Cakes & Bakes: Chocolate caramel chestnut cake

When we did our Christmas shop, we picked up a bag of chestnuts – something you’d only really see in the shops around that time of year.

We had thoughts of a lovely Christmas lunch, followed by a walk in the snowy countryside and then coming home to roast the chestnuts in our wood-burner. Chance would be a fine thing! Three weeks on, the bag of chestnuts was still in our vegetable rack waiting for its big day.

I had a look through my cookbooks and online and came across a recipe for a chocolate caramel chestnut cake. The original recipe has a brandy syrup which I substituted with rum. It also calls for edible gold dust to brush on the chestnut garnish – not something I had to hand! It looks so pretty that I’d definitely plan ahead and order some if I was making the cake for Christmas or another special occasion.

This recipe looks like a big, time-consuming job but as its author, Dorie Greenspan, says:

“Because every element of the cake can be made ahead, you can work on it in stages. The filled and glazed cake can be kept in the refrigerator for a day, but add the chestnut garnish right before serving.”
“The ganache is best if refrigerated overnight. The glaze needs a 4-hour rest and the cake, if it’s been seriously chilled, needs some serious time on the counter to come to room temperature – serve it cold, and you won’t get the full measure of pleasure from the ganache so plan ahead.”

To roast the chestnuts (in an oven, if you don’t have the quintessential ‘open fire’), preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas mark 6. Mark a small cross on the flat side of each using a small sharp kitchen knife making sure you pierce the skin but not cut the nut inside. You could also pierce a few times with the fork. Put the nuts on a baking sheet, cut side up, and cook for about 10-20 minutes, turning a couple of times until the skins open. Peel while still warm.

The completed chocolate caramel chestnut cake looks very impressive with it’s height, multiple layers and glossy finish. Tasty too – well worth the time and effort!

Check out some of our other Cakes & Bakes offerings here!

Chocolate caramel chestnut cake

Dorie Greenspan

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Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Ingredients

For the caramel ganache

250 g/9oz milk chocolate
85 g/3oz dark chocolate finely chopped
6 tbs golden granulated sugar
2 tbs water
1 cinnamon stick
275 ml/10fl oz tablespoons whipping cream
¼ teaspoon salt
250 g/9oz butter softened

For the cake

265 g/9oz plain flour
35 g/1oz cornflour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
225 g/8oz butter softened
250 g/9oz golden granulated sugar divided
4 large eggs separated
2 tsp vanilla extract
250 g/9oz sweetened chestnut spread with vanilla not something in my store cupboard, but similar can be made with several cooked chestnuts puréed in a processor with 1tsp vanilla essence and 2tbs caster sugar
60 ml/2fl oz milk

For the syrup

60 ml/2fl oz rum
2 tbs golden caster sugar
12 roasted chestnuts coarsely chopped

For the glaze

240 ml/8½fl oz whipping cream
35 g/1oz sugar
60 ml/2fl oz water
225 g/8oz dark chocolate chopped

For the garnish

8 roasted chestnuts whole
edible gold dust optional

Instructions

For the ganache

Combine milk chocolate and dark chocolate in medium-sized bowl
Stir sugar, 2 tbs water, and cinnamon stick in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup turns deep amber, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 6 minutes (time will vary depending on size of pan). Add cream and salt (mixture will bubble vigorously). Bring caramel to boil, whisking until smooth and caramel bits dissolve, about 1 minute. Discard cinnamon stick
Pour the hot caramel over chocolate; stir until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth
Let stand until completely cool, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour
Using an electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy
Beat in the chocolate mixture in 4 additions
Cover and refrigerate the ganache overnight

For the cake

Preheat oven to 175ºC/350°F/gas mark 4
Grease 4 rectangular 18cm x 9cm 450g/1lb loaf tins before lining the bottoms with parchment paper. (If you don't have this number of tins, you can cook the cakes one by one)
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cornflower, baking powder and salt
In another bowl and using an electric mixer, beat the butter until pale & fluffy
Add 200g/7oz of the sugar, egg yolks and vanilla extract and combine well
Add the chestnut spread, then the milk and combine well
Sift the dry ingredients over and carefully mix together
In another large bowl, and using clean beaters, beat the egg whites into soft peaks
Add the remaining 50g/1¾oz sugar and beat until stiff but not dry
Fold the egg whites into the batter in 3 additions
Transfer batter equally across the prepared cake tin(s) (kitchen scales can be useful for this - I made it about 325g per tin)
Bake the cakes until golden and a skewer inserted into the middle comes away clean (about 25-30 minutes)
Allow to cool completely in the pan(s) on a wire rack

For the syrup

Stir the rum and brown sugar in small bowl until the sugar completely dissolves

To complete

Turn cakes out onto work surface and peel off the parchment
Place one of the cakes, bottom side up, on a clean piece of parchment
Brush the cake layer with ¼ of the rum syrup
Spread with ¼ of the ganache and sprinkle with ¼ of the chopped chestnuts
Top with second cake layer, bottom side up
Repeat this twice - ¼ rum syrup, ¼ ganache, and ¼ chopped chestnuts
Top with the fourth, final cake layer, bottom side up
Spread the remaining ¼ of the ganache over the top and sides of the cake
Place cake rack on sheet of foil; place assembled cake on rack
Chill while you prepare glaze

