Friday 26 March 2010

Chestnut chocolate cake: Nailed

Chestnut and chocolate cake
I spent most of February in a clatter of pans and a blizzard of chopping, stirring and whisking as I devised recipes for my friend Mark's new book, A Taste of the Unexpected. Actually, that’s not strictly true. Mark and I did seem to spend a lot of time on the phone gossiping about important stuff like 80s music, biscuits and football. We both support red teams, though not the same ones, so it made for lively, deadline-diverting, conversations.

One of our recipes is for a chestnut jam. It’s bloody good. It better be. It requires the peeling of 2kg of chestnuts. (Mark, don’t think I’ve forgotten. I am invoicing you for a manicure.) It was worth it though as the result is a fudgy, creamy, seductive combination of nuts, muscovado sugar, vanilla and a splash of apple cider brandy at the end because, well, how can that ever be a bad thing? I wish I could share it with you here, but I can’t. Not quite yet. You’ll have to wait until its publication in September. Just in time for chestnut season, in fact.

I have four jars of this heavenly concoction in the cupboard and I was dying to use some in a recipe. The obvious candidate was the flourless chestnut and chocolate cake in Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s The River Cottage Year. I’ve made it dozens of times, every time I want an easy, delicious slightly grown up chocolate cake in fact. It has a wonderfully light texture – it’s like a rich, silky mousse in cake form - perfect for afternoon tea or a divinely seductive ending to a great dinner. And another bonus? If you’re the self-controlled sort, it last really well in an airtight tin for four or five days.

I used 400g of our jam in the recipe. Until I’m allowed to share, you could use 400g of bought chestnut jam or just follow the instructions for making the chestnut puree below, perhaps adding half a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a teaspoon of brandy too if you like. At least you’ll get to enjoy the cake without pursuing Mark to sort out your tab at the nail bar. You’d have to explain what a nail bar was to him first anyway, and that could get tiresome.

River Cottage chestnut and chocolate cake

250g dark chocolate
250g unsalted butter
250g peeled and cooked chestnuts (I like Merchant Gourmet)
250ml milk
4 eggs
125g caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas mark 3. Butter a 25cm cake tin and line with baking parchment.

Break the chocolate into pieces and place them in a heatproof bowl with the butter, cut into chunks. Place the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water until melted and stir until smooth. Cool slightly.

In another pan, heat the chestnuts with the milk until just boiling, then mash thoroughly with a potato masher or puree in a blender.

Separate the eggs and put the yolks in a bowl with the sugar. Mix until well combined then stir in the chocolate and the chestnut puree until you have a smooth, blended batter.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff and then fold them into the chocolate mixture, starting by mixing in a third of the whites to loosen the batter and then gently folding in the rest of the whites. Pour and scrape into the cake tin then bake for 25-30 minutes, until it is just set but still has a slight wobble.

If you want to serve the cake warm, leave it to cool a little, then release the tin and slice carefully – it will be very soft and moussey. Or leave it to go cold, when it will have set firm. Serve with a trickle of double cream, especially when warm, but it also delicious unadulterated.

18 comments:

  1. I love chocolate and I love chestnuts and have been meaning to make this cake since Rachel Eats mentioned a version ages ago! I must get round to it - I want a piece of yours right now.

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  2. No wonder you were absent for so long from licked spoon. Nice to know you were still licking spoons though, even though you can't share the recipes just yet. Ooooh, sounds really exciting Debora. Was all the experimenting exciting? I just watched a cooking show on tv a little over half an hour ago that showed how chestnuts were grown. I had no idea they looked like prickly mini spiny anteaters hanging off the tree. You would be moaning about more than just your nails dear if you had to remove the husky spikes as well. Ouch.
    Love the sensual looking chocolate cake that uses a handful of quality ingredients. Im curious. What is that other red team? Im "gunner" say Man U.

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  3. oh lordy, I have a couple of jars sitting in the cupboard and it's not quite ice cream weather (i love it as sauce on top) so this cake is where they're going. thank you x

    PS I DO know what a nail bar is....where this man is shopping http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu9MptWyCB8

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  4. Cake looks and sounds heavenly- good luck to Mark's new book but I have to admit the one I'm waiting for yours!
    Love

    Avril x

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  5. Hello Kath, do try it, it's so easy and delicious.
    Mariana, I once went to a chestnut festival in France and came away wondering why peeled chestnuts don't cost more than gold, so labour-intensive is their production. In France, they call the prickly bit the bogue, which I think sounds suitably horrible! It was great fun rattling those pans though the deadline was very tight so it meant a lot of late nights and early mornings. I can't wait to see the finished book. Love your footie gag! Sadly, poor Mark is a Liverpool supporter. Apart from that he seems fairly sound of mind.
    MarkyD, You gotta make this cake with our jam as soon as you can. It's just beyond... Thanks for the clip - made me howl. I start laughing as soon as I hear the tinkling of the bell at the beginning because I know what's coming next.
    Avril, Hey lovely lady! You never know what's round the corner....

    Dxx

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  6. This looks superb! I'm on my way over : )

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  7. I'd also like to make it clear that my 'red' isnt Man Utd

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  8. It is Autumn here and fresh chestnuts are appearing in the shop, so this post is intriguing and timely! Time to get them into my diet!

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  9. Just discovered your blog - delightful. The cake, too. I love the idea of adding brandy (any excuse to add alcohol to cake mixture. I have a weakness for Frangelico, or a tsp of Absinthe poured over a lime cupcake...). Will attempt the HFW recipe next weekend, thank you for the inspiration.

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  10. thatloislaneagain27 March 2010 at 18:21

    Hey D

    I agree with Avril, we're waiting for YOUR book lady..
    PS thanks for divine Friday supper...was just like the old days...xx

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  11. Denise - You're welcome any time!
    MarkD - I outed you as a Liverpool sufferer, er supporter, above...
    Joy - Oh, I do hope you try making this cake. I love chestnuts and I love autumn, though London today is so dreary it feels a little more like autumn than spring.
    Hello Laura - Thanks so much for visiting and for following! Do please drop in and offer booze tips (especially ones as good as those above) often.
    Howdy TLLA - So lovely to see you both last night, queen. I'll post the pork recipe later this week. Just polished off the last of the biscuits and ice cream. Yum.

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  12. oh dear. There are some recipes that should not be shared with me for my own good.

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  13. If it's any consolation I'm glad it's not Man U. From across the oceans, I too support Livo. Good to see it is the 'right' red.

    Mariana.

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  14. This looks so delish! Photos capture it beautifully. Lucie x

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  15. Rockinloubylou - Your comment really made me smile!
    Mariana - Oh please, don't encourage him, he's delusional enough as it is.
    Lucie - Thanks so much. Hope you give it a try!
    Dx

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  16. it's a lovely recipe. chocolate and chestnuts- what a fab combination, i adore it. x shayma

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  17. Shayma - Thanks so much for visiting my blog. I do hope you'll try the cake. Dx

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  18. Hugh has given us some fabulous recipes, we've enjoyed all of the cakes I have made from his books.
    I am going to try this cake, it looks fabulous.

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