Chestnut Almond Espresso Cake with Mocha Whipped Cream

seahorse73's Note:

This cake is from Abilgail Kirsch's book Invitiation to Dinner. If you like chestnuts you will love this cake!

• Total Time: 1 hrs 35 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

Cake

• 1/2 cup almonds, skinless
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 lb resh chestnuts or 1 cup unsweetened chestnut puree
• 6 large eggs, separated
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup espresso
• 1 pinch salt

Mocha Whipped Cream

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into bite-size pieces
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso coffee, dissolved in
• 1/4 cup boiling water

Directions:

1. For the Cake:Place the almonds in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a knife blade and pulse until the nuts are finely ground.
2. Set aside in a small dish.
3. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
4. Butter and flour 2 9" round cake pans.
5. If you are using fresh chestnuts, place them in a saucepan with water to cover.
6. Simmer the chestnuts until they are tender, about 40 minutes.
7. BE sure to keep the water level over the chestnuts as they cook.
8. Drain the chestnuts, reserving 1 cup of the liquid, and set aside 6 whole nuts.
9. When they are cool enough to handle, peel the skin with a paring knife.
10. Puree the chestnuts in the bowl of a food processor and remove the puree to a small bowl.
11. If you need more liquid, add some of the reserved cooking liquid.
12. The puree should be as stiff as peanut butter.
13. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium spped for 5 minutes or until the mixture forms ribbons when you raise the beater from the batter.
14. On low speed, blend in the chestnut puree, almonds, vanilla and espresso.
15. With the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites in a bowl of your electric mixer with the pinch of salt until they form soft peaks.
16. Do not overbeat.
17. Add 1/4 of the whites to the egg yolk batter and blend well; carefully fold in the remaining egg whites until you have a fluffy batter.
18. Fill the cake pans evenly with the batter.
19. Gently rap the pans on the counter to settle the batter.
20. Bake the cake layers on the center rack of the oven for about 35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
21. Allow the cakes to cool 10 minuts in their pans, then invert them onto wire cooling racks.
22. Place 1 cake layer on a large round cake platter.
23. Frost the sides and top of the bottom layer with Mocha Whipped Cream.
24. Place the top layer over the cream and frost the rest of the cake.
25. Cut the reserved whole chestnuts in half and arrange them over the cake.
26. Chill the cake at least 1 hoiur.
27. Remove it from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving.
28. For the Mocha Whipped Cream:Combine the cream, chocolate and espresso in a heavy saucepan.
29. Cook, stirring, over moderate heat until the chocolate has melted and the mixture thickened.
30. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer and refrigerate until the mocha cream has chilled, about 30 minutes.
31. Whip the cream until stiff.