Chocolate Pear Torte Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 cups almond flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 3/4 cup Metropolitan Market maple syrup, plus more for brushing pears
• 1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 pears, cut in half, cored,and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
• Powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a double boiler, melt chocolate and allow to cool slightly. For a microwave option, see the Cook’s Tip below.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together almond flour, cocoa powder, and cardamom.
4. Once the chocolate has cooled but is still melted, add maple syrup, vinegar, and egg yolks. Whisk until slightly thickened.
5. Add dry ingredients to wet and combine.
6. In a clean, dry bowl, whip egg whites with 1/4 teaspoon salt until very stiff. Gently fold egg whites into batter in 3 additions.
7. Pour batter into a greased 9-inch springform pan. Decorate the top with pear slices by lay-ing them down and gently fanning out, small amounts at a time. Vary the direction and spacing to create a pattern. Brush the pears with maple syrup. Sprinkle the cake with ha-zelnuts.
8. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool before unmolding. Dust with powdered sugar.
9. Cook’s Tip:
10. To melt the chocolate in the microwave, heat on high for 10 seconds at a time, stirring in between until melted. Set aside to cool slightly.