1 3/4 cups unbleached
all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 canned pear halves in light syrup, drained
2 large eggs
1/4 pound (1 stick) soft unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups chopped dried pears, in 1/4-inch pieces (about 7 ounces)
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1. Position an oven rack
in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter a loaf pan with a
6- to 7-cup capacity (8½" x 4½ " or 8 1/2" x 3 5/8" x 2 5/8")
2. Sift the flour, baking
soda, cream of tartar, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. Put the canned pear
halves in the workbowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process
to a puree, about 30 seconds. Add the eggs, butter, sugar, vanilla, and almond
extract and process until the mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds. The mixture
may look slightly curdled. Stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture, stirring
just until the flour is evenly moistened. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the chopped
dried pears. Gently stir the remaining dried pears and the chocolate into the
batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the
reserved dried pears over the top of the loaf, pressing them gently into the
loaf.
4. Bake 50 to 60 minutes,
or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. A long,
narrow loaf pan requires the shorter baking time. Cool the loaf thoroughly in
the pan on a wire rack.
Good Advice
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Dried
pears can be found in most supermarkets and natural food stores. Hadley
Fruit Orchards (see page 295) ships large, sweet dried pears. |
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Loaf
pans vary tremendously in size; I have six loaf pans and no two have the
same measurements. Measure the capacity of a loaf pan to determine which pan
to use. A 6- to 7-cup loaf pan is best for this cake. A long loaf pan with a
7-cup capacity takes the shorter 50-minute baking time listed in the recipe,
while a 6-cup pan produces a higher, wider loaf and needs the longer baking
time. |
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Since
the dry and liquid ingredients must be gently mixed together, I use a food
processor to puree the canned pears and liquid ingredients for the batter.
The batter is very smooth and combines quickly with the flour mixture.
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The
baked loaf slices best after it is cooled thoroughly, even the day after it
is baked. |
Doubling the Recipe
Double the ingredients and use two pans.
To Freeze
Use a small sharp knife to loosen the loaf from the sides of the pan. Invert the
loaf onto a large piece of heavy aluminum foil covered with plastic wrap. Turn
the loaf right side up. Wrap the plastic wrap tightly around each loaf. Wrap the
heavy aluminum foil around the loaf. Label with date and contents. Freeze up to
3 months.
To Serve
Defrost the wrapped loaf at room temperature at least 5 hours or overnight. Use
a large sharp knife to slice the loaf into 1/2-inch slices and serve at room
temperature. Leftover tea loaf can be covered with plastic wrap, and stored at
room temperature up to 4 days.
From Bake and
Freeze Chocolate Deserts by Elinor Klivans
