A deliciously easy pear and chocolate cake

Thank Melanie Johnson for this delicious cake recipe – just pop the ingredients in one bowl, mix, add some pears and you're away.

Ingredients

  • 125g of self-raising flour
  • 125g of golden caster sugar
  • 50g of cocoa powder
  • one teaspoon of baking powder
  • one teaspoon of salt
  • two eggs
  • one egg yolk
  • 140ml of buttermilk
  • 110ml of vegetable oil
  • two teaspoons of vanilla-bean paste
  • 125ml of boiling water

Method

In a large bowl, mix together self-raising flour, golden caster sugar, cocoa powder, one teaspoon of baking powder, one teaspoon of salt, two eggs, one egg yolk, the buttermilk, 110ml of vegetable oil, two teaspoons of vanilla-bean paste and 125ml of boiling water.

Pour into a lined loaf tin and then arrange three whole, peeled, ripe and juicy pears, standing upright, in the cake mixture.

Bake in a moderately hot oven for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean from the cake mixture. Dust with icing sugar and serve.