Chocolate Chestnut Cake

Makes 10 -12 serving.

I make this cake with butter and with margarine. I find both to be delicious, but the one with butter is a trifle better; especially when served with a dollop of whipped cream.

The pareve version works very well served plain or with raspberry sauce and raspberries. The cake itself takes no time to make and it does stay very moist refrigerated or frozen.

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 ounces imported semi-sweet chocolate, broken into small pieces
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter/ margarine, at room temperature, cut into small pieces plus ½ tablespoon of either for greasing the pan.
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup chestnut flour (See Note)
  • 10 roasted chestnuts, cut into very small pieces (See Note)

WHIPPED CREAM

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar

RASPBERRY SAUCE

  • One 12 ounce package unsweetened frozen raspberries, thawed
  • 2 -3 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

PREPARATION

  1. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. Grease a 9 inch spring form pan with butter/margarine.
  3. Melt chocolate, butter/margarine in a double boiler set over high heat until melted. Stir until smooth. Remove the top.
  4. Place the egg yolks in a bowl of an electric stand mixer. Using the balloon whisk attachment, beat the eggs, at medium speed, adding gradually ¼ cup of sugar for about 5 minutes. Add the chocolate until combined. With a rubber spatula fold in the flour and chestnuts. Combine well.
  5. Wash and thoroughly dry the mixer bowl and beat the egg whites, at high speed, until they lightly foam, gradually adding the rest of the sugar until whites are stiff.
  6. With a large rubber spatula, fold ½ of the whites into to the chocolate batter.  Reverse the process, pouring the chocolate mixture over the whites. Fold the two mixtures together, making a motion like a figure 8 until well combined.
  7. Pour the batter into the pan, distributing the batter evenly.
  8. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out almost dry and the top is springy to the touch.
  9. Cool on a wire rack.
  10. Run a metal spatula around the sides of the pan and remove the rim. Run the spatula to release the bottom and invert onto a serving platter.
  11. After cutting a few slices of the cake be sure to clean the metal spatula or knife. The cake is quite moist.

WHIPPED CREAM

  1. Whip the cream with the sugar to a soft consistency.

RASBERRY SAUCE

  1. Puree the raspberries in a blender until smooth.
  2. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve. Push the solids through the sieve with the back of a spoon to obtain as much puree as possible. Be sure to scrape the underside of the sieve. Discard the pulp left in the sieve.
  3. Season to taste with sugar.

NOTE:

Roasted chestnuts come in cans or 14.8 ounce jars. Leftovers can be frozen.

Chestnut flour is available in specialty stores. Keep it in a cool place, refrigerated or frozen.