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1
Line a cake tin with kitchen parchment paper.
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2
Dust with almond flour.
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3
The almond flour can clog up the sieve, so push it through with your fingers.
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4
This cake is delicious too if you replace some of the almond flour with chestnut flour!
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5
Divide the eggs into yolks and whites.
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6
Beat the egg whites and make meringue.
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7
Add the sugar in 3 to 4 batches, and make a meringue with stiff peaks.
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8
Lower the speed of your handheld mixer at the end to create small air bubbles in the meringue and smooth out the texture.
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9
While you're beating the meringue, make the browned butter too.
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10
Put the butter in a pan and heat until it turns dark brown.
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11
Strain it through a tea strainer.
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12
Start preheating the oven to 180 C. Combine the egg yolks with the chestnut cream and mix well.
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13
If you are using rum, add it at Step 6 or 7.
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14
Keep mixing while adding the browned butter little by little.
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15
If you stop mixing, the yolks may curdle from the heat of the butter, so keep mixing continuously.
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16
Add the almond flour.
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17
Beat well with a whisk until the batter is smooth.
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18
Add 1/3 of the meringue to the batter, and scoop up from the bottom of the bowl as you fold it in.
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19
Add half of the remaining meringue and fold it in too.
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20
Add the remaining meringue, and fold it in as you scoop up from the bottom, trying not to beat out the air bubbles, to make a light and fluffy batter.
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21
Pour the batter into the cake tin.
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22
Shake the tin gently from side to side, then tap it on your countertop to remove any large air bubbles.
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23
Set the chestnuts in syrup (without the syrup) on top.
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24
(They sank to the bottom when I baked the cake...)
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25
You can also chop up the chestnuts before adding them to the cake.
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26
But if you want to enjoy the smooth texture of the cake, I think it's better to just add the whole chestnuts.
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27
Bake at 180C for 30 minutes, then at 150 to 160C for 20 minutes, for a total of 50 minutes.
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28
The baking time will vary depending on your oven and the mold you're using, so please be sure to check how the cake is doing.
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29
If it looks like the surface is going to burn, cover it with a piece of aluminium foil.
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30
If a skewer poked into the cake comes out clean it's done.
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31
As soon as you take the cake out of the oven, drop it onto your countertop from about a 30 cm height to push out the steam.
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32
When the cake has cooled down slightly, take it out of the tin and peel off the paper.
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33
Leave to cool on a cooling rack.
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34
Cover the cake with a tightly wrung out moistened kitchen towel as it cools to prevent it from drying out.
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35
When the cake has cooled down, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for several hours in the refrigerator.
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36
The cake will settle and become more delicious.
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37
It's done when it's well rested!
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38
The middle will sink a bit when it's completely chilled.
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39
Dust the top with powdered sugar and enjoy.
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40
I served it with whipped cream.
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41
Soooo delish.
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42
It's kind of like being at a cafe isn't it?
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43
It's a bit like baked creamed sweet potato, or kabocha squash or sweet potato custard.
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44
But it's still like a cake too.
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45
When you put a fork in it, it's like this.
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46
Sooo moist.
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47
I think it may be good baked in a pastry crust too!
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48
It's very moist so it should work.
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49
I think I'll try it next time.
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50
I used storebought chestnut cream.
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51
I used Sabaton's creme de marron this time.
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52
But I actually think the one from Clement Faugier has a better flavor.
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53
I made 11 cm diameter cakes to give as gifts.
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54
You can make 4 cakes of this size.
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55
I took this picture before dusting them with powdered sugar.
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56
After giving them a makeover.
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57
Wrapped nicely.
