A Rustic Southern French Cake

Located in Southeastern France, the Ardèche is a department famous for its valleys, trails, lush forests and abundance of chestnuts. Chestnut purée, roasted chestnuts, candied chestnuts, chestnut cream… the local repertoire boasts a variety of chestnut-focused recipes, with this Chestnut Cream Cake being one of the most popular. 

This simple cake recipe involves a basic batter of flour, sugar, eggs and a good amount of butter and chestnut cream, resulting in a cake that tastes rich and flavorful. 

About Chestnut Cream 

The star ingredient of this cake recipe is – you’ve probably guessed it – chestnut cream. Known in French as “crème de marrons”, chestnut cream is the ultimate Winter treat in France, enjoyed by kids and adults alike. It is made from cooked chestnuts, peeled and reduced to a puree to which a syrup is then added to turn it into a sweet paste. We love to enjoy it on toast, waffles, crêpes, or stirred into yogurts. It is also the star ingredient of some classic French desserts, like a fancy Mont Blanc or this Gateau Ardèchois. 

Chestnut cream is sold in tubes or cans in France and can be found in most grocery stores. I recommend the Clement Faugier brand, which is made in Ardèche. For those outside of France who can’t find it that easily, I offer on this blog a recipe for homemade Chestnut Cream. Especially for this cake recipe, I like to make my own chestnut cream ahead of time, as I know exactly the amount of sugar that is in it. I also always prefer fresh, homemade ingredients. 

However, when chestnuts aren’t in season, or for convenience, you can definitely make this cake with store-bought chestnut cream. I guarantee it will taste delicious too!

Cooking Tips and Substitutions

• This Chestnut Cream Cake is traditionally baked in a large circular cake pan. I usually use a 9-inch circular pan, which is perfect. Avoid using a smaller pan (ie. 8-inch circular pan) as this cake is slightly bigger than your average cake. You can also use a large Bundt cake pan here. 
• Use pristine equipment. When beating the egg whites, make sure you are using a bowl and beater that are perfectly clean. Egg whites tend to refuse to whip if they encounter any residual fat or even if there are tiny amounts of egg yolk.
• Fold, don’t stir. When folding the egg whites with the chestnut mixture, use a large rubber spatula and be gentle. The important thing is not to stir, but fold. In small additions, carefully place a portion of the egg whites on top of the chestnut mixture and fold it in by using a flipping motion. Stop when the batter is just uniform – do not overmix. 

How to Store This Chestnut Cream Cake

• Chill it. After making (and enjoying) this cake – if you have any leftovers – you can cover it with plastic film. Store it in the fridge for up to 6-7 days.
• Freeze it.  Once the cake is baked and completely cooled to room temp, wrap it in aluminum foil. Then place it in a freezer-safe container (ie. tupperware), for up to 3 months. 

I hope you’ll love this Chestnut Cream Cake as much as I do! If you have any questions, please leave a comment. 

More French cake recipes you may like: 

• French Walnut Coffee Cake (Gâteau Grenoblois) 
• Classic French Apple Cake
• Lemon Yogurt Poppy seed Cake
• Classic French Chocolate Moelleux Cake
• Classic French Pear Cake

Chestnut Cream Cake (Gâteau Ardéchois)

Print Recipe

Serves: 1 cake Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 50 Minutes 50 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 50M calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 3.5/5

( 56 voted )

Ingredients

5 large eggs, yolks and whites divided
½ cup (100g) sugar
500g Chestnut Cream 
1 cup (250g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups (250g) all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt

Instructions

Pre-heat your oven at 350F (180C) with a rack in the middle. Grease and lightly flour a 9-inch cake pan.

Step 1 - In a large bowl, beat the egg whites to a firm peak. Set aside.

Step 2 -In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar for about 5 minutes, until paler in color and a ribbon forms from the whisk.

Step 3 -In a separate bowl, combine the chestnut cream with the soft butter. Mix until homogeneous. Add the chestnut cream/butter mixture to the egg/sugar mixture, and mix until fully combined.

Step 4 -In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Step 5 -Using a spatula, fold in about a quarter of the egg whites into the chestnut cream mixture, and then fold in about a quarter of the flour. Repeat, alternating a quarter of egg whites and a quarter of flour, until all folded in. Do not overmix; stop working when just incorporated. The batter should be fluffy.

Gently transfer the batter into your cake pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack for 5 minutes and unmold.

The post Chestnut Cream Cake (Gâteau Ardéchois) appeared first on Pardon Your French.

