heart shaped mont blanc cake

baked mont blanc cake today. my mum came home from market with fresh chestnut so i thought of making this since is on my to do list after looking at keiko's book OKASHI. and i've got this can of chestnut puree at home. the chestnut puree cost $9.95 and i bought from cold storage quite some time back.

i used basic yellow sponge cake as the base. the recipe is from pook. the cake is crispy at the side but fluffy and dense inside with the aroma of vanilla which i like, compared to eggy taste. im using three different sizes of heart shaped cutter to cut out the base. the smallest one is when there's those "leftovers". for the chestnut puree and cream, recipe is from ju.

placing sponge cake into heart shaped cups

Yellow sponge cake

40g Cake flour

30g Cornstarch

2 Large eggs

2 Egg yolks

65g Sugar

½tsp Coarse salt

½tbsp Vanilla extract

¼cup 120ml vegetable oil

¼cup Melted butter (warm)

Preheat the oven to 190 170°C.

Sift the flour and Cornstarch together, set aside.

Line 25x25cm 9 inch baking pan with baking paper.

Mix melted butter with vegetable oil.

Beat the eggs, egg yolks, sugar and salt until very thick and pale (thick ribbon).

Add the vanilla and beat to combine.

Pour the sifted flour into the egg mixture, fold to combine.

Pour the melted butter mixture (drizzling, if possible) into the batter and fold to combine.

Pour the mixture into prepared pan.

Bake for 18 minutes or until golden and spring when touch lightly.

Remove the cake from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack

For chestnut puree

15 oz 354g of pureed chestnut
1/2 cup 100ml cream

1/2 cup 80g sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 vanilla bean*
* I used 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Slice the vanilla bean in half length wise and scrape the seeds into a small saucepan. Add the cream, sugar and whisk in the yolk. Heat over low heat, continually stirring until the mixture begins to thicken. Take the pan off the heat and allow the vanilla bean to steep while the mixture cools.

2. When the mixture is cool, put it in a food processor along with the pureed chestnuts. Blitz until smooth and creamy.* Put a spoonful of chestnut puree in the double mesh strainer over a bowl and press through using a spatula. Strain the rest of the chestnut puree, cover and set aside.
* I did not use a food processor. Instead, I handwhisked till as creamy as I could, and i did not put everything through a sieve (like pureeing baby food).

chestnut cream

3 tbsp powdered sugar
1/3 cup chestnut puree
1 tsp rum


1. In the clean dry bowl of an electric mixer, add 3/4 cup of heavy cream. Using the whisk attachment, beat until the cream holds soft peaks. Add the sugar and beat until the sugar is incorporated. Add 1/3 cup of the strained chestnut puree and mix until the cream holds firm peaks being careful not to over mix.3/4 cup heavy cream

ASSEMBLE:

i brush on a simple sugar solution, ie, boil equal parts water to sugar till everything dissolves, on top of the sponge cake and then leave to cool. Then brush the sugar solution onto the sponge. Pipe a generous dollop of chestnut puree in the centre. Then pipe the chestnut cream on top. I added some valrhona crunchy dark choc pearls and then add fresh chestnut to decorate. REFRIGERATE it.

i feel like is not very nicely done. the heart shaped isnt obvious other than the cup itself. and i've got left over chestnut puree and cream! tmr going to try baking chestnut swiss roll? or muffins? psst, there's borders sale tmr at expo starting from 10am! head on down if you want (:


VERDICT: the chestnut cream and puree is YUMMY! esp when is cold from the fridge. and is not too sweet. definitely worth trying again (:

im submitting this to ASPIRING BAKERS #4 LOVE IN THE AIR hosted by ellena.


side qn, anyone who have a big oven and would like to buy silpat? i washed (my habit to wash everything i bought before i keep it) and kept the silpat that my sis in law bought for me last yr as christmas present, in the cupboard. today when i saw it and thought i could use to bake cookies then i realise is too big for my oven! she bought TWO big ones! *faints* is NEW! if anyone wants to buy it, pls let me know. dont want to waste it. then i can buy the smaller ones. thank you! (: