Lemony Chestnut Cake
Author: 
Serves: 10
 
Ingredients
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 200g (or 1 cup, unpacked) light brown sugar
  • 250g (or 8½ ounces) cooked and peeled chestnuts
  • 100g (or ⅓ cup + 5 teaspoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 150g (or 1½ cups + 1 tablespoon) almond meal
  • 4 egg whites
  • generous pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 180°C or 350°F (standard oven setting) and butter a 20-cm (8-inch) round cake pan.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the yolks with the sugar until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy. On a plate, finely mash the chestnuts with a fork, then add them to the yolk mixture. Add the butter, the lemon zest and the ground almonds and mix to a lumpy batter. In another bowl, whip up the egg whites with the salt until the mixture holds stiff peaks.
  3. NOTE: whenever you need to whip up some egg whites, make sure the bowl and whisk attachments are spotlessly clean and dry and that there is no trace of yolk in the whites, as even a small amount of fat can prevent the whites from whipping up.
  4. Roughly mix one third of the whites into the chestnut batter to lighten it, then gently fold in the remaining two third, being careful not to knock too much air out of the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 55 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  5. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
  6. NOTE: this cake is best served a few hours after it has come out of the oven, as it doesn't keep very well and tends to become soggy the next day.
Recipe by The Tough Cookie at https://thetoughcookie.com/2013/10/24/lemony-chestnut-cake/