Chestnut Cake

  Making a chestnut cake takes a lot of time and effort, but as I only make it once or twice a year I think it is well worth the effort. Some shops sell ready peeled and cook chestnuts, but they are very expensive, and there are plenty of chestnuts to be found at this time of year in the forests, parks and in friends gardens.  We have a few chestnut trees in the garden and there lots and lots in the forest nearby.  My favourite way to eat chestnuts is to roast them on the fire, they become warm and soft and have a lovely nutty taste. 

Here is a recipes for chestnut cake, the chestnuts are used instead of flour which makes this cake gluten free. 

250g chestnuts (with peel) 
180g chestnut flour (cooked and peeled)
100g soft butter
100g sugar
3 eggs (separated)
1 tsp of vanilla 
  (Most of the time I double the recipe)  

First its very important to check the chestnut for worms, this can be done by looking for any small holes in the nuts.  Then make a cross in them on both sides and cook them in water for about 30 minutes. 

When they have cooled the work begins; they need peeling and this took me an hour.      

Chestnuts have an outer and an inner peel and they both need to come off.  After the peeling is complete, the chestnuts need to be ground into a flour paste.  I did this using a  hand Mouli but it can also be done in a food processor.  

Cream the butter and sugar, add the egg yokes, the ground chestnuts and the vanilla and mix well.  Whisk the egg whites until fluffy and add them to the mixture.  

Cook the cake in a springform cake tin in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

When the cake had cooled I grated some chocolate over the top. 

When I told my big girl I had made chestnut cake she was not too pleased and said she really didn't like it and that she wasn't going to eat any of it.  But when we got home she saw the chocolate on top and said she did like it after all and asked if she could try it.  Now it is her favourite cake, all because of the chocolate.