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for cake: |
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550 grams (about 1-1/4 pounds) |
chestnuts |
210 grams (about 1 cup) |
sugar |
6 |
eggs, separated |
1/2 teaspoon |
vanilla extract (or 9 grams of vanilla sugar) |
for frosting: |
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1-1/4 cups |
whipping cream |
1. |
One day in advance: Place chestnuts in boiling water for 30 minutes. |
2. |
Remove from heat, but leave chestnuts in water. Remove one to cool a bit. After about a minute, remove another and peel the first. Continue until all are peeled. Remove both outer and inner skins completely. Discard any bad nuts. |
3. |
Arrange peeled nuts in a single layer on a cloth towel. Cover with another towel and allow to sit out overnight. |
4. |
Grind dried nuts into a coarse flour. There should be at least 3 cups (about 400 grams) for the cake and a couple of tablespoons left over for topping the finished cake. |
5. |
For cake: Prepare a 9 inch spring form with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350° F. |
6. |
Put egg yolks and sugar into mixing bowl and cream together until light. Add 3 cups of chestnut flour and vanilla extract (or vanilla sugar); mix thoroughly. |
7. |
Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into batter. Pour into prepared cake pan. |
8. |
Bake for about 55 minutes. Cool on rack, then refrigerate overnight. |
9. |
For frosting: Whip cream and powdered sugar together. |
10. |
Slit cake in half horizontally, and fill with whipped cream. Frost top and sides. Sprinkle some of the reserved chestnut flour over the top. |
Yield: one 9 inch cake. |
Source: Liz Hertzmann (from the handwritten Bavarian cookbook of Bertha Koshland, ca. 1905). |
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 ©2000 Peter Hertzmann, Inc. All rights reserved. |