Pear, Hazelnut & Chocolate Cake - cooking recipe

Ingredients

100 g blanched hazelnuts
180 g self-raising flour
175 g butter, cut into small pieces
140 g golden caster sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
5 small ripe bosc pears
100 g dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks
3 tablespoons apricot jam

Preparation

Preheat the oven to fan 140C/ conventional 160C/gas 3. Butter and line the base of a 20cm round springform cake tin. Place the hazelnuts in between a tea towel until broken into small chunks. Add the flour and mix briefly. Add the butter and rub between your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and eggs and mix briefly. Peel, core and chop two of the pears. Stir the pears and chocolate lightly into the cake mixture.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Peel, core and slice the remaining pears and scatter over the top of the cake. Press down lightly and bake for 60 - 80 minutes, until firm to the touch. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool on wire rack. Warm the jam and brush over the top. Serve warm or cold.