Chocolate and Spiced Pear Pudding
Photography Manja Wachsmuth.
There isn’t a lot to say about this pudding other than grab your spoon and dig in!
Serves: 8
INGREDIENTS
4 large firm but ripe pears
¼ cup caster sugar
¼ teaspoon ground mixed spice
juice 1 lemon
Sponge
150 grams butter, very soft but not melted
2/3 cup caster sugar
1 cup plain flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
8 cup-capacity baking dish
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Peel, halve and core the pears. Cut each half into 4–5 wedges and place in the baking dish with all the remaining ingredients. Toss to coat the pears in the sugary mixture. Bake until the pears are tender but not falling apart, stirring occasionally.
Sponge: Place all the ingredients except the almonds in a food processor. Process briefly to form a soft batter.
Remove the pears from the oven and dollop the batter over the pears, spreading evenly. Scatter with the almonds and bake for about 18 minutes or until the top is just firm to the touch. It’s better to under-bake the pudding a little so it remains soft and luscious, rather than over-baking and making it dry.
Dust with icing sugar and serve with cream, ice cream or custard.
Keep up to date with
dish weekly recipes,
food news, and events.
Related Content
latest issue:
127
In Dream Escape, we journey from Japan and Morocco to Italy, India and beyond, sharing recipes inspired by travel, heritage and comfort. We celebrate the champions of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, explore the stories and recipes of chefs shaped by their cultural roots, and warm up with everything from West African soups and slow-braised lamb to porchetta, butter chicken and beef noodle soup. Alongside destination menus, Scandinavian sweets and cosy pub classics, Chrisanne Terblanche shares her favourite street-side dining spots in Bangkok, while Yvonne Lorkin explores red wine varietals. This issue, we invite you to slow down, turn the pages and escape through food.