Chestnut Tree Trunk Cake
Ingredients
- Ingredients
- 300 grams Chestnut flour
- 200 grams Pastry flour
- 250 grams dried Pear
- 125 grams Chestnuts
- 1 Yeast
- 125 milliliters lukewarm milk
- 1 Tbsp grated Lemon peel
- 2 Tbsps honey
- salt
- Anise seed
- cinnamon
- cloves
- Cardamom
- For decoration
- 250 grams dark Couverture
- 1 packet Ladyfinger
- Pickled Chestnuts (for garnish)
Preparation steps
Sprinkle dried pears with 250 ml (approximately 1 cup) of water and soak covered for 12 hours.
Cut chestnuts crosswise and roast until skin becomes detached, remove, let cool, peel and chop finely. Place in a preheated oven at 250°C (approximately 475°F) for about 20–25 minutes.
Boil soaked pears, then simmer covered for about 20 minutes. Drain liquid and set aside, finely chop pears and add chopped chestnuts.
For the dough, dissolve yeast in milk and mix with two types of flour, spices, honey, lemon zest and about half of the cooking liquid. Mix into a dough. If too dry, add more liquid; if too wet, add more flour). Let rise in a warm place or in a 50°C (125°F) oven.
Place dough on a floured work surface. Knead in pears and chestnuts and place into a long, rectangular greased baking pan. Sprinkle with water and let rest for about 30 minutes, then bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour at 180°C (approximately 350°F). Remove from oven to cool slightly, remove from mold and leave to cool completely.
For decoration, chop dark chocolate into small pieces and melt in a double boiler. Let cool and spread over cake, then immediately decorate with ladyfingers. Use remaining chocolate to stick the cooked chestnuts around the base, then decorate with chocolate and allow to dry completely before serving.
