It’s time to start practising your Christmas dessert repertoire, and this is a fine torte to try. It serves 12, so it’s ideal for a big family gathering. Yum – rich and delicious!
Ingredients
250g dark chocolate, 70 per cent cocoa solids, broken into pieces
200g butter, diced, plus extra for greasing
150g cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped
100ml double cream
4 large eggs, separated
3 tbsp caster sugar
170g sweetened chestnut purée
To serve
200ml double cream
3 tbsp sweetened chestnut purée
140g marrons glacés
Icing sugar, for dusting
Method
1. Heat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Grease and line a 25cm springform cake tin. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of barely simmering water. Remove and cool slightly.
2. Put the cooked chestnuts in a small pan and pour over the double cream. Heat gently until the cream reaches scalding point. Remove and tip into a food processor. Blend until smooth. Leave to cool.
3. Beat the egg yolks and sugar together until pale and thick. Fold in the sweetened chestnut purée, the chestnut and cream purée and then the chocolate and butter mixture until smooth and evenly blended.
4. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks, fold into the chocolate and chestnut mixture and then spoon the mixture into the cake tin. Level the top and then bake for 20-25 minutes or until the torte has just set, but still has a slight wobble in the centre. Remove from the oven and cool.
5. For the chestnut cream, softly whip the double cream and then fold in the sweetened chestnut purée and chill. To serve, crumble the marrons glacés over the top and dust with icing sugar. Cut into thin slices and serve with a dollop of chestnut cream.