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Chocolate, Pear & Hazelnut Loaf Cake

A moist, nutty loaf studded with dark chocolate and topped with fanned pear slices

❄ Freezer Friendly

13 May 2025

This beautiful loaf cake is the kind of bake that looks impressive but comes together with ease. Hazelnut meal keeps it wonderfully moist, dark chocolate chips add richness, and fresh pear brings a delicate sweetness throughout. Topped with fanned pear slices and scattered toasted hazelnuts, it's perfect served warm with a dollop of cream alongside a cup of Earl Grey.

Ingredients

8 serves

125g salted butter, melted
¾ cup caster sugar
3 free-range eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup self-raising flour
¾ cup hazelnut meal
½ cup sour cream
50g dark eating chocolate, finely chopped
2 ripe small corella pears, peeled, cored and chopped into 1–2cm pieces
1 extra small pear, thinly sliced, for topping
¼ cup skinless hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped, plus 1 Tbs extra (roughly chopped)

Method

1
Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm x 10cm loaf tin.
2
Combine butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, hazelnut meal and sour cream in a bowl. Using a whisk or wooden spoon, stir until smooth and combined.
3
Gently fold through the dark chocolate, toasted hazelnuts, and chopped pear until just combined — do not overmix.
4
Spoon mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the surface. Arrange pear slices over the top, pressing in lightly, then scatter with extra hazelnuts.
5
Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. If the top colours too quickly, loosely cover with foil for the final 10–15 minutes of cooking.
6
Leave cake in pan for 10–15 minutes, then turn out to cool on a rack. Carefully remove baking paper before serving.

Kitchen Notes

Serve warm with a generous dollop of cream or crème fraîche. This loaf keeps well wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days. It also freezes well — slice before freezing and thaw at room temperature or warm gently in a low oven.

What I'd serve with this

Warm with a generous dollop of cream or crème fraîche and a cup of Earl Grey. Also wonderful as a dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.