{"id":9704,"date":"2018-07-28T09:00:28","date_gmt":"2018-07-28T13:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/veganlovlie.com\/?p=9704"},"modified":"2019-12-11T02:15:18","modified_gmt":"2019-12-11T07:15:18","slug":"pear-chocolate-cake-pressure-cooker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/veganlovlie.com\/pear-chocolate-cake-pressure-cooker\/","title":{"rendered":"Pear Chocolate Cake in a Pressure Cooker"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Chocolate and pear lovers should find much joy in this cake — whole sweet juicy California Bartlett pears cushioned inside deliciously moist and mellow chocolate cake<\/strong> with a beautiful chocolate ganache<\/strong> glaze. This cake is quite simply … marvellous! Every bite is delightful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Whole Pear Chocolate Cake<\/strong> is steamed in a pressure cooker<\/strong> and is an ideal cake for the summer months. [Recipe features electric \/ stovetop pressure cooker and baking options].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pear <\/picture><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This post is sponsored by California Bartlett pears. For full disclosure, please read below at the end of the post.<\/small><\/p>\n\n\n\n

California Bartlett pears<\/a>  are the ideal variety of pear for this cake. When ripe, Bartletts are among the sweetest and juiciest of all pears which is why I love them so much for dessert recipes. They are available for several weeks in July and August in Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to eating them raw as a healthy snack, pears are often underlooked compared to apples or bananas. For my part, I much prefer raw pears to apples or bananas which seem to be among the most popular snack or lunch box fruits. In fact, I don’t really buy apples if I am not baking with them. But pears are a different story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are my go-to fruit snack at any time of the day. I just love their ambrosial fragrance and texture. If I am eating them raw, I love them semi-ripe. On the nutrient profile, they contain antioxidants, and are a good source of fibre, and a source of Vitamin C, potassium and folic acid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When they start becoming too ripe to eat, they go into all sorts of delicious desserts like this Pear Custard Pie <\/a>or this Pear Coconut Creme Caramel Custard<\/a>. And in today’s Pear Chocolate Cake<\/strong> that can be made in a pressure cooker during the hot summer months. I’ve become quite a fan of this cake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to select California pears<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Look for firm, well-shaped fruit. You may wish to buy a mix of green pears to ripen at home if you want to eat some. I personally prefer semi-ripe pears for eating. When the pears are at their peak ripeness, they are golden yellow and can be enjoyed immediately or are ideal for cooking and baking. For this particular recipe, I suggest using slightly smaller pears so that you can fit them nicely into the cake pan and get half a pear in each slice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pear <\/picture><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ripening and storage<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Pears can be ripened at home in a bowl at room temperature. When California Bartletts are green and firm, they will take four to six days to ripen on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a Bartlett is golden yellow, it is fully ripe and at its juiciest, most flavourful stage. This is the ideal stage for this recipe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because pears ripen on the outside last, by the time the outside is soft it\u2019s overripe. So, to test for ripeness, put gentle pressure on the top of the pear near the stem. If it gives way a little, then it\u2019s ripe. Minor blemishes do not affect the flavour or quality of the pear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since these pears can spoil easily, you may want to refrigerate them to preserve or slow down their ripening process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Refrigeration will hold their ripeness for another 3-5 days, just in case you don’t have time to make this cake when you had planned to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pear <\/picture><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Preparation tips<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Once cut, peeled or sliced, pears will start to brown. To prevent this from happening, I usually just rub them with a slice of lemon. You may also dip them into a mixture of 1 tablespoon (15 mL) lemon juice and 1 cup (240 mL) water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To remove the skin, hold the pear firmly in one hand and using a sharp paring knife, carefully remove the outer layer of skin as thinly as possible. I like to use a vegetable peeler but the blade needs to be very sharp, otherwise it will just crush the pear especially if it is very ripe.
Bartlett pears have such a tender skin that it is not even necessary to remove it for baking. However in this recipe, I do find that peeling the pears result in a much nicer texture inside the cake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pear <\/picture><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Prepare the spring-form cake pan for the pressure cooker<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The video below shows best how to prepare the cake pan for this recipe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Line the bottom and side of the pan with parchment paper. For the side, leave a slightly taller collar around. This is to create more height in case the cake rises more. If your mould is quite tall, then the extra height is not necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make a ‘lid’ with parchment paper or aluminium foil to cover the pan so that the steam does not drip back on the cake and make it soggy.. Note: if you are baking this cake, you don’t need the lid.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are using aluminium foil, just cover the pan and press the foil around so that no steam can get in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If using parchment paper, you need to shape it so that it wraps tightly around the pan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To do this, trace around the pan on some parchment paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then extend the circle diameter by about 6 – 8 cm. Cut around this larger circle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Snip into the circle from the edge towards the centre and stopping at the inner circle at regular intervals all around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fold the snipped pieces of paper along the inner circle (size of pan).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staple each of the folded pieces together at the bottom to make a straight edge around the circle and the lid is done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will also need 2 pieces of string, each about 4 times the width of the pan.  This will be tied around the pan and serve as a handle which will make it easy to lower the pan in the pressure cooker and then later remove it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch the video for the step-by-step process<\/h4>\n\n\n\n