Amber Rose has just published Love Bake Nourish, a baking book that reflects a very distinctive personal nature. She’s a passionate about foods that are seasonal, organic and not processed. She loves different flours and she cannot abide processed sugar. In her career as chef and author, she has scoured for recipes, old and new, that meet her standards for superior and naturally healthy baking.
This dish is old, Italian, and a treasure. No sugar, just honey. No flour, just ground walnuts plus chestnut puree. There is a reason traditional recipes are the core of our culinary heritage. They taste good.
Amber’s recipes typically end with serving suggestions. I expected to read about whipped cream. How lovely to find she wants this dense, rich cake served with sour cream. This combination is truly self-intensifying.
And, uh, no, there is no chance of confusing this cake for a baked potato.
Addendum
Suzen made this cake for her monthly group of celiac patients from the Columbia University Center for Celiac Disease. She teaches patients and their families, not just how to get through, but how to thrive. Our pastry chef made this cake and I reminded her that it should come with sour cream. Our pastry chef is from the Caribbean and very dignified and a bit terse. “No, whipped cream,” she said. And that’s what the picture shows.
This cake is unleavened, so it is Passover ready.
A Comforting Chocolate and Chestnut Cake
Yield: serves 10-12
Ingredients:
- 5 large free-range eggs, separated
- ½ cup honey
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 18 ounces unsweetened chestnut puree
- 1 ½ cups ground walnuts (or hazelnuts)
- Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
- 4 ounces dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), grated or chopped
Preparation:
Preheat t h e oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch loose-bottomed cake pan.
Mix the egg yolks and honey in a large bowl until thick and smooth, then add the butter, pureed chestnuts, walnuts, lemon zest, and chocolate, and mix thoroughly until everything is completely incorporated.
In a separate, very clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold the egg whites into the cake mixture, trying not to lose the air from the mixture, and don’t bang the bowl. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and bake in the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the pan.
When the cake has cooled completely, turn out onto a serving plate. Serve cold with a little sour cream or crème fraiche. I like it with cherry compote.
Source: Love Bake Nourish by Amber Rose