Sesame Chestnut Mountain Cupcakes Chestnut Caramel Cake With Black Sesame Cream And Chestnut Cream Frosting With Black And White Sesame Chopsticks Recipes

RICE FRITTERS WITH SESAME CARAMEL

Steps:

• Make the caramel: Toast the sesame seeds in a skillet over medium heat until golden. Transfer to a dish. Remove the peel from the orange in wide strips, then squeeze the orange juice into a separate dish; set aside.
• Cook the sugar in a skillet over medium heat, swirling the pan, until deep amber. Whisk in the butter, cream and salt until dissolved. Add the orange peel and juice. Cook, whisking, until the sauce thickens, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the sesame seeds. (You can refrigerate the sauce, covered, up to 1 day; reheat before serving.)
• Make the fritters: Bring 4 cups milk, the salt and cinnamon to a simmer in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the rice, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring, until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Add the condensed milk and 2 tablespoons sugar; cook, stirring, until thick, 5 to 10 more minutes. Stir in the vanilla and let cool completely.
• Roll tablespoonfuls of the rice mixture into balls. Put on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet; cover and chill until ready to fry.
• Make the batter: Whisk the flour, baking powder and the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a bowl. Whisk the egg and the remaining 3/4 cup milk in a liquid measuring cup; gradually whisk into the flour mixture until smooth.
• Heat 2 inches vegetable oil in a wide saucepan until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350degrees F. Working in batches, dip the rice balls in the batter using a fork, then fry until golden, turning once, about 8 minutes per batch. (Return the oil to 350degrees F between batches.) Drain on paper towels. Drizzle with the caramel.

CARAMELIZED CHESTNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Bake chestnuts on a baking sheet in middle of oven until slightly dried and a shade darker, about 30 minutes. Cool chestnuts completely on a rack.
• Cook sugar in a dry 10- to 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat, swirling and shaking skillet (to help sugar melt evenly), until caramel is deep golden. Remove from heat, then prop skillet up against a ramekin or metal cookie cutter, tilting it just enough for caramel to pool. Add 1 chestnut to caramel and evenly coat by turning with 2 forks, then transfer with forks to a sheet of foil to cool. Coat remaining chestnuts in same manner. (If caramel starts to harden, melt over moderately low heat, stirring.) Once completely cooled, peel chestnuts from foil.

CHOCOLATE CHESTNUT CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Line one and a half muffin trays with 18 muffin cases. (We used deep, gold ones by Foilcraft, from cake-decorating shops.) Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Tip the chestnut purée into a large bowl and mash with a fork. Whisk the eggs and sugar with an electric hand whisk until pale and frothy.
• Fold half the egg mixture into the chestnut mixture to lighten it, then fold in the almonds and baking powder. Gently fold in the rest of the egg, then drop the batter into the muffin cases. Bake for 25-30 mins until firm. Cool. You can freeze the cupcakes for up to 6 weeks.
• To make the chocolate topping, gently melt the chocolate, butter and cream together in a small pan. Pour into a bowl and leave to cool. Beat well to thicken the mixture then swirl generously onto the cupcakes and pile with chocolate curls. They will keep in the fridge for 4 days. Dust half with icing sugar and the other with cocoa before serving.

CHOCOLATE CHESTNUT CAKE

Steps:

