Pear and Bittersweet Chocolate Cake

I feel bad. I feel really awful that I made this cake so long ago, and haven't shared it with you yet. It's that good. It's just the right balance of fluffy and dense, it's sweet, but not too sweet, it uses both fresh fruit and chocolate...basically heaven.

This pear and bittersweet chocolate cake is a way to take some pretty simple ingredients, and turn them into something extraordinary. One of the keys to this recipe is having the eggs and room temperature - since that will help them attain the volume they need.

What is really great about this cake, is that despite having chunks of fruit, it holds up surprisingly well over several days. Not that it will last that long.
Although you just dump the chunks of pear and chocolate on top of the cake, the whole thing somehow miraculously rises up to encase them until they've all but disappeared when the cake is finished. Until you cut inside that is.
Now I'm getting hungry. I think I'll have to flag this one for another rotation.

Tip of the Day: If you chop up your own chocolate, chop it relatively fine - certainly no bigger than the chunks of pear - nothing you wouldn't want to bite into. .

Recipe: (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
3 eggs, at room-temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine, melted but still warm
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 - 3 pears, peeled and diced
3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks

Beat the eggs on high until pale and very thick - about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the sugar and beat for another 2 to 3 minutes.
Turn the mixer down to low and add in 1/3 of the flour, then half the butter, then another 1/3 of the flour, the rest of the butter, and the rest of the flour plus baking powder and salt.
As soon as everything is added, turn the mixer off.
Scrape the batter into a greased and floured 9-inch springform pan.
Sprinkle the chunks of pear and chocolate on top.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes at 350 F, or until the cake tests done.