Soft Chestnut Cake (Gateaux aux Marrons Recipe)

This Soft Chestnut Cake Recipe is nutty and sweet with an incredibly fluffy texture! The softness of the chestnuts adds moisture into the batter, ensuring a moist cake.

To make this cake, you begin by beating egg whites with sugar until they form stiff peaks. Then, you beat the egg yolks with sugar in another bowl before mixing in the sunflower oil and milk. Next, chopped chestnuts, flour, and baking powder are beaten into the egg yolk mixture until smooth. Finally, the egg whites get folded into the cake batter before it is poured into a cake tin and baked in the oven. Once done, it can be served with powdered sugar for a festive touch.

What is Chestnut Cake?

Chestnut cake is a brown colored cake that includes ground or chopped chestnuts in the batter. It is most commonly made when chestnuts are in season during the holiday season.

There are many different types of chestnut cake around the world as it is popular in Italy, Japan, France, and other places. Sometimes it will be made with the addition of chocolate or hazelnut spread, but this particular version is a simple blend of eggs, flour, chestnuts, oil, and milk for a fluffy, nutty-tasting cake.

Pro Tips

• Make sure you have some cooked chestnuts on hand before you make this cake. You can either boil or steam them to ensure they are softened and easy to blend.
• For extra easy preparation, look for packages of pre-cooked chestnuts at the grocery store. You may find them wherever your grocery store sells Asian ingredients.
• When beating the egg whites to stiff peaks, ensure that the bowl and beaters are very clean as added grease may hinder the egg whites from whipping up correctly.
• For easy removal, grease the cake pan and line it with parchment paper.
• If you prefer not to use sunflower oil, you could replace it with canola oil, grapeseed oil, avocado oil, olive oil, or even melted butter or coconut oil.

What to Serve with Chestnut Cake?

This chestnut cake gets served with a dusting of powdered sugar. However, it is also great with a garnish of whipped cream or creme fraiche.

How Do You Cook Chestnuts?

Before cooking chestnuts, you should always soak them in water for at least 30 minutes as that will help soften the peels. Then, you can either boil them on the stove, steam them, or roast them until they are soft. Once done, they simply need to be peeled and then they will be ready to use in this chestnut cake recipe.

Can I Make Chestnut Cake Dairy-Free?

Yes, you definitely could! To make this chestnut cake dairy-free, simply replace the milk with your favorite plan-based milk such as soy milk or almond milk.

Can I Replace the Chestnuts With Other Nuts in this Cake?

It’s not recommended to replace the chestnuts with other nuts in this recipe, as chestnuts tend to be starchier than other nuts. They also have less fat. Therefore, using other nuts in this recipe may impact the texture of the cake due to having more fat and less starchiness.

How to Store Chestnut Cake

This chestnut cake will keep for up to 4 or 5 days at room temperature if it is stored in an airtight container.

However, if you would like it to last for longer, you can also wrap it tightly and place it in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How to Make Chestnut Cake

Step 1: In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with 75 g of the sugar until stiff peaks form.

Step 2: In another large bowl, beat the yolks with the remaining sugar until pale and thick.

Step 3: Beat in the sunflower oil and milk until combined.

Step 4:  In a food processor, finely chop the chestnuts.

Step 5: Beat in the chopped chestnuts, flour, and baking powder until combined.

Step 6: Gently fold in the whipped egg whites until combined.

Step 7: Pour the cake batter into a 24 cm round cake pan that has been lined with parchment paper. Bake in a 180°C (350°F) oven for 45 minutes.

Step 8: Once cooled, serve the cake dusted with icing sugar.