• For cake: Preheat oven to 350°F Butter and flour 9x2-inch round metal baking pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper.
• Put chestnut spread in small bowl. Mix in 3 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Set aside.
• Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl.
• Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in 1 cup brown sugar, then egg yolks and vanilla extract. Beat in chestnut spread mixture, then milk. Mixture will look a bit grainy.
• Sift dry ingredients over the mixture and gently mix together by hand.
• Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Add remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar and beat until stiff but not dry. Fold egg whites into batter in 3 additions.
• Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake cake until golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes. Cut around cake to loosen. Cool cake completely in pan on rack.
• For Chestnut Cream: Melt chocolate over simmering water or in microwave. Set aside to cool. Place one cup unsweetened chestnut spread in bowl of food processor (mini bowl is fine). Pulse a few times to loosen. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and process to combine well. Add melted chocolate and process to combine well.
• In large bowl of electric mixer (preferably chilled) whip the cream on high until until very soft peaks form. Add the chocolate chestnut mixture and beat until stiff peaks form.
• For Dark Chocolate Ganache: Place the semisweet chocolate in a 3-quart stainless steel bowl. Heat the heavy cream and the butter in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil. Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Add the vanilla, the coffee, the liquor and the salt. Stir until smooth. This may take a few minutes as the cream absorbs the chocolate. Once well combined, set aside to cool. If desired, set aside and chill about 1 1/2 cups ganache to pipe onto finished cake.
• For Chestnut Brandy Syrup: Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until sugar dissolves.
• Assemble the cake: Take the cake out of the pan and remove parchment. Split into three even layers. Arrange one of the cake layers in a 9-inch springform pan. Brush with the chestnut brandy syrup. Evenly spread half the filling over the cake and top with the second layer. (It's best to use an offset spatula to spread the filling). Brush layer with the with syrup. Remove ring from springform pan and coat sides and top with room temperature ganache. You will have some ganache left over which you can use for something else like chocolate truffles. Decorate with whole chestnuts, colored sugar and chopped chestnuts. If piping chilled ganache, place it in a pastry bag and pipe a decorative design onto cake.
• Cut cake with a serrated knife, wiping the blade clean after each slice.
• NOTES:.
• 1) If you can find sweetened chestnut cream with vanilla use one cup in cake instead of sweetening it as indicated.
• 2) If you can't find chestnut cream you can make your own with jarred chestnuts, or roast your own.
• 3) If you can't find chestnut liquor, use brandy, rum, or spiced rum.

CARAMEL CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans.
• Cream white sugar, 1 1/2 cups butter, and eggs together in a bowl. Beat well.
• Combine flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add to the sugar mixture alternately with milk. Add vanilla extract. Beat until batter makes ribbons when falling from the whisk or beater. Divide batter among the prepared cake pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool layers on a rack before icing, at least 1 hour.
• Combine brown sugar, 1 cup butter, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until brown sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Add evaporated milk and continue stirring. Bring to a gentle boil and let bubble for about 4 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid sticking. Remove from heat and allow to cool, about 5 minutes.
• Mix confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract into the butter-milk mixture using an electric mixer until icing caramelizes and thickens to the desired consistency.
• Spread icing onto the cooled cake layers. Stack layers; ice top and sides.

ITALIAN CHESTNUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180c/350 degrees F.
• Grease a springform cake tin& line.
• Cream butter& three-quarters of the sugar.
• Fold in two-thirds of the chestnut puree, alternating with the egg yolks,& beat.
• Fold in the sifted flour.
• Whisk the egg whites until stiff.
• Beat a little of the egg whites into the chestnut mixture, until evenly blended, then fold in the remainder.
• Gently pour the cake mix into the tin.
• Cook for 1 1/4 hours or until cooked.
• Leave the cake in the tin& pirece holes evenly all over the cake with a skewer.
• Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of the rum over the top& allow to cool before removing from the tin.
• Cut horizontally into two layers.
• Place the bottom layer on a serving plate.
• Beat the cream, rum, sugar& chestnut puree until thick.
• Spread two-thirds of cream on the bottom layer& place the other layer on top.
• Spread the remaining cream over the top& sides of the cake.
• Decorate with piped cream stars.

CHESTNUT AND HAZELNUT CAKE

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Oil pan and dust with chestnut flour, knocking out excess.
• Toast hazelnuts in a shallow baking pan until fragrant and interior of nuts are pale golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Rub nuts in a kitchen towel to remove any loose skins (some skins may not come off). Cool nuts to room temperature and chop medium-fine.
• Sift together chestnut flour, baking powder, and salt in bowl, then stir in nuts.
• Beat together egg yolks, oil, honey, and 2 tablespoons sugar with an electric mixer at high speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes in a stand mixer or 8 minutes with a handheld. Add flour mixture and mix at low speed just until flour is moistened.
• Beat egg whites and a pinch of salt in another medium bowl with cleaned beaters at medium-high speed until they form soft peaks. Add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar a little at a time, beating, and beat until whites just hold stiff peaks. Fold one third of whites into batter to lighten it, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Spread batter in pan and rap pan on work surface once to release any large air bubbles. Bake 30 minutes, then loosely cover with foil and bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes more. (Cake is naturally dark.)
• Transfer cake in pan to a rack and cool 30 minutes, then remove side of pan and cool completely. Remove cake from bottom of pan to serve if desired.