For the glaze

Bring cream, sugar, and 60ml/2fl oz water to boil in heavy medium saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves
Add the chocolate and whisk until melted and the glaze is smooth. Allow to cool until thick but still pourable
Pour glaze over the top of the cake, spreading evenly over the sides
Chill until the glaze sets

For the garnish

Brush the top of the whole chestnuts with the edible gold dust (optional)
Arrange the chestnuts across top of cake
Serve at room temperature

Chocolate caramel chestnut cake ingredients

Keyword cake, caramel, chestnuts, chocolate, ganache, layer cake

Cakes & Bakes: Red velvet cake

For ages I’ve admired all the images of red velvet cakes that show up in my Pinterest stream. The cakes, which are an American phenomenon, look amazing but I had no idea what they tasted like.

When we were sent these heart-themed baking accessories by Meincupcake, I decided that the day had arrived for me to embark upon my red velvet cake challenge!

As far as I could tell from the photos I’d seen, most red velvet cakes adhere to certain rules; layers, cream cheese frosting and a propensity towards flamboyance!

I need to point out, I used the Rowntree cocoa that I already happened to have in the store cupboard. It was Dutch processed, meaning that during production, it has been ‘alkalised’ to give it a smoother flavour. I could tell by looking at it that it had been processed because it’s quite dark brown. Unprocessed cocoa is often referred to as cacao and is much lighter in colour.

Unprocessed cocoa is called for in the recipe (although it’s not absolutely necessary) as all kinds of alchemy are involved in the making of the cake! The cocoa, buttermilk, baking soda and vinegar all commingle to produce the most moist, light, heavenly cake you’ve ever tasted – with the brightest, reddest crumb!

Now that I’ve got the Dutched versus un-Dutched details out of the way, let’s get on to the business of cake-making!

As I mentioned before, there’s a lot of science involved in making red velvet so the order in which the ingredients get added really makes a difference.

The buttermilk and the vinegar add acidity to the mix producing a bubbly chemical reaction with the alkaline baking powder and helping make the red colour really bright.

The eggs are separated and the egg whites whipped into peaks and gently folded in at the end to add even more lightness to the sponge.

I think I mentioned previously that big cakes are just too much for just the two of us (even with me being a greedy cake eater!). So, instead of making a 4-tiered cake, I made a large 2-tier and a smaller 2-tier cake, giving one of the cakes away to friends.

I wanted to use both my newly-acquired accessories in this recipe, so I thought I’d use the pastry cutters to make red, heart-shaped shortbread biscuits to adorn the cake.

I love cream cheese frosting, especially on carrot cake. Next time though, I’ll tweak the recipe so the mixture is firmer and less runny.

It’s delicious either way, but when it’s firmer you’re able to pipe the frosting on the top and have a thicker layer of it in the middle.

The resulting cake was so MASSIVE, we didn’t have a big enough plate to hold it!

I think I remained very restrained with my cake embellishments – I was considering red edible glitter, hundreds & thousands… in the end, I just studded it with a few little chocolate beans.

I’m really happy with my first attempt at red velvet cake and can’t wait to have another go!

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Red velvet cake

New York Times

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Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Ingredients

For the cake mixture

475 ml/16fl oz vegetable oil
3 large eggs separated
1½ tsp vanilla essence
6 tbs red food colouring
450 g/15½oz granulated sugar
440 g/15½oz self raising flour
60 g/2oz cocoa powder preferably not Dutch processed
1½ tsp salt
250 g buttermilk
2 tsp baking soda
2½ tsp white vinegar

for the frosting

280 g/10oz cream cheese
125 g/4½oz butter softened
250 g/9oz icing sugar sifted to remove any lumps
2 tsp vanilla essence

For the shortbread

125 g/4oz butter
55 g/2oz caster sugar
180 g/6oz plain flour
1 tsp red food colouring

To decorate

chocolate beans glimmer sprinkles or heart confetti (all completely optional!)

Instructions

for the cake

Preheat the oven to 175ºC/350ºF/Gas mark 4
Grease cake tins well (I used the 25½cm/10-inch and 30½/12-inch heart-shaped cake tins)
Separate the eggs and set aside
In a large mixing bowl, combine the vegetable oil and sugar until dissolved
Mix in the egg yolks before carefully adding the food colouring (you don't want to splash red all over yourself!)
In another mixing bowl, combine the flour cocoa powder and salt
Add these dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two batches, alternating with adding the buttermilk
Using an electric mixer in yet another mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks are formed. Set aside
In a small bowl or teacup, mix the baking powder and vinegar
Add to the batter
Carefully fold the egg whites into the batter
Divide the batter between the cake tins
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes away clean
Allow to cool completely in the tins
Carefully remove from the tins and slice each cake in half horizontally using a large serrated knife (like a bread knife)

For the frosting

In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and cream cheese
Gradually add the icing sugar until completely mixed in
Cover with cling-film and keep refrigerated until you're ready to use

For the shortbread biscuits

In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugar and food colouring together until smooth
Add the flour and mix until the the colour is uniform and the dough comes together into a large ball
Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently roll out thinly until the mixture is about ½cm/⅕in thick
Form into shapes (I used the smallest size heart-shaped pastry cutter) and place onto a greased baking sheet
Sprinkle liberally with caster sugar before chilling in the fridge for about 20 minutes
Bake for 5-8 minutes, or until pale pink
Allow to cool on a wire rack

Keyword cake, heart, red velvet

[disclosure*]

Cakes & Bakes: Double chocolate stout cake

This double chocolate stout cake was a resounding hit this week! I’ve used stout to make bread before, but this is the first time that I’ve used it as a cake ingredient.

