pear, chocolate and pistachio cake (gluten-free)

I adapted this recipe to create a decadent pear, chocolate and pistachio cake. It's a little bit of a faff, but I made it as a thank you.

   
As it is flourless the cake doesn't rise very high, but it still manages to be light and spongy.

recipe under the cut:-

Ingredients:
85g butter
85g demerara sugar
85g gluten free cooking chocolate (try Dr Oetker)
2 tsp of brandy (optional)
3 eggs, separate whites and yolk
90g pistcachio nuts*
30g hazelnuts*
2-3 ripe pears (peeled and cored)

*I used these quantities of nuts because that's what I had in. Alternatively you you could divide the 120g weight anyway you like, for example make the cake just from hazelnuts or just from pistachio nuts. Almonds would also work well.


 Method:

1. preheat oven to 180
2. In a bowl over a pan of boiling water melt the butter and sugar (keep a close eye, you don't want the chocolate to burn and separate). Take of the heat and add the brandy 
3. In a food processor blitz the nuts to a fine dust. (if you don't have a food processor you can put the nuts in a plastic food bag and wack with a rolling pin) then gently fold in the melted chocolate/butter
4. In a separate bowl whip together the sugar and egg yolks. You want to create as much air as possible, so whisk until your arm aches and the mixture thickens. Then add to the chocolate/butter/nut mixture. 
5. In another bowl (sorry-loads of washing up) and a clean whisk, beat the eggs whites until they are white and foaming. Again the aim is to add as much air as possible. They fold this into the main mixture.
6. Pour into a spring-bottom cake tin (think mines about 20") peel and core the pear and then chop into smallish chunks. Place the pear into the mixture in circles. 
7. Bake in the oven for about 20-25 mins. The Cake should have plenty of air bubbles in the surface, but when it is ready you should be able to stick a knife in and pull it out clean.