Chocolate cake with cinnamon cream and caramelized pears

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1. Beat the egg whites with the salt until soft peaks form. Add 100 g of the sugar a spoonful at a time, beating until stiff peaks form.

2. Beat the remaining sugar with the egg yolks until pale and fluffy, then mix in the oil and milk.

3. Sift together the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder) and gently fold them into the yolk mixture. Gradually and carefully fold in the beaten egg whites.

4. Grease a cake pan with butter and dust it with flour, then pour in the batter. Bake for approximately 45 minutes in an oven preheated to 180 °C (350 °F).

5. While the cake bakes, prepare the filling. Beat the egg yolk with the sugar until fluffy. Add the cinnamon, heavy whipping cream, and mascarpone, and beat everything together until light and fluffy.

6. Once the cake has cooled, cut it horizontally into 3 even layers.

7. Spread the bottom layer with pumpkin jam and filling. Place the next layer on top, spread it with jam and filling, and repeat with the third layer. Refrigerate the cake for at least 2 hours.

8. Finally, decorate the cake with caramelized pears. Melt the sugar into caramel and add a little water. Add the cinnamon, peeled and halved pears, and chopped walnuts to the golden caramel and cook briefly. Arrange the mixture on top of the cake, allowing some of the caramel to drip down the sides.

Tip: Choose ripe but still firm pears so they hold their shape in the caramel. You can bake the cake a day ahead; it will be easier to cut into even layers after resting.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Torta so škoricovým krémom a karamelizovanými hruškami