Chocolate Chestnut Cake

Chocolate Chestnut Cake

The soft, dense texture of the chestnut purée makes this vegan chocolate cake really fudge-y and indulgent, with a sweet little crunch from the sugar coated chestnuts on top. It’s also suitable for freezing – should you want to make it last longer.
Serves
12
Total Time
50 Minutes
Ingredients
200ml of unsweetened soy milk
10ml of lemon juice, or apple cider vinegar
1 x 200g pouch of Merchant Gourmet Chestnut Puree
125g of coconut oil, melted
150ml of maple syrup
225g of plain flour
2 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda
30g of cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
150ml of cream
100g of dark chocolate
100g of Merchant Gourmet Whole Chestnuts, roughly chopped
1-2 tbsp of demerara sugar
Method
Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease a 10in bundt cake tin.

Step 2

Pour the milk into a small measuring jug and add the lemon juice. Stir once and set aside for 10-15 minutes to curdle.

Step 3

Put the chestnut puree into a large mixing bowl. Add the coconut oil and maple syrup and whisk until smooth.

Step 4

In a separate bowl, sieve together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cocoa powder and a pinch of salt, then add to the chestnut purée mix and stir. Add the milk and whisk until the batter is smooth and fully combined, then pour in.

Step 5

Bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Step 6

Once the cake has cooled, prepare the ganache. Break the chocolate up into small chunks and place in a small saucepan with the cream. Heat gently over a low heat, folding the cream and chocolate together until smooth and glossy. Do not over stir as it may separate. Set aside to cool slightly, but not set.

Step 7

Toss the chopped chestnuts together with the sugar.

Step 8

Pour the ganache evenly over the cake, then top with the chestnuts.

Recipe courtesy of Merchant Gourmet

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