
Ana's cousin Mary Carmen sent us this recipe for Spanish chestnut cake. We tried it the other day and loved it.
It's really closer to a sweet frittata than what we usually think of as cake. Like many Spanish desserts, its appeal has less to do with sweetness or richness than a bold contrast of flavors--dark chocolate, lemon zest, earthy chestnuts--and an unusual texture--firm and somewhat dense, like the chestnut itself.
This cake is more than enough for four people.
Here's the recipe.
Ingredients:
--About three quarters of a cup of chestnuts. We ordered ours from Correia Chestnut Farm and were very pleased.
--2 tablespoons of flour
--the grated zest of 1 lemon
--3 or 4 tablespoons of sugar
--3 large eggs
--1 teaspoon of yeast (We've found that we prefer this without the yeast).
a little olive oil
5 or 6 squares of good dark chocolate
a dash of milk
First prepare the chestnuts. Score them. I explain how to do this in my post on roasted chestnuts.
Put them in a saucepan with enough water to cover them. Bring them to a boil. Turn the heat down and let them simmer for 30 minutes. Drain, rinse, and when they're just cool enough to handle, peel them.
Chop the chestnuts. You want them fine, but not a paste.
Beat together the eggs and sugar. Add the chopped chestnuts, a dash of olive oil, the flour, the yeast, and the lemon zest. Stir well.
Rub a 9 1/2 inch non-stick cake pan with olive oil. Pour in the batter. Bake in a 375 degree oven, for 20-25 minutes. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick into the cake. It should come out dry.
Carefully loosen the cake from the pan with a spatula. Turn it out onto a plate.
To make the chocolate sauce, just heat the chocolate squares in a small saucepan with a dash of milk. Stir the chocolate and milk together as it melts. Be careful not to let the chocolate scorch. Or you can melt the chocolate in the microwave.
Slice the cake into wedges. Drizzle or spread melted chocolate onto each slice before serving.