Chestnut Coffee Cake Recipes

CHESTNUT SOUR CREAM COFFEE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a bundt pan, 10-inch tube pan or two 9-inch loaf pans.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
• Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well. Beat in vanilla and sour cream.
• Add the flour mixture to the sour cream mixture and mix well. The mixture will be very thick, possibly too thick for an electric mixer.
• Remove 1 cup of the mixture to another bowl. Add the chestnut puree and chocolate chips and mix well.
• Spoon half of the batter into the bundt pan and top with half the chestnut batter. Another layer of vanilla batter, then the remaining chestnut batter. Insert a butter knife through the batter layers and swirl once or twice to marble the batter.
• Bake 60 to 65 minutes for tube pans and 45 to 50 minutes for loaf pans, until the top of the cake is no longer shiny and a tester comes out clean.
• Cool slightly, remove from pan, and dust with a mixture of powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Cake freezes for up to 2 months.

CHINESE-STYLE CHESTNUT FILLED CAKE

Steps:

• Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 7" round baking pan and dust lightly with flour.
• Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
• Beat egg yolks lightly and fold into egg white. Blend well.
• Sift together flour and salt. Add 1/3 flour mixture to egg mixture and mix well using light, swift actions. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture, mixing well after each addition.
• Add vanilla essence. Add melted butter and blend quickly.
• Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake for 25 minute.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool on a rack.
• Filling:Place chestnuts in a saucepan and add enough water to cover them. Cook until soft. Drain, reserving the water.
• Mash chestnuts.
• Use 1/2 cup chestnut water or plain water to cook sugar. Then add butter, vanilla essence and milk to this.
• Add sugar and milk mixture to chestnuts and mix well.
• Slice sponge cake into two layers.
• Force chestnut filling through a potato masher and pile the strands of chestnut onto one cake. Place the other half over the chestnut filling, and pile the remaining chestnut filing on top of this.
• Cover with whipped cream. (I normally just sandwich all the filling between the two layers and serve decorated with dusted icing sugar, chocolate curls and some extra chestnuts.

CHESTNUT TRUFFLE CAKE

Steps:

• Put the chestnuts in the food processor with the sugar, then process until fairly smooth. Put the butter and chocolate in a pan with the milk, then gently heat, stirring, until they have melted to a smooth sauce. Stir in the vanilla and cognac. Add to the chestnut mix in the food processor, then whizz again until fairly smooth.
• Line a lightly buttered small loaf tin with cling film, then pour in the chestnut truffle mix. Smooth the top, then cover the tin with cling film. Chill for 24 hrs.
• To serve, turn the truffle cake out onto a flat plate or board. Peel off the cling film. Gently melt the chocolate, butter and cream for the topping, then spread over the top and sides of the cake. Return to the fridge to set. Will keep in the fridge for another 6 days. Decorate with a dusting of icing sugar. Serve cut into thin slices with a little single cream poured around (cold vanilla custard is also very good).