Chocolate Cake with Pears and Chocolate Ganache

Sbucciare le pere e tagliarle a cubetti di 0,5 cm.  Cuocere in una pentola media a fuoco medio con 1/2 tazza di acqua e 1/8 di tazza di zucchero bianco.  Lasciare cuocere fino a quando le pere sono molto morbide ma intatte, e l'acqua è stata assorbita.
Togliere le pere dal fuoco e lasciare raffreddare in una ciotola media. Imburrare e infarinare una tortiera da 8" (o leggermente più piccola).

Preheat oven to 325F.  

Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs with 1 3/4 cups white sugar until the mixture is light-colored and frothy.  

Sift the flour with the baking powder and cocoa powder,  and add to the egg mixture.  Fold in well with a wooden spoon, being especially careful not to deflate the eggs.  Add sunflower (or vegetable or soybean) oil, and once the mixture is well-blended, pour into the prepared cake pan (the pan should not be filled to the top - be sure to leave room for the cake to rise during the baking process).  Bake 25 minutes, until cake springs back to touch.  

Allow cake to sit inside oven with the heat turned off for an additional 6-7 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before removing from pan.  

Place a small sauce pan over medium heat, and add heavy cream and butter to pan.  Allow butter to melt, and cream to heat but be sure to remove from heat before mixture begins to boil. 

Add chopped chocolate and allow chocolate to melt using the heat from the butter and cream mixture.  Stir with a metal whisk.  

Place bowl containing the chocolate mixture into a larger bowl with ice water (similar to a double-boiler set up, but with ice water).  Beat mixture with an electric mixer until smooth.  

Add the diced, cooled pears (be sure you are not adding any excess liquid to the chocolate mixture) to the ganache. 

Cut the cooled cake base in half, spread ganache in the middle of the cake, replace top segment and serve cake.