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Chestnut Cream Cake

17/11/2023

The chestnut cream cake is a delicious autumn dessert, rich and tasty. Here’s how you can prepare it:

Ingredients

  • For the base:

    • 200 g of 00 flour
    • 100 g of cold butter, cubed
    • 80 g of icing sugar
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 pinch of salt

  • For the chestnut cream:

    • 350 g of chestnut cream
    • 250 ml of fresh cream
    • 2 egg yolks
    • 50 g of granulated sugar
    • 20 g of 00 flour

  • For decorating:

    • Natural or candied chestnuts
    • Icing sugar

Preparation

  1. Preparing the base:

    • In a bowl, mix the flour with the icing sugar and a pinch of salt.
    • Add the cold cubed butter and rub the mixture with your fingertips until you have a breadcrumb-like consistency.
    • Add the egg and quickly knead until you have a smooth dough.
    • Wrap the shortcrust pastry in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

  2. Preparing the chestnut cream:

    • In a small pot, gently heat the chestnut cream over low heat to make it more workable.
    • In another pot, heat the fresh cream until it almost reaches a boil.
    • In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until you have a light and frothy mixture.
    • Add the sifted flour to the yolks and stir to avoid lumps.
    • Pour the warm cream onto the yolk mixture, stir and put everything back into the pot.
    • Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the cream thickens.
    • Remove the cream from the heat and let it cool slightly. Incorporate the warmed chestnut cream and stir until homogeneous.

  3. Assembling and baking:

    • Roll out the shortcrust pastry into a thin layer and place it in a previously buttered and floured cake tin.
    • Pour the chestnut cream over the shortcrust pastry base and level the surface.
    • Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C (356 °F) for about 35-40 minutes or until the surface of the cake is golden.
    • Allow the cake to cool before unmolding.

  4. Decoration:

    • Decorate the cake with whole or chopped chestnuts and a light dusting of icing sugar.

Curiosity

Chestnut cream is a typical French product, known as “crème de marrons”, which is perfectly suited for preparing autumn and winter desserts. In Italy, chestnuts are valued in a variety of sweet and savory preparations, representing a fundamental ingredient of the culinary tradition, especially in mountain areas where chestnuts are plentiful.