Gâteau Ardéchois (Chestnut Cream Cake)

G is for Gâteau, which is French for cake.  I still have chestnuts left over from the Costco pack I got at Christmas and wanted to use them up.  Enter chestnut cream cake!  This rustic chestnut cream cake recipe originates from the French Ardèche, in the southeastern region of France.  

After making the chestnut mousse for the Nesselrode pie, I really wanted to try out more chestnut recipes.  I have only really made a couple chestnut recipes in the past, a torte and a bread.  (Chestnut and chocolate really do play well together!)  But trying the creamy mixture of sweetened chestnuts and milk before adding the chocolate for the mousse made me realize that chestnut cream is a delicious item.  It's quite a popular spread in France, so I'm told.  Mont Blanc is just a piped chestnut cream with whipped cream on top and maybe meringue on bottom.  It is usually an autumn/winter thing but as I said, I needed to use up those chestnuts and it's still kind of late winter/early spring.

Chestnut cream is sold in tubes and cans in France.  I actually did order a couple little tubes to try, but for the cake, made my own chestnut cream out of the pre-cooked chestnuts I had on hand.  There was a slight difference in flavor from the homemade and it was primarily that I could taste the glace marrons in the commercial version.  I think it had more sugar as a result.  Both were really good and I lament that this is a once a year thing as chestnut cream and chestnuts are not to be found around here except in winter.  The resulting sponge cake (very much a traditional bundt cake texture) is tender and delicious with a beautiful subtle flavor from the chestnut cream.  It freezes well too, which is handy as this is a large cake.  (I was very much on tenterhooks as to whether this cake would turn out as I only had enough chestnut cream to try it once!)  

It's difficult to describe the flavor of chestnuts, they have a starchy quality and very subtle nuttiness.  I would actually compare them to a sweet potato for some of the texture and starch and even flavor.

If I ever had a small amount of chestnuts, I would probably make a half batch of this in a loaf pan for a pound cake style chestnut cream cake! 

Also, if you are a fan of grilled pound cake, I can attest that this cake is utterly sublime as a grilled cake slice!

Chestnut Cream Cake (Gâteau Ardéchois)
from Pardon your French
makes 1 cake

5 large eggs, yolks and whites divided
½ cup (100g) sugar
500g chestnut cream
1 cup (250g) unsalted butter, at soft room temperature (I used salted)
2 cups (250g) all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350ºF with the baking rack positioned in the middle.  Grease and lightly flour a 9-inch springform pan or a bundt pan.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites to a firm peak and set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar for about 5 minutes, until the yolks become pale in color and have reached the ribbon stage.  (A ribbon forms on the surface when drizzled from the whisk.)

Homemade chestnut cream.  500g is around 2 cups worth!

In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine the chestnut cream with the soft butter.  Mix until fully combined. Add the egg/sugar mixture to the butter mixture, and blend until fully combined.

Using a large spoon or rubber spatula, fold about a quarter of the egg whites into the chestnut cream mixture and then fold in about a quarter of the flour. Repeat, alternating a quarter of egg whites and a quarter of flour, until everything is added in. Do not overmix, combine only until no streaks of flour remain. The batter should be fluffy.

Gently scoop the batter into the prepared pan and level with a rubber or offset spatula. Bake for 50-55 minutes for a springform and 35-45 for a bundt, until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a rack to cool for 5 minutes and then unmold or turn out the cake. 

 

Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar or some whipped cream.

(I had a few leftover glace marrons and used those for garnish as well.)

Here are some more letter G recipes:

• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Ginger Dressing 
• Sneha’s Recipe: Gravy Wali Gatte Ki Sabji 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Stir-Fried Tomato Ginger Beef
• Food Lust People Love: Extra Herby Gremolata 
• Culinary Cam: Garlicky Fregola with Edamame, Mint, and Ricotta 
• Blogghetti: Sheet Pan Garlic Butter Salmon 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Guava Salad, Burmese Style 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Garlic Honey Chicken Thighs 
• A Messy Kitchen: Gâteau Ardéchois (Chestnut Cream Cake) 
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Guinness Stout Crockpot Simmered Corned Beef