# Chocolate Sponge Cake with Pears

Today in Little Patisserie's recipes, we're going to try a lovely, moist chocolate sponge cake with pears, finished with a glossy chocolate glaze and a scattering of coconut. It's simple to make, smells wonderful and looks fantastic on the table. I'd recommend using soft, ripe pears — they make the cake even tastier. It's a real favourite with children too, and keeps well for a few days in an airtight container.

<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="598" height="793" src="/media/images/40559_littlepatisserie-Chocolate-Sponge-Cake-with-Pears-2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-40559" /></figure></div>

## Chocolate Sponge Cake with Pears

### Ingredients

**Cake:**

- 170g butter or margarine
- 180g sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
- 4 tbsp cocoa powder
- 4 tbsp milk
- 3 large eggs
- 170g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ⅓ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 550–600g pears, about 2–3 pears

**Glaze:**

- 100g dark chocolate
- 50g milk chocolate
- 150ml double cream
- shredded coconut, to sprinkle

### Method

**Cake:**

1. Put the butter (or margarine) into a saucepan with the sugar, vanilla sugar, cocoa and milk. Place over the heat, stirring, and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely.
2. Add the eggs to the cooled mixture one at a time, mixing with an electric mixer after each addition until fully combined.
3. Stir the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into the flour. Sift the flour into the cocoa mixture and mix with an electric mixer until combined.
4. Pour the batter into a 22cm x 22cm baking tin lined with baking paper, and smooth out.
5. Peel the pears, remove the cores and cut into large chunks. Press the pieces firmly into the batter.
6. Bake at 180°C (160°C fan) for about 50 minutes. I bake mine on the lowest oven shelf. Leave to cool in the tin after removing from the oven.

**Glaze:**

7. Pour the cream into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Break the chocolate (dark and milk) into a bowl, pour over the hot cream and stir until melted. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake and smooth out, then sprinkle with shredded coconut.
8. Leave for about an hour for the glaze to set before slicing.

Happy baking! :)

<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="598" height="778" src="/media/images/40560_littlepatisserie-Chocolate-Sponge-Cake-with-Pears-3.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-40560" /></figure></div>