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.

 
 

Rugelach

Makes 32 rugelach.

These Eastern European specialty cookies are a favorite at my home, so I always have some on hand in the refrigerator or freezer. They are easy to warm. Just wrap them in foil and warm in a toaster oven or food warmer. A slightly different version of this recipe first appeared in my cookbook, Helen Nash’s New Kosher Cuisine. 

INGREDIENTS

Dough

  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature cut into small pieces
  • 3 ounces cream cheese, cut into small pieces
  • 1 cup unbleached all –purpose flour

Filling

  • ¾ cup walnuts
  • 3 ounces, high-quality, imported semi-sweet chocolate, broken into small pieces
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

PREPARATION

  1. Place the butter, cream cheese and flour in a food processor and pulse until the dough clings to the blade.  Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface or board and knead into a smooth ball.
  2. Divide the dough into two balls, dust them lightly with flour and flatten them. Wrap them in wax paper, then in foil. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. When you are ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator and wait until it is malleable (depending on the temperature of the room it can be over 30 minutes).
  3. Chop the walnuts in a food processor until coarse. Transfer to a medium bowl. In the same food processor, chop the chocolate until coarse. Add them to the walnuts, along with the sugar and cinnamon. Combine well. You will most probably have a little filling left over.
  4. Preheat the oven to 3750 F.
  5. Work with one ball of dough at a time, keeping the other refrigerated. 
  6. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each ball to a circle about 12 inches in diameter.   Cut the circle into 16 pie-shaped pieces and sprinkle with half of the filling .Roll tightly from the widest part to the end. Bend it slightly into a curve, like a croissant. Repeat the process with the other ball.
  7. Place the rugelach on an 18x13 inch heavy non stick baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, or until lightly golden.. Cool on a wire rack.

NOTE:

Rugelach freeze well. Place them side by side in an air-tight plastic container with wax paper between the layers.  

 
 

Rhubarb Compote

Makes 6 servings.

This well chilled compote garnished with berries is a delicious end to a summer meal.  Rhubarb is a summer fruit full of potassium and vitamin C.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 pound rhubarb, 3-4 stalks
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1/3 generous cup sugar
  • ½  vanilla bean
  • Assortment of berries, optional

PREPARATION

  1. Trim the rhubarb stalks, pull the stringy fibers and rinse.  Cut crosswise into thin slices.
  2. Place into a non-reactive medium covered saucepan and add the water, wine, sugar and vanilla bean.
  3. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and boil for about 5 minutes, or until the rhubarb is soft.
  4. Discard the vanilla bean when serving.

Serve chilled with an assortment of berries.

 
 

Flourless Almond Cake

Makes 12 servings.

This easy to make cake with a touch of farmer cheese is a delicious and very light dessert that is also gluten free. It’s easy to prepare since there are few ingredients and you can even find the almonds already ground.   

INGREDIENTS

  • ¼ pound farmer cheese
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces, plus 1/2 tablespoon for greasing the wax paper
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 ½ cups blanched almond flour or 2 ½ cups finely ground blanched almonds (10 ounces whole, See Note)

PREPARATION

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Line a 9 by 1 ½ inch baking pan with a removable bottom with wax paper and grease the paper.
  3. Strain the farmer cheese through a ricer.
  4. Place the butter in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Using the balloon whisk attachment beat the butter at medium speed adding the sugar gradually until pale, about 5 minutes. Add 1 egg yolk at a time and continue beating until combined. With a rubber spatula add the farmer cheese, the lemon zest and the almond flour. Combine well.
  5. Beat the egg whites also in a mixer, at high speed until stiff soft peaks form.
  6. With a large rubber spatula, fold half of the whites into the batter. Reverse the process, pouring the batter over the egg whites. Gradually fold the mixtures together, making a motion like a figure 8 until all the whites have disappeared. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
  7. Bake for 40 minutes. The top will be light brown.  Cool the cake on a wire rack. Invert, the cake, remove the wax paper and invert again.  

NOTE:

I use Bob’s Red Mill ground blanched almond flour. Almond flour is found in health food stores. It is simply blanched almonds ground to a flour consistency.

 
 

Carrot Almond Cake

Makes 8-12 servings.

Nutritious, moist, easy to make and gluten free, this light and delicious cake keeps well refrigerated or even frozen. 

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • ½ pound carrots, peeled, finely grated
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature (See Note)
  • 2/3 cup sugar 
  • Grated zest of one orange
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups finely ground blanched almond flour (See Note)

PREPARATION

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F
  2. Line an 8x8 inch cake pan with wax paper. Grease the wax paper with the vegetable oil.
  3. Grate the carrots finely in a food processor fitted with a fine grating attachment.
  4. Place the egg yolks in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Using the balloon whisk attachment, beat at medium speed for about 5 minutes, gradually adding the sugar. The mixture will be very pale and thick. 
  5. With a rubber spatula, fold the orange zest, vanilla, carrots and almond flour into the mixture. Combine well.
  6. Wash and thoroughly dry the mixer bowl and the balloon and beat the egg whites until stiff.
  7. With a rubber spatula fold half of the egg whites into carrot mixture than reverse the process pouring the carrot mixture over the egg whites. Gradually fold the mixture together, making a motion like a figure 8 until all the whites have disappeared.  
  8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is lightly soft to the touch.
  9. Cool the cake on a wire rack. Invert the pan unto a board and remove the wax paper. Cut the cake into squares of your choice.

NOTE:

Separate the eggs while they are cold so that the yolks remain whole. It is best to beat egg whites at room temperature, as they can absorb more air; this makes the dish lighter.

I use Bob’s, Red Mill ground almond  flour. It is simply blanched almonds ground to a flour consistency. Almond meal flour is readily available in health food stores and many supermarkets.