French Market Recipe 2024 36
Gateau de marrons au chocolat
Chocolate chestnut cake
Ingredients for 10 servings
- 2x 450g jar cooked chestnuts (Marrons) from the French Market shop
- 40ml water
- 10 eggs
- 500g sugar
- 100g dark chocolate (I used 90%)
- 85g unsalted French butter from the French Market shop
- 100g Walnut halves
- 1 Bourbon vanilla pod from the French market shop
- 1 tablespoon rum (optional)
- 1 tub Crème fraiche
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 150C degrees
- Split the vanilla pod and scrape out the beans with point of a knife (after that you can use the empty pod to flavour a jar of sugar)
- Put the Marrons (shelled and precooked) chestnuts into a blender
- Slowly add water and blend until you have a thick puree consistency
- Put the chestnut puree into a large mixing bowl
- Stir in a spoonful of rum
- Separate 6 eggs and mix the egg yolks into the puree with a wooden spoon
- Mix in the sugar
- Beat the 6 egg whites until stiff peaks are formed.
- Carefully add the egg whites to the cake mixture using a spatula and lifting the mixture high.
- Butter a deep baking tin and spoon in the cake mixture
- Cook in the preheated oven for at least 1 hour
- Check to see if it is cooked by inserting a knife all the way down through the middle of the cake, if it comes away clean the cake is cooked. I found it can take longer than 1 hour but it depends on the accuracy of the oven temperature.
- Once cooked, take out of the oven, and allow to cool.
- Remove from pan and place on a serving dish
- While the cake is cooking make the chocolate topping
- Separate 4 eggs and lightly beat the egg yolks.
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces
- Pour 2 tablespoons of water into a heavy based saucepan
- Add the chocolate and melt over a gentle heat stirring all the time
- Once it has no more lumps, remove from heat, and add the butter, stir in well
- Then add the egg yolks and mix well together.
- Once the cake has cooled spread the chocolate mixture over the top and sides.
- Lightly toast the walnuts in a dry pan and cool
- Decorate top and sides of cake with the walnuts.
Serve the crème fraiche alongside the cake with a glass of Champagne from our French Market shop or buy online at www.frenchmarket.co.za/shop/
Bon Appétit!