Dark Chocolate and Pear Pudding

  

410 G PEAR HALVES IN SYRUP

1/4 TSP CRACKED GREEN PEPPERCORNS

1/4 TSP GROUND STAR ANISE

1 1/2 TBSP BUTTER

2 EGGS
1/3 C CASTOR SUGAR

1 TSP BAKING POWDER
1 TSP BAKING SODA
1/2 C BUTTERMILK
1 1/2 TBSP BOURNVILLE COCOA 
35 G DARK LINDT CHOCOLATE 70% COCOA
1 1/2 TBSP CAKE FLOUR
1/2 TBSP CORN FLOUR
1 TSP APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

Amarula Sauce:

3/4 c Milk, 2 Tots Amarula Cream Liqueur, 1 tbsp Butter, 1/4 c sugar, 2 tbsp pear syrup 

I developed this recipe completely from scratch. I was invited to a supper evening at a friends house about a month ago and was asked to bring a dessert. I had about an hour in hand and did not feel like taking another store bought malva pudding to dinner. So, I opened the cupboard, scratched around, found a tin of pears and decided to come up with this delicious treat. Hope you all enjoy!    

PREPARATION  

Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Drain the syrup off the pear halves and set both aside. Heat the butter in a saucepan, add the star anise and the cracked green peppercorns. When the butter is hot add the pear halves to the pan and fry them for about 8 - 10 minutes to give them a nice caramelised appearance. When they are ready, place them in the bottom of a bake proof, glass or ceramic loaf pan and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and castor sugar till light and creamy. Add the buttermilk and blend. Next add the cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cake flour and corn flour and mix well. Chop up the dark chocolate into chunky bits and mix into the batter. Finally add the vinegar (I use apple cider, but you can use normal spirit vinegar) and blend the mixture. Pour the batter over the pears and bake at 180 °C for 40 - 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the Amarula sauce by bring to a gentle simmer the milk, Amarula cream Liqueur, butter, sugar and two dessert spoons of the syrup drained off of the pear halves. Reduce the sauce for about 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes to achieve a thin caramel sauce. Note, the sauce will be soak up by the cake, so it must remain thin. If the sauce is too thick, the cake will not absorb it and will remain quite bitter. Once the sauce is done, pour it over the cake and leave to stand for at least 10 minutes before eating. Served best with custard or ice cream.            

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DARK CHOCOLATE & PEAR PUDDING