Peel the Pears, slice them into quarters, then cut out the stem and seed parts.

Place the pear quarters in a bowl, pour the lemon juice and (optional) maple syrup over them, stir to coat, then place in the refrigerator while getting the rest of the cake ready.

Preheat the oven to 350 °F

Prepare a 24 cm Springform pan- Grease it, and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler, or in a microwave, and set aside to cool.

In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and eggs. Beat for 3-4 minutes until light. Add eggs one at a time. Beat until combined.

Add the melted chocolate, and beat on medium until combined.

Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure you got everything.

Fill the prepared cake pan with the batter. It will feel a little stiff. Smooth it a bit.

Now top the batter with pear slices. I like the sunflower pattern.

Use the fattest one for the center (you can cut off part and eat it to make it fit)

(If your pears are really fat, like mine were, you may have a few leftover pieces. Eat them)

Bake for 55 minutes.

When you take the cake out of the oven, warm up the apricot jam. (If it's chunky, strain the bits out)

Use a pastry brush to paint the cake with the warm, fluid jam.

Let cool

Serve