Soft Chestnut Cake

Name: Soft Chestnut Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 622
Ingredients: 400 g of Chestnut Cream; 3 Eggs; 1 pinch of Table Salt; Mezza vial of Rum essence; 15 g of Butter; Powdered Sugar; Whipped Cream

Chestnut cake with sweetened chestnut spread and eggs: a soft, creamy spoon dessert, easy, quick and flourless. Ideal for fall and Christmas.

Difficulty Medium
Preparation 10 minutes
Cooking 30 minutes
Servings for 6 people, one 22 cm pan

Soft Chestnut Cake is a surprising spoon dessert made from just two base ingredients: sweetened chestnut spread and eggs. By whipping the eggs until airy and gently folding them into the spread, the oven gives you a soft, velvety texture, halfway between a pudding and a soufflé, so much so that it recalls a chestnut flan.

It is a typical fall dessert that brings out the sweet, comforting flavor of chestnuts, the emblematic fruit of Italy’s mountain tradition, from the Alpine valleys to the Apennines. Perfect if you are looking for an inexpensive, quick and flourless recipe, it works as well to end a winter holiday meal as for an indulgent afternoon snack, served with whipped cream or a dusting of powdered sugar.

Ingredients for 6 people, one 22 cm pan

For the cake:
400 g of Chestnut Cream at room temperature
3 Eggs medium, at room temperature
1 pinch of Table Salt
1/2 vial of Rum essence optional
For the pan:
15 g of Butter softened
To garnish:
Powdered Sugar to taste
Whipped Cream optional to taste

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Method

To make the soft chestnut cake, first preheat a conventional oven to 180 °C (350 °F). Butter a 22 cm (9 inch) round cake pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper, so the cake comes out easily.
Crack the eggs into a large bowl, add the pinch of salt and beat them with an electric mixer at top speed for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is pale, foamy and at least tripled in volume.
Put the chestnut spread in another bowl and work it with a spatula to make it soft and smooth. Add the whipped eggs a little at a time, folding gently from the bottom up so as not to lose the air you have beaten in.
If you like, add the rum extract, give it one last gentle stir and pour the mixture into the pan, leveling the surface.
Bake for about 30 minutes: the cake should puff up and look dry on the surface. Test it with a toothpick, which should come out just moist but without any liquid batter.
Take it out of the oven and let it cool completely in the pan: as it cools the cake will sink slightly, which is perfectly normal. Turn it out onto a serving plate and serve with a dusting of powdered sugar and, if you like, a dollop of whipped cream. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

Instead of the rum extract you can use the grated zest of an orange or a pinch of cinnamon. For a more indulgent version, add 30 g of dark chocolate chips to the mixture, or serve the cake with a warm chocolate sauce or crumbled marrons glacés.

Tips

Use eggs and chestnut spread at room temperature: the eggs will whip better and the mixture will stay puffier. Don’t open the oven during the first 20 minutes of baking. For a gluten-free result, check the label to make sure the chestnut spread is certified gluten-free.

Storage

Soft chestnut cake keeps in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container, for 2 or 3 days. Take it out of the fridge about twenty minutes before serving to enjoy it at its best. It can be frozen in portions and thawed in the fridge.