Chestnut chocolate torte

Now anyone that knows me, must know that I think the chestnut is massively underused during the festive season on our fair isle. So, when a friend of mine was leaving for New Zealand, it seemed to me that a fitting farewell cake might be some kind of brownie laced with chestnuts. After reading rave reviews of those from Dan Lepard, they were promptly produced and enjoyed. But that was just the start.

It started me wondering if some kind of chocolate chestnut torte might be in order...

Turns out I was right. The dense brownie base is a perfect foil for a light mousse topping united by the subtle flavour of chestnut. This is a really deep (I think that's the effect of the chestnut puree)rich torte which has a long chocolate flavour which the booze gives a very gentle kick. The chestnuts in the brownie base give textural contrast to the light delicate mousse to sit atop. It's not too sweet. It's a simply beautiful balance.

I'd like to try this with chestnut flour, to see what that adds. You could also get away with twice as much mousse if you wanted. I probably would...

Chocolate Chestnut Torte

Ingredients:

For the brownie base:

100g cooked chestnuts, chopped roughly

100g dark soft brown sugar

50ml bourbon/rum/brandy (your choice) 

1tsp vanilla extract

1 egg, separated

100g butter

100g dark chocolate

35g plain flour

15g cocoa

1/4tsp salt

100g chestnut puree

1tbsp double cream

For the mousse topping:

250g mascapone

300ml double cream

200g chestnut puree

50ml Bailey's Irish cream

Icing sugar (to taste)

To decorate:

Icing sugar

Cocoa

Grated chocolate

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C and grease and line a 9" round baking tin.

2. Mix the chestnut pieces, 50g of the sugar and the alcohol in a bowl.

3. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a bain marie.

4. Meanwhile, whip the egg white until stiff. Gradually add in the remaining sugar to create a meringue.

5. Beat in the egg yolks.

6. Slacken the the chestnut puree with the double cream and beat into the melted butter and chocolate along with the salt.

7. Sieve in the flour and cocoa.

8. Fold in the meringue.

9. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, until barely set in the middle. Leave to cool.

10. Once cooled remove from the tin and put on a serving plate. Replace the wall of the tin over the base to allow you to build the torte.

11. Whip the cream to light peaks with the Bailey's and icing sugar.

12. Beat the mascapone and chestnut puree, then mix with the Bailey's cream.

13. Cover the brownie base with the mousse and leave to set for a few hours.

14. Once set, unmould and decorate with icing sugar, cocoa and grated chocolate.

Lemon Drizzle cake

 

I took my first proper cake into work today: a lemon drizzle. This was the same cake as I did for a wedding a couple of years ago, (I never quite managed to blog that one...) so I was reasonably confident but you never quite know. It did seem to go down quite well though.

When making it, it seems like it's more drizzle than cake, so to say it's a moist slice, is an understatement. As someone in the team rightly pointed out though, that's the point! It's still retains a pretty good structure. The different drizzles, I think, give maximum penetration and using different types of sugars gives pleasing textural differences. Oh and it's unashamedly lemony!

Lemon drizzle cake recipe

Ingredients:

200g caster sugar

4 eggs

150ml sour cream

Zest 1 lemon

60ml lemon juice

150ml oil

200g plain flour

1.5tsp baking powder

0.5tsp bicarbonate of soda

Drizzle 1:

4tbsp icing sugar

45ml lemon juice

Drizzle 2: 

70ml lemon juice

Zest 1 lemon

80g demerara sugar

NB: One lemon has about 30ml juice

Method:

1. Line and grease an 8" cake tin and pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

2. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until pale and fluffy.

3. Add the sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice and oil. Whisk together.

4. Sift the flour, baking powder and bicarb and fold in.

(NB. The batter will seem very liquid, but don't worry it'll be OK)

5. Bake for 45 minutes at 180°C

6. Whilst the cake is baking make the two drizzles by simply mixing together the ingredients until the sugar has dissolved.

7. Once the cake is baked, use a skewer to make holes all over the cake. 

8. Brush on drizzle 1 all over the top of the cake using a pastry brush.

9. Brush on drizzle 2, waiting for each stroke to be absorbed before adding more. This'll take some time.

(NB. It'll seem that there's no way the cake will take that much moisture - it will) 

10. Leave to cool. Unmould and devour.