Chocolate Chestnut Cakes
Makes 6
Ingredients
- 3 Eggs
- 85 gm caster sugar
- 50 gm (1/3 cup) cornflour
- 25 gm (¼ cup) Dutch-process cocoa
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tbls plain flour
- 40 gm unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup thickened cream
- ¼ cup sweetened chestnut puree
- Dutch-process cocoa, for dusting
Chocolate sauce
- 200 gm dark chocolate, chopped
- 50 gm unsalted butter
Method
- Using an electric mixer, whisk eggs and sugar until mixture holds a trail. Sift cornflour, cocoa, cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda and flour over egg mixture and, using a spatula, gentry fold in, then add melted butter and fold in until combined.
- Spoon mixture into two 18 x 26 cm baking paper-lined swiss roll pans and bake at 180oC for 12 minutes or until cakes spring back when lightly touched. Stand cakes for 3 minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool.
- Using an electric mixer, whisk cream until soft peaks form, then stir in chestnut puree until combined. Using a 7cm round pastry cutter, cut 12 rounds from sponge, then spread 6 rounds with chestnut cream, top with remaining rounds and refrigerate for 5 minutes or until firm.
- For chocolate sauce, melt chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, add butter and stir until smooth.
- Serve cakes, dusted with cocoa and drizzled with chocolate sauce.
Cakes will keep, refrigerated, in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Recipe by Rodney Dunn Gourmet Traveller March 2005
