Baking by Dorie Greenspan

Author:Dorie Greenspan [Greenspan, Dorie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL CHESTNUT CAKE

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WHEN Bon Appétit magazine chose to feature this recipe in its holiday issue, I imagined enclaves of chestnut lovers cheering—at last, the nut that has favored status around the world was being honored in America. It’s odd, but chestnuts fare better in song here than they do at the table. With the exception of chestnut stuffing, there are few great American chestnut dishes, and even fewer great American chestnut desserts. This lavish cake offers up chestnuts’ repertoire of tastes and textures: sweet and smooth in the cake, mild and pleasantly crumbly sprinkled between the layers and faintly woodsy and toothsome on top. Except for the fact that I love this dessert for its taste, I’d be tempted to say that the reason to make it is because it’s just not polite to eat the cake’s filling, a truly fabulous chocolate caramel ganache, straight out of a bowl.

The ganache is best if refrigerated overnight. The glaze needs a 4-hour rest and the cake, if it’s been seriously chilled, needs serious time on the counter to come to room temperature—serve it cold, and you won’t get the full measure of pleasure from the ganache—so plan ahead. (The photograph is on the previous page.)

MAKES 16 SERVINGS

SERVING: This cake must be served at room temperature—serve it cold, and you’ll lose the subtle play of flavors and textures. Bring the whole cake to the table—it’s too gorgeous to hide in the kitchen—and cut it into squares with a serrated knife.

STORING: Because every element of the cake can be made ahead, you can work on it in stages. The filled and glazed cake can be kept in the refrigerator for a day, but add the chestnut garnish right before serving.

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