The Neapolitan Chestnut Cake, in the version I would like to propose to you, is an autumn dessert made with chestnut (fresh) and cocoa cream enclosed in a delicious shortcrust pastry shell. It’s soft, fragrant, simply delicious. There are many versions of this Campanian dessert: with chestnut flour and dark chocolate, with lard, with or without shortcrust pastry, and so on. This recipe was handed to me a while ago by a lovely lady who let me taste this dessert I didn’t even know existed, even though I am Campanian. For the shortcrust pastry, I followed the recipe I usually use. If we want to make this dessert gluten and lactose-free, we just need to prepare both the filling and the shortcrust pastry with specific products (I make both versions).
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 12
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or rice flour or gluten-free mix)
- 2 cold egg yolks from the fridge
- 1 whole medium cold egg from the fridge
- 7 tbsp cold butter from the fridge (also lactose-free)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 pinch fine salt
- to taste grated citrus zest
- 14 oz peeled fresh chestnuts
- to taste water
- 1 pinch coarse salt
- 2 leaves bay leaf
- 1 2/3 cups milk (also lactose-free)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (also gluten-free)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp orange blossom water or Strega liqueur
- 1 pinch fine salt
Preparation
Let’s prepare the filling for the chestnut cake.
Put the chestnuts, peeled, a teaspoon of coarse salt, and 2 bay leaves in a pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, let the chestnuts cook for about 45-60 minutes, depending on their size, on low heat; the chestnuts are ready when they can be pierced with a fork.
Turn off the heat and, being careful not to burn yourself, remove the outer skin with a knife. Put the peeled chestnuts in a blender with the milk and blend until you get a smooth and creamy mixture.
Transfer the mixture to a pot, add the sifted cocoa, salt, sugar, orange blossom water (or Strega liqueur).
Cook our cream on low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring often with a wooden spoon or steel whisk. We should obtain a compact consistency, but not too hard or too liquid. The cream will become firmer as it cools down.
Turn off the heat, sprinkle the surface of the cream with a light layer of granulated sugar (to prevent an unwanted crust from forming) and let it cool completely.
Let’s prepare the shortcrust pastry. Sift the flour and place it in a wide, shallow bowl, along with all the other ingredients. Knead quickly to avoid overheating the butter, using a spatula, until you form a dough ball which you will cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least an hour.
After the time has passed, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Take the shortcrust pastry ball out of the fridge and place it on parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll it out to a couple of millimeters thick, using a bit of flour only if necessary.
Transfer the parchment paper with the pastry directly into the baking pan. Even out the edges of the tart and set aside the leftovers, which we will use to form strips for decoration.
Fill with the chestnut and cocoa cream, level it to distribute it evenly, and decorate the chestnut cake with strips made from the leftover shortcrust pastry.
Bake the Neapolitan chestnut cake in the middle rack for about 25 minutes; once baked, take it out and let it cool. Dust with powdered sugar only when it is well cooled.
The extra idea. I recommend preparing the Neapolitan chestnut cake at least a day in advance to best appreciate its flavors and fragrances.
Bon appetit
