Chestnut Delight

Para versão Portuguesa clique aqui: “Delícia de Castanha”

800g chestnuts

500ml/2 cups milk

5 eggs

250g/1 ¼ cups sugar

75g/5 tbsp butter, melted

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp ground fennel seeds

100g chocolate broken into small pieces

100ml heavy cream

1 tbsp Port wine or sherry

Slit the chestnuts on the side lengthwise and place in a pot with cold water. Place on high heat and let boil for 5 minutes. Remove the shells and weigh 500g/3cups of cooked and shelled chestnuts. Return to a clean pan and add milk. Let simmer for 30 minutes until they are soft. 

Mash the chestnuts roughly, then process them to a thick paste. Set aside to cool for about 15 minutes or until just warm. Pre-heat oven to 180ºC. Mix egg yolks with sugar, then add butter and mix well. Add this mixture to the chestnut along with baking powder and fennel and mix well.

Beat the egg whites until fluffy. Add a third of the egg whites to the chestnut batter and mix well. Fold in remaining egg whites gently. Grease and line a 23 centimeters in diameter pan and pour in the batter. Place in the oven for 35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Let it cool and remove from pan.

Prepare the ganache: in a double-boiler melt the chocolate with cream and Port wine stirring until creamy and shiny. Pour over the cake.

You can also line muffin tins with paper cups and make cupcakes.