Instructions

1. Bring the water to the boil, crush the earl grey and cardamom pods and add to the water. Add the sugar and pears and reduce the heat to let simmer for 20 minutes. The pears should be poached but not cooked all the way through nor too soft. Remove from the pot and let cool.
2. To make a bund cake in a round cake add a pipe or ring with aluminium foil in the middle. Grease the 25 cm round bake tine with butter and dust with a little flour.
3. In a medium size bowl whisk together flour, cacao powder, tea, ground cardamom, baking soda and salt.
4. In a small bowl combine the milk and sour cream.
5. In a large bowl beat with mixer with paddle attachment the butter and brown sugar together till light and combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beat until well combined. Add in half of the flour mixture and half of the cream mixture and mix together. Add the remainder until just combined.
6. Pour the batter in the cake tin, place the pears ( hold them up with toothpicks if needed).
7. Bake in pre heated oven at 180C for about 50 minutes. Let sit on cooling rack for 30 minutes before removing tine.
8. In meanwhile, melt the chocolate over a Bain Marie ( a medium size pot with water simmering, topped with a. smaller pot) when the chocolate is melted, add the butter in cubes and whisk till smooth.
9. Once the cake is cooled and removed from the tin, pour the chocolate glaze over the top.