Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F or Gas Mark 3 and grease and line an 20cm/8” cake tin.
- Melt 250g (10 oz) of dark chocolate and 250g (10 oz) of unsalted butter together in a pan over a very gentle heat.
- In another pan, heat 250g (10 oz) of peeled cooked chestnuts (tinned if you like) with 250ml (10 fl oz) of milk until just boiling, then mash thoroughly with a potato masher (or process to a rough purée in a food processor).
- Separate 4 eggs, put the yolks in one bowl and the whites in another bowl.
- Mix the yolks with 125g (5 oz) of caster sugar.
- Stir in the chocolate mixture and the chestnut purée until you have a smooth, blended batter.
- Whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold them carefully into the batter.
- Transfer the mixture into the greased, lined cake tin and bake for 25–30 minutes, until it is just set but still has a slight wobble.
If you want to serve the cake warm, leave to cool a little, then release the tin and slice carefully – it will be very soft and moussey. Or leave to go cold, when it will have set firm.
Hugh’s tip: It can be served with double cream, especially when warm, but it is also delicious unadulterated.
Now, whilst you’re enjoying this cake I think it is important for us to consider where the ingredients come from.
Sweet Chestnuts
Sweet Chestnuts originate from Asia Minor and south eastern Europe but now grow widely throughout Europe. Chestnuts can be harvested in October time and if you look carefully you can harvest them yourself. This makes an even more satisfying cake when you cook and eat them! You can identify Sweet Chestnuts by using the Woodland Trust's British Tree Identification site which will assist your foraging.
Chocolate
Cocoa has a much longer journey until it reaches your salivating mouth! and unless you travel quite a distance you won't be doing the foraging yourself. However, cocoa does grow on a tree, in fact it looks rather peculiar the way it grows in little pods hanging directly off the trunk.
For many years now West Africa has been one of the largest producers of Cocoa as our demand for chocolate continues, with Ghana producing more than 20% of the worlds production alone. In addition with the growth of the Fairtrade market increasing it is making it easier to buy chocolate that is fairly traded and I recommend that when making this delicious chocolate cake you strive to cook with Fairtrade chocolate. Especially as we are currently in Fairtrade Fortnight, which runs from 22nd February until 7th March, promoting the use of Fairtrade products. Also, I think we can gain a fuller appreciation of our food by making a link with what we eat and where our food comes from, even though this is usually lost in our ever globalising world.
