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Chestnut Cake | Castignaccio

Chestnut Cake | Castignaccio

Active time: 15 min
Total time: 60 min
Serves: 6–10
This chestnut flour based cake is naturally gluten-free. Try it with a fresh plum sauce for a delicious afternoon snack or dessert.

Chef's notes

For the chestnut flour you really want fresh but unless you are in Italy during a certain season, you won’t find it. If you do, keep it frozen.

Steps

1

Preparing the Cake

Preparing the Cake

Ingredients

  • 2 cups chestnut flour*
  • 1/4 cup organic sugar
  • 2 cups oat or almond milk
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 6 tbsp walnuts, coarsely chopped
  • 1 1/2 tbsp very finely chopped fresh rosemary
To start, preheat the oven to 400° F (200°C). Grease an ovenproof pan with 2 tablespoons of oil. Use an 8-inch round or square pan — something that allows the batter to be poured to a depth of 1 1/2 to 2 inches. This is casalinga (home cooking), so there can be some variation in style. Measure the chestnut flour and sugar into a large bowl and whisk. Add the milk and 1 tablespoon of the oil slowly, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. The batter will be relatively thin. Stir in half of the walnuts, and the rosemary into the batter. Pour the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the rest of the walnuts over the top. They will likely, sink it, this is okay. Place the cake in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 375°F (190°C). Bake 45 to 60 minutes, or until the top is cracked and the cake has slightly pulled away from the sides. Note: This is a rustic style cake, therefore it may be a bit irregular in appearance. If desired, the the tart can be covered with additional walnuts, or pine nuts and few pieces of rosemary. This cake pairs well with this Fresh Plum Sauce.

4 Comments

  • Ileana F
    Ileana F •
    Hi. Had trouble with this cake. I used the recommended amounts yet the batter became quite thick so I added extra almond milk to create a thick cream. It has been in the oven for over an hour and even though it hascome off the edges the knife still comes wet off the center. I wonder if I used the wrong kind of chestnut flour? (Hoosier Hill Farms chestnut raw flour powder). Perhaps it is supposed to be soft? I would appreciate your feedback. Thanks!
    Reply
  • Fran C
    Fran C • Rouxbe Staff •
    Hi Illena, The batter is meant to quite thick, but much depends on the particular chestnut flour. I looked at the Hoosier Hill Farms chestnut raw flour powder you online and it does look more like a powder than flour so I'd expect it would produce a different result. I'd like to know how your cake did turn out. Baking until the center is set is certainly key, although it can be soft. The recipe contains only flour, liquid, and sugar. No leavening agents are included so bake until set is the way to go. I hope this helps. Fran
    Reply
  • Ileana F
    Ileana F •
    thanks Fran. You can see the results in the fruit roasting task. Since I had never done this cake I was unsure whether I had gotten the right consistency but upon looking at videos of this recipe I realize that I was not far off. There is a photo of it that I post along with the roasted apples on task 64 of the vegan dessert course. thanks for the feedback!
    Reply
  • Fran C
    Fran C • Rouxbe Staff •
    Ileana, Thank you for the detail in the roasting fruit task. Cake and roasted fruit were winners.
    Reply

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