sugar and eggs one at a time, whisking quickly to avoid scrambling.

Stir in the chopped chocolate and vanilla until smooth.

Add flour, baking powder, salt, and hazelnuts (save some for serving). Gently fold in with a spatula.

Pour the batter into the pan and layer the top with thinly sliced pears.

Bake for 40–45 minutes, until a knife comes out almost clean.

Let it rest for 15 minutes before removing from the pan.

Serve with vanilla ice cream and extra crushed hazelnuts.