chestnut » maameemoomoo

do pardon my 3 days old cake! procrastinated too long before i decided to do up the white choc + dark choc shavings

Another something that was thrown together to free up my freezer space!

I’ve had the chestnut puree up there in the freezer for the longest time — Pssttt, since my Mont Blanc cake! But since the puree was still in its tip top flavour (i tested :P), i decided to go ahead and whip up something which i had concocted in the head ever since i threw my purple sweet potato puree up there 2 weeks ago.

Because i didn’t want sour cream topping on it, i had to think of something to replace it. Initially, i wanted dark chocolate ganache but i thought the taste will not sit that well with chestnut and sweet potato. Then i thought of white chocolate!

I didn’t have a recipe to whip up white chocolate + fresh cream, so it was done pretty anyhow. My first attempt was quite a disappointment. It was too soft, the shape doesn’t hold at all. But instead of throwing it away, i turned it into something friggin’ decadent – White Chocolate Crème which i failed to guard. Failed to guard from the monster in me. Haha!

Out of 4 cups, which i was supposed to photograph the next day to share on this blog, i finished 2. As for the other 2 cups, i couldn’t possibly say no the boys right, since the mother was eating it herself! Heh!

But something good did happen out of it though. Because of this kitchen disaster, i won a FN goody bag from Food Network Asia!

Chestnut & Sweet Potato Cheesecake with White Chocolate

Crust

Oreo Cookies 140g, without the cream

Butter, melted 70g

Finely ground the biscuit. Pour warm butter over biscuit. Toss well to coat mixture with butter. Press firmly into an even layer on the bottom of pan. Freeze for at least half an hour.

Chestnut Cheesecake

250g cream cheese
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/3 whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp rum
1/2 cup chestnut puree, sweetened

Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs and egg yolks, beating them in one by one until they are incorporated into the cream cheese. Pour in the whipping cream, vanilla extract and rum, and beat again until smooth and creamy. Finally fold in the sweetened chestnut purée.

Pour the cream cheese mixture into the prepared crust and bake for 25-30 minutes at 150C on the lowest rack.

Sweet Potato Cheesecake

250g cream cheese
40g castor sugar
1 egg
75ml cream
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sweet potato puree

Beat cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Add egg, mixing until just incorporated. Gradually add cream, alternate it with mashed sweet potato and lastly, add salt. Be careful not to over mix because we want to incorporate as little air as possible (to prevent cracking).

Bake at 150C for 45-60 minutes or till the edge of filling is set. Cool on rack completely before refrigerating.

———————————-

Verdict :

Well, if you love cheesecake, you’ll love this.

I heart the chestnut cheesecake quite a bit. Though subtle, i could still taste the chestnut. As for the sweet potato cheesecake, my first thought was, eh?!? rose flavour?!?! You can’t really detect the sweet potato incorporated in it. Perhaps because sweet potato doesn’t have any distinct taste? *shrugs*

So, eating this cake layer by layer is a big no no, but then.. who eats cakes like these layer by layer?!?!

You do take 1 mouthful don’t you? You know, a spoonful of everything together [oreo crust, chestnut cheesecake, sweet potato cheesecake and white chocolate fresh cream with dark chocolate shavings] ?

If you do, then this cake is absolutely irresistible.

You really just can’t stop at 1 slice!

I’m submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #6: Say Cheese! (April 2011) hosted by Jean from Noms I Must for the first time!

I’ve been wanting to make Mont Blanc for the longest time! – err, i do say this a lot huh?

But really.. Mont Blanc has been on my to-do-list for like more than a year, ever since i first ate it at Canelé. It was love at first mouth ;)

Not too long after that, i saw it at Aran‘s lovely blog. A recipe! Oh my.. what a coincident! However, getting chestnut puree wasn’t so easy at that time. Hmph! The funny thing is, i’ve never thought of making my very own chestnut puree… and even now, i still don’t (read : lazy!).

Sometime last week, a trip to Sun Lik changed it all.

They have chestnut puree all over the shop! Well, umm.. not quite all over but these lovely cans of puree were placed right at the front door… as though it was a sign, a sign for me to make Mont Blanc after all these years! I knew then, i gotta grab it no matter what… Whether i’ll bake it in the end is another story all together :P

Why, of course i would bake it!

For $25 (45oz of chestnut puree), i definitely will! I refuse to throw away my $$ like that, y’know ;)

Not only i baked 1 or 2, i actually double up the portion and made tons! There were 12 giant Mont Blanc and a 5″ x 9″ cake too! I was too greedy. In the end, i gave away more than 8 Mont Blanc to friends and family. But the cake, i kept… because i love that version better! ^_^

a very messy cross-section which did not intend for photography but can lah!

Having eaten and read many different version of Mont Blanc, i decided to make one that i think i’d fancy most. Because there were no such recipe for the version i wanted, i came up with my own.. well, almost. A little tweak here and there, slight adaption from up and down, well… this, is mine :)

Mont Blanc
chestnut cream and puree adapted from norecipe

for Genoise sponge cake
5 large eggs
140g caster sugar
150g top flour
1 tsp vanilla essence
120g butter, melted – slightly warm

note to self : good for a whole grey pan.

for chestnut puree
15 oz. can of pureed chestnut
1/2 C cream
1/2 C sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 vanilla bean

for chestnut cream
1 C heavy cream
3 Tbs powdered sugar
1/3 C chestnut puree

make the Genoise sponge cake

Combine the eggs, sugar and vanilla and whisk at the highest speed till soft peaks. Use a light scrapper and very lightly but quickly fold in the flour. Add in the butter and quickly fold in to incorporate well. Pour into the lined pan and bake till golden brown. When cake is done, invert on a cooling rack and remove lining.

make the chestnut puree
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,the pan off the heat and allow the vanilla bean to steep while the mixture cools.

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=”mont blanc” src=”http://www.maameemoomoo.com%2 and press through using a spatula. Strain the rest of the chestnut puree, cover and set aside.

make the chestnut cream
In the clean dry bowl of an electric mixer, add 1 C 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 C of the strained chestnut puree and mix until the cream holds firm peaks being careful not to over mix.

to assemble

cut out the sponge to size and shape you fancy. using a round tip, pipe out a blob of cream and add the chestnut in. cover chestnut with more chestnut cream.

using the spaghetti tip, pipe the chestnut puree round and round till a dome shape is achieved.

ps : to make candied chestnut, peel, wash and cook till soft. then boil it again in syrup for at least 15 minutes.

——————————-

I dislike a base that is too thick or dry. I’ve tried Aran’s Sable Breton and i found it a little too drying for my liking hence Genoise Sponge Cake for my base. However, because i didn’t have a proper recipe, the Genoise Sponge cake i baked turned out too thin!

I should have poured the whole batter into 1 pan instead of dividing it between 2 pans. :(

Nevertheless, had i not made this fatal mistake of mine, i wouldn’t be able to come up with this cake version (anyhow, just to use up all the leftover cakes, chestnut puree and chestnut cream), which i prefer much better as mentioned earlier. :D