Pear, chocolate and almond pudding cake

Here's a little experiment I created, and pulled off (Although the flash on my camera doesn' make the cake look too good!)
It was meant to be an upside down pear, chocolate and almond cake, however, the mixture bakes to a puddingy texture.. hence "pudding cake"

INGREDIENTS

* 200g Self Raising Flour

* 100-200g Ground almonds (I like mine extra almondy so add 200g, but ground almonds are a bit pricey
   so you can just go for 100g)

* 150g Caster sugar

* 1 tsp Baking Powder

* 2 eggs

* 85g/3oz Dairy free butter
   (I use Vitalite or "Pure" normal butter's good too)

* 150g/5oz Dark chocolate
  (the higher cocoa content the better)

* 100ml Oat Milk
   (But all Milk and milk substitutes are OK... I like oat milk as it's creamy and sweet)

* 100 ml Plain sheep's/goat's/soya yogurt
   (This is optional it adds richer moister texture. If you decide not to use it just use 100ml extra milk)

* Pinch of salt

* Enough pears (peeled, halved and cored) to line the base of a cake tin) I used tinned pears in juice
  (make sure they're strained well, else they make your mixture to sticky). Ripe fresh pears are good too!)

METHOD

* Preheat your oven to 200 C/ 400 F/ Gas Mark 6 . Then measure your ingredients.

* Grease a cake tin and line with one layer of pears.

* Sift the flour into a bowl, add sugar, baking powder, salt and ground almonds.

* Melt butter and chocolate (separately) allow chocolate to cool a little

* Crack eggs into a cup and beat.

* In a separate bowl to flour mixture combine all of your "wet" ingredients, milk, yogurt, egg, butter and  
  chocolate. It may curdle a little just keep beating to remove the worst of it!

* Add wet ingredients to flour mixture. Be sure to fold in as gently but as quickly as possible, till all  
   ingredients are combined. DO NOT BEAT THE MIXTURE! The trick to this cake is to mix for as little  
   time as possible!

* Pour mixture into tin, pop into oven and leave for 45 mins (I checked mine at 20 minute intervals, picking 
   with a skewer to check if done... remove if skewer comes away clean.)

* Remove from oven, leave to cool in tin on a rack. Once cool. Run a knife around edges, place a plate on the top of tin, flip over and tin should slide away.

* Et Voila... Pear, chocolate and almond pudding cake!

It is really nice with coffee. I also reckon it would be great drizzled with thick cream or creme fraiche (for dairy eaters) I also think if you pin pricked it and drizzled with port it would be lush!

Please do let me know if you try this out, and what you think :D

G x