Chestnut Cream Cake (Gâteau Ardéchois)
Known in French as Gâteau Ardéchois, this Chestnut Cream Cake is a rustic recipe originating from the French Ardèche, in Southeastern France. Made with homemade chestnut cream, this simple cake yields an incomparable nutty taste and a wonderfully rich, moist texture from the chestnut spread. This is a home bakers’ favorite, and a great French classic to add to your Winter repertoire. A Rustic Southern French Cake Located in Southeastern France, the Ardèche is a department famous for its valleys, trails, lush forests and abundance of chestnuts. Chestnut purée, roasted…
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 31 min
- Yield
- 1 serving
- Difficulty
- EASY
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 5 large eggs, yolks and whites divided
- ½ cup (100g) sugar
- 500g Chestnut Cream 1 cup (250g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups (250g) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- 1
Pre-heat your oven at 350F (180C) with a rack in the middle. Grease and lightly flour a 9-inch cake pan.
- 2
Step 1 - In a large bowl, beat the egg whites to a firm peak. Set aside.
- 3
Step 2 -In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar for about 5 minutes, until paler in color and a ribbon forms from the whisk.
- 4
Step 3 -In a separate bowl, combine the chestnut cream with the soft butter. Mix until homogeneous. Add the chestnut cream/butter mixture to the egg/sugar mixture, and mix until fully combined.
- 5
Step 4 -In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- 6
Step 5 -Using a spatula, fold in about a quarter of the egg whites into the chestnut cream mixture, and then fold in about a quarter of the flour. Repeat, alternating a quarter of egg whites and a quarter of flour, until all folded in. Do not overmix; stop working when just incorporated. The batter should be fluffy.
- 7
Gently transfer the batter into your cake pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack for 5 minutes and unmold.