Chestnut Chiffon Cake

You might be frighten by these alien. It might gives you an uncomfortable feeling. Don't worry it's not worm or insect or rope. My other half thought it's noodles at his first sight. There are non of them. It's just a chestnut cream that was decorated from piping bag.

Well, if you've seen this from the front page of a chiffon recipe book with this similar picture and this is the recipe book that I've been reading 戚枫蛋糕秘方传授. I think the taste of this chiffon might not be so popular, unlike chocolate, coffee or banana chiffon.

The sponge texture is really light, soft and fluffy whereas the taste is not very sweet as I pureed some unsweetened peeled chestnut which I bought from DAISO and mix it with the canned chestnut paste. The topping of the chestnut cream enhance the flavour that is just nice to eat with a bite of sponge and some cream. If you like it, you'll ask for more, but if you don't, you don't even feel to have a second bite. A piece is definitely not enough for me as its lightness really fascinated me.

Recipe: Egg white mixture:

110g egg whites

55g sugar

5g corn flour

Egg yolk mixture:

40g egg yolks

50g water

40g vegetable oil

50g passion fruit

55g plain flour

35g unsweetened chestnut, blend into puree

35g chestnut paste in can

90g unsweetened whole chestnut, halves

Decoration:

250ml whipping cream

60g unsweetened chestnut, blend into puree

60g chestnut paste in can

30g milk

few unsweetened whole chestnut, halves

How I made it:

1. Mix all the egg yolks mixture except flour. When everything well combined then add in sifted flour. Mix everything well combine and no lumps left. The mixture would be quite thick and smooth.
2. Beat the egg whites in a clean large bowl until peak foam. Gradually add in sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Then finally add in corn flour. Make sure the corn flour mix well in the egg mixture. The egg whites mixture should be peak foam, smooth and shiny.
3. Gently fold in 1/3 of the egg whites mixture into the egg yolks mixture. When everything well combine then gently fold in the 1/2 of the remaining egg whites mixture. Lastly, fold in the remaining egg whites mixture. (Note: This stage took some times and patient and practice. Make sure all the egg whites mixture well combine with the egg yolks mixture without breaking the egg whites. Little egg whites left will cause a big hole in the cake during baking. And, over mixing will cause it hardly rise during the baking.)
4. Fold in the unsweetened whole chestnut.
5. Pour the well mix mixture into a 17cm chiffon cake tin and bake at a 160'C preheated oven for 40 minutes. After baked, let the baked cake turn upside down for cooling. Cling wrap the entire chiffon cake with the tin and refrigerated for over night. This will make the texture much nicer.
6. Unmold the chiffon cake. Whip the cream until thicken. In another bowl, mix the pureed unsweetened whole chestnut, chestnut paste and warm milk until smooth. Fold in 25g of the whipped cream until well mix. Place this chestnut cream into a piping bag.
7. Spread the chiffon cake with whipping cream then pipe out the chestnut cream on top of the cake and place a few chunky chestnut for garnishment.
8. Keep the cake in the fridge it could last for 4 days.