Helene's Pear Dream

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 5 eggs, separated
• 150 g sugar
• 5 tbsp water, hot
• 100 g flour
• 50 g cocoa powder
• 5 pears, aromatic (approx. 800 g)
• 250 ml water
• Sugar or sweetener as desired
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• Cinnamon, to taste
• 100 g dark chocolate
• 200 ml cream
• 400 g sour cream
• Sugar or sweetener as desired
• 200 g cream
• 1 pear(s)
• Chocolate shavings

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour

Chocolate sponge cake with spicy pear compote, bitter chocolate filling and sour cream

First, prepare the chocolate cream. Melt the chocolate in a lukewarm water bath. Then gradually stir in the cream, remove from the pan, and chill. (It’s important to stir in the cream in very small portions to prevent the mixture from curdling!) Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. Sprinkle in 50g of sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Chill. Grease the bottom of a 26cm springform pan and line it with baking paper. Place the rim of the springform pan around the edge. Preheat the oven to 200°C (top/bottom heat). Beat the egg yolks with the hot water until frothy, then sprinkle in the remaining sugar. Continue beating until the mixture is thick and creamy and the sugar has dissolved. Mix the flour and cocoa powder, sift it over the pan, then pour the beaten egg whites on top and carefully fold everything in. Pour into the prepared springform pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the pan and let it cool in the pan. Peel the pears, remove the cores, and dice finely. Bring to a boil in a small saucepan with 200ml of water. Add a little cinnamon to taste and simmer for about 10-15 minutes until soft. Then mix the cornstarch with the remaining water and stir into the pears. Bring to a boil briefly so that the compote thickens. Loosen the cake base from the rim of the springform pan with a sharp knife. Remove the rim and turn out onto a cake plate. Cut it in half crosswise and set the top two layers aside. Spread the pear compote on the bottom layer and let it cool. Meanwhile, mix the sour cream with a little sugar or sweetener until smooth. Whip the cream until stiff, put 2 tablespoons of it into a piping bag, and fold the rest into the sour cream. Refrigerate both. Briefly whip the chocolate cream and spread it on the second sponge layer. Place the lid on top and refrigerate until ready to use. Once the compote has cooled, spread about 3-4 tablespoons of the sour cream on the compote. Place the two layers of chocolate cream on top. Spread the remaining sour cream all over the cake. Peel the pear, remove the core, and cut into wedges. Garnish the cake with pear slices, chocolate shavings, and the cream from the piping bag.