Vegan pear and chocolate brownie cake

I made a banoffee pie recently. Mmmmmmm, it was heavenly! A sweet shortcrust base, filled with bananas which were bathed in a salted caramel sauce, topped with sweetened mascarpone and grated chocolate.

My poor husband couldn’t have any, because he’s vegan. So I had to make him a cake too, it was only fair.

I decided to make an autumnal cake. A rich, fudgey chocolate cake topped with succulent slices of juicy pear. Brownie points (no pun intended) for me and I’ve reminded my husband of just how wonderful I am. He does need reminding from time to time.

For this cake I used a chocolate cake recipe I’ve baked many times before and it’s never let me down yet. I veganised it by replacing the butter with dairy-free margarine and replacing the eggs with flax eggs.

I love autumnal flavours, don’t you? Apples, pears, butternut squash, beetroot, fennel and parsnips are some of my favourites. I forget all about them during the summer while I tuck into salads, then I discover again anew in the autumn. That’s the fun of eating seasonally and it’s so much cheaper too.

The weather and dark nights may darken our moods, but the seasonal crops and my chocolate and pear cake are sure to cheer us up. I decided to go seasonal with this cake and topped it with ripe Comice pears. Pears go so well with chocolate, so I knew this would be a winning combination.