Chestnut Birthday Cake 栗子蛋糕
Our chestnut cake has chestnut in the cake (a revelation!), white chocolate marscarpone frosting and freshly homemade chestnut purée piped on top in a golden, gorgeous, chestnut-y pile. Lightly sweet, creamy, and packed with delicate nutty flavor, it's chestnuts all the way, baby!
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 35 min
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 17 oz + 10 oz chestnut purée, 500g+300g
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar, 100g
- 1 cup butter, room temperature, 250g
- 2 tbsp rum
- 2 cups flour, 250g
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- 4 cups white chocolate mascarpone frosting
Instructions
- 1
Making the Cake: Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). Butter and flour cake pans.
- 2
If making chestnut purée instead of buying canned, follow our homemade chestnut purée recipe (recipe coming next) to make.
- 3
Cut butter into cubes. Add 17oz (500g) of chestnut purée to butter and mix until creamy and smooth.
- 4
Separate egg yolks from egg whites. Reserve egg whites in clean mixing bowl. In separate bowl whip egg yolks and sugar for 2-3 mins or until light and pale in color. Add rum and mix well. Add to the beaten butter and mix til combined.
- 5
Separately, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the wet mixture and mix only til just combined. Don’t over mix!
- 6
Whip the reserved egg whites til firm peaks form. Fold gently into the cake mixture.
- 7
Pour into cake tins, smoothing top with a spatula. Bake 35-40 mins or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 5 mins before removing from pan. Let finish cooling on wire rack.
- 8
Frosting the Cake:In the meanwhile prepare frosting as per our white chocolate mascarpone cream frosting recipe.
- 9
When completely cooled cut off the domed tops of the cake off with a cake wire cutter or a large knife. (Eat the cake tops, baker's treat, fresh from the oven!). Further slice each cake into two layers, for a total of four layers.
- 10
Reserve one of the bottom cake layers to top the cake. Place other bottom layer on cake plate. Top with layer of chestnut purée, approx 1/4 inch thick. Then add 1/4 inch thick layer of cream frosting on top of that. Repeat with the other two layers. Finally place the reserved bottom layer upside down as the top.
- 11
Apply a thin “crumb” layer of frosting all over. It doesn’t have to look good at this stage, just cover everything. Let chill in fridge for 15 mins. Apply 1/4 inch thick layer of frosting evenly over top and sides of cake, smoothing with a cake spatula.
- 12
Decorate the Cake: Scoop the rest of the mascarpone frosting into piping bags with the piping tips of your choice. (We used two tips, a small closed star and a very large closed star.). Decorate with piping as desired, only leaving room in the middle of cake top for the chestnut purée decoration.
- 13
Scoop 10oz (300g) chestnut purée into piping bag with a small round piping tip. Pipe purée in an organic manner over the cake top area reserved, creating an elegant heaped mound.
- 14
Store cake in the fridge, bringing out 15 mins before ready to serve. Enjoy and Happy BD to you and yours!