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Recipe Detail Page
Chestnut Pound Cake
Holiday 2006
Sweetened chestnut purée is delicious enough on its own to be served simply spooned into crisp tart shells. So it is no surprise that this rich, yet simple, pound cake is equally unique.
Makes 16 slices
1 cup (250 mL) salted butter, at room temperature
½ cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
2¾ cups (675 mL) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp (15 mL) baking powder
¾ tsp (4 mL) salt
One 500 mL can sweetened chestnut purée, about 2 cups (500 g)
1/3 cup (75 mL) brandy
1 tsp (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
1 cup (250 mL) toasted pecans, chopped
Icing sugar (optional)
1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream (optional)
16 marrons glacé (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
2. Butter a 10-inch (25-cm) bundt pan or coat with cooking spray (flour as well if not a nonstick pan). Cream butter with sugar until so light and fluffy that mixture looks like a slightly-grainy cake icing. This takes several minutes. (If eggs are cold from the refrigerator, place in a bowl and cover with hot tap water while creaming butter.) Meanwhile, using a sifter or a sieve, sift flour with baking powder and salt. Stir chestnut purée with two eggs, brandy and vanilla.
3. Add 2 remaining eggs, 1 at a time, to creamed butter, beating very well until each is combined. Scrape down paddle or beaters. Use a hand-held large rubber spatula to make 3 dry and 2 wet additions by stirring about a third of the flour mixture into the butter mixture; then half of the wet mixture. Repeat ending with final flour addition. When all is just combined; fold in nuts. Dough is thick. Turn into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake in centre of preheated oven for 50 minutes or until a cake tester or skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
4. Cool on a rack 10 minutes. Then turn out; finish cooling on a rack. (Store covered for up to a week at room temperature or freeze.)
5. To serve cake, sprinkle top with a little sieved icing sugar or leave plain. Slice; arrange overlapping slices on a serving tray. Or to serve as a main dessert, gently whip cream until just stiff. Place a slice of cake on an individual plate, top with a dollop of cream and garnish with a whole marron glacé.
Tip: Recipe can be baked as 2 loaves instead of a bundt, perfect for host gifts. Line two 8 x 4-inch (1.5-L) loaf pans, cut 2 generous pieces of foil. Turn pans over and press foil into a loaf shape. Turn pans right-side up again and drop foil into pan, shaping gently where needed. Lightly coat with nonstick spray. Divide batter between pans, smooth top and bake in centre of preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; turn out on a rack. Peel off foil; finish cooling on a rack.
Makes 16 slices