It was moist, dense and dark with the stout giving the chocolate a greater depth of flavour. The was pretty tasty too!

Here’s the recipe – based on the one I found in The Delia Collection: Chocolate…

Have a look at some of the other recipes where we used stout.

Double chocolate stout cake

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Cook Time 30

Total Time 30

Ingredients

For the cake
2 oz/50g cocoa powder
7 fl oz/200 ml Young's Double Chocolate Stout Guinness or similar
4 oz/110g butter softened
10 oz/275g brown soft sugar
2 large eggs beaten
6 oz/175g plain flour
¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
For the icing
4 oz/110g icing sugar sifted
2 oz/50g very soft butter
2 tbsp stout
4 oz/110g dark chocolate
To decorate
8 walnut halves
cocoa powder for dusting

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until pale & fluffy
Beat the eggs in a small jug and add it a little at a time to the butter & sugar mixture
Into the smaller mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda
Into the smallest mixing bowl, add the cocoa, gradually stirring the stout into it using a whisk
Carefully and lightly fold small quantities of the sifted flour alternately with the cocoa & stout liquid into the egg mixture
Divide the cake mixture equally between two 20cm/8" loose-based cake tins
Bake in the centre of the oven for 30-35 minutes
Leave them to cool in the tins for 5 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack
To make the icing, beat the icing sugar and butter together until blended
Gradually add the stout, making sure it's thoroughly mixed in after each addition
Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over hot water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water
One by one, dip the walnut halves up to their middle into the warm, melted chocolate
Leave them on a side plate or parchment paper to harden
Carefully fold the remaining melted chocolate into the icing mixture and allow to cool
Once cooled to a spreadable consistency, using a palette knife, sandwich the cake with ⅓ of the icing
Spread the remaining ⅔ on the top of the cake
Arrange the dipped walnut halves on top

Tools:

Graduated mixing bowls

two 20cm/8" loose-based cake tins

small measuring jug

Piece of Cake

A new cake has been made for the tin by the kettle – a rather nice chocolate sponge cake with a coconut chocolate topping.

The recipe is taken from Delia Smith’s Cookery Course Part Two book. It’s based on her quick & easy ‘All-in-one sponge’ recipe:

4oz/110g self raising flour, sifted
1tsp baking powder
4oz/110g soft margarine, at room temperature
4oz/110g caster sugar
2tbs cocoa powder
2 large eggs
2-3 drops vanilla extract

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 3/325ºF/170ºC

Lightly grease a 7-inch/18cm sponge tin and line its base with greaseproof paper (also greased) or silicone paper.

Take a large, roomy mixing bowl, and sift flour and baking powder into it, holding the sieve high to give the flour a good airing. Then simply add all the other ingredients to the bowl, and whisk them – preferably with an electric hand whisk – till thoroughly combined. If the mixture doesn’t drop off a wooden spoon easily when tapped on the side of the bowl, then add 1 or 2 teaspoonfuls of tap-warm water, and whisk again.

Add to the prepared tin, level off and bake on the centre shelf of the oven for about 30 minutes. When cooked, leave it in the tin for only about 30 seconds, then loosen the edge by sliding a palette knife all round and turn it out onto a wire cooling rack.

To finish:

Melt 100g milk chocolate in a bowl over hot water (bain marie). Add 1tbs dessicated coconut to the chocolate and spread over the top. Finish with a further sprinkle.

It can be tweaked with all kinds of other flavours, fillings & toppings – vanilla, ginger, dried fruit etc. We also like the look of this new version that Delia has on her own website

If you prefer a thicker cake with a middle layer of butter cream, jam etc, just double the quantities, and use two tins.

It’s delicious – give it a go next time you have a few minutes to spare – and enjoy it with a nice cuppa!

H is for Home Harbinger

Tag: chocolate cake

Cakes & Bakes: Chocolate caramel chestnut cake

Chocolate caramel chestnut cake

Ingredients

For the caramel ganache

For the cake

For the syrup

For the glaze

For the garnish

Instructions

For the ganache

For the cake

For the syrup

To complete

For the glaze

For the garnish

Cakes & Bakes: Red velvet cake

Red velvet cake

Ingredients

For the cake mixture

for the frosting

For the shortbread

To decorate

Instructions

for the cake

For the frosting

For the shortbread biscuits

Cakes & Bakes: Double chocolate stout cake

Double chocolate stout cake

Ingredients

Instructions

Piece of Cake