Chestnut Cream Cake With Collar

A community recipe by mara2

Not tested or verified by Nigella.com

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Introduction

This is a very delicious cake for special occasions. It might seem labourous to do, but there's nothing tricky about it, even the collar is easy to make.

For US measures and ingredient names, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

Ingredients

Serves: 1 cake

Metric U.S.

For the Cake

6 eggs
270 grams sugar
6 tablespoons water
340 grams flour
30 grams cocoa (unsweetened)
2 teaspoons baking powder

For the Filling

400 grams sweetened chestnut puree
50 grams raisins (or crystallised fruit)
4 tablespoons rum
3 egg yolks
80 grams caster sugar
250 millilitres double cream
80 grams raspberry jam

For the Topping

200 millilitres whipping cream (or double cream)
100 grams sweetened chestnut puree
raisins (or crystallised fruit)
100 grams chocolate
2 tablespoons oil

For the Cake

6 eggs
10 ounces sugar
6 tablespoons water
12 ounces flour
1 ounce unsweetened cocoa (unsweetened)
2 teaspoons baking powder

For the Filling

14 ounces sweetened chestnut puree
2 ounces raisins (or crystallised fruit)
4 tablespoons rum
3 egg yolks
3 ounces superfine sugar
8⅘ fluid ounces heavy cream
3 ounces raspberry jam

For the Topping

7 fluid ounces heavy cream (or double cream)
4 ounces sweetened chestnut puree
raisins (or crystallised fruit)
4 ounces chocolate
2 tablespoons oil

Method

Chestnut Cream Cake With Collar is a community recipe submitted by mara2 and has not been tested by Nigella.com so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe.

Stir the yolks with the water and half of the sugar with a hand-held. Then beat the egg whites for a while then add the rest of the sugar and beat until it's really hard.

Add the beaten egg whites to the yolks and mix very carefully but firmly. Mix the flour, cocoa and baking powder in a bowl and add to the mixture in 2 or 3 parts, again, stirring carefully but firmly.

You should avoid crushing the beaten egg whites as much as possible. Put the batter in a buttered and flour-sprinkled 26cm round tin and bake in pre-heated oven at 180 C for about 25 min, but it's ready when it doesn't stick to an inserted toothpick.

Never open the door until 15 minutes though, or it will collapse. Let it cool completely, then divide into three layers.

The cream: If you have frozen chestnut puree, let it unfreeze, then add 2 tbsp rum. Soak the raisins or crystallized fruit in the other 2 tbsp rum.

Stir the yolks and the sugar in a bowl over boiling water until it's really thick, then add it spoon by spoon to the chestnut.

Whip the double cream and add to the chestnut, adding the raisins or crystallized fruit as well. Spread the jam on each layer (you can leave it out if you like) and then 1/3 of the filling on each layer (there should be cream on the top of the cake).

Then put the layers on each other. Whip the cream until it's really hard (you can add some fixing). Spread some cream on the side of the cake, and put the rest in a decorating bag with any kind of ending you like and decorate the top of the cake with the cream, chestnut puree and raisins or crystallized fruit.

For the collar: Melt the chocolate adding the oil. Measure the height and circumference of the cake, and cut out two baking papers. Spread chocolate on each of them thinly and when it's starting to stiffen but still not too hard, put it on the side and carefully take off the paper.

Do it with both papers, sticking the two with melted chocolate.

Stir the yolks with the water and half of the sugar with a hand-held. Then beat the egg whites for a while then add the rest of the sugar and beat until it's really hard.

Add the beaten egg whites to the yolks and mix very carefully but firmly. Mix the flour, unsweetened cocoa and baking powder in a bowl and add to the mixture in 2 or 3 parts, again, stirring carefully but firmly.

Never open the door until 15 minutes though, or it will collapse. Let it cool completely, then divide into three layers.

The cream: If you have frozen chestnut puree, let it unfreeze, then add 2 tbsp rum. Soak the raisins or crystallized fruit in the other 2 tbsp rum.

Stir the yolks and the sugar in a bowl over boiling water until it's really thick, then add it spoon by spoon to the chestnut.

Whip the heavy cream and add to the chestnut, adding the raisins or crystallized fruit as well. Spread the jam on each layer (you can leave it out if you like) and then 1/3 of the filling on each layer (there should be cream on the top of the cake).

Do it with both papers, sticking the two with melted chocolate.