This Stuffed Rabbit Saddle with Chestnut and Mushrooms is roasted until perfectly golden and juicy inside, while the vegetable stuffing is so tender and flavorful. This festive recipe yields a super comforting feast that is enough for four people.

Cooking notes:

• • A Noble Piece of Meat

Deeply anchored into French Gastronomy, rabbit saddle is called a “noble piece of meat”, which means it is a prime piece, sought after for its extreme tenderness and easy versatility. Rabbit saddle can be braised, roasted, sliced, minced … or most commonly stuffed, like in this delicious recipe.

• Bone-in or Bone-out.

The saddle is made up of the ribs and spine, with a loin or fillet on either side. If you are up for the challenge, buy a whole rabbit or a bone-in saddle and follow this video to see how to debone a rabbit and separate the saddle.

For this recipe, I’ve took on the challenge of deboning the rabbit myself (it was my first time!). It was a little time consuming and requires some precise knife technique as well as sharp knives. It was a tad overwhelming at first, but ended up being not difficult, and well worth the effort !

If you’re in a hurry, buy a deboned rabbit saddle (it is pretty common to find) or ask your butcher to debone it for you.

• Servings

An average size rabbit saddle is 350 to 400 grams, which, once stuffed, will serve 4 adults. If you are feeding more people, prepare more saddles accordingly. 

If you try this Stuffed Rabbit saddle recipe, let me know!  Leave a comment or share a photo on Instagram tagging @pardonyourfrench or using #pardonyourfrench. I’d love to see what you come up with.  

Bon Appétit!

Stuffed Rabbit Saddle with Mushrooms and Chestnuts

Print Recipe

Serves: 4 people Prep Time: 1 hour Cooking Time: 1 hour 1 hour

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 2 voted )

Ingredients

For the stuffed rabbit saddle:
1 rabbit saddle (350-400gr)
400g chestnuts, peeled and cooked
400g nutty bread (or any rustic loaf of your choosing)
2 shallots
4 garlic cloves
400g white mushrooms
50g butter
3 sprigs of coriander
3 sprigs of parsley
3 sage leaves
Pepper (freshly cracked)
Salt
Butcher’s twine

For the potatoes:
500g (1lb) small white-skinned potatoes, scrubbed
1 tbsp herbes de Provences
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Pepper
Salt (freshly cracked)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400F. Place rack in the lowest position of the oven. Take out the rabbit meat from the fridge, lay it on paper towels and and let it come up to room temperature ( it ensures that it will cook more evenly).

Step 1 – Roughly chop 300g of the chestnuts and 300g of the mushrooms (keep aside 100g of whole chestnuts and 100g of whole mushrooms). Finely chop 2 garlic cloves (keep aside 2 whole garlic cloves in their skins). Finely chop the shallots, coriander, parsely and 1 sage leaf.

Step 2 - In a large frying pan, fry the minced garlic and shallots, with the butter, for 2 minutes (until transluscent). Add the chopped mushrooms, chesnuts, herbs and bread (crumbled roughly with your fingers). Season to your liking (salt and pepper), and mix roughly with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients come together in a crumbly stuffing mix. (If it looks too dry, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water – the bread will absorb it quickly). Transfer the stuffing to a bowl and set aside (keep the frying pan on the stove – we will use it soon to quickly brown the rabbit, in step 5).

Step 3 - On a clean working surface, lay the rabbit saddle (back side down). Spread the stuffing on top and press it firmly (using your hands) into a tight log, right in the middle of the saddle. Roll the saddle and close it tightly with butcher’s twine. Slip the 2 remaining sage leaves between the twine.

Step 4 - For the potatoes, whole mushrooms (remaining 100g) whole chesnuts (remaining 100g) and 2 whole remaining garlic cloves – In a small bowl, whisk the herbs, garlic and oil together until blended. Put the potatoes, chesnuts and mushrooms in a large bowl and pour over the oil mix. Toss to coat and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Step 5 – Gently place the rabbit saddle in the frying pan, on medium-high heat with a dollop of butter, and brown quickly (1-2 minutes on all 4 sides).

Step 6 – Gently transfer the rabbit saddle in a large, heavy baking dish (I used a Staub Oval Cocotte) and toss the potatoes, mushrooms and chestnuts all around it.

Cook for 45 minutes, lid on. After 45 minutes, gently toss the potatoes, mushrooms and chestnuts around (to make sure they’re evenly roasted) with a spatula. Spoon some juice from the bottom of the pan and pour it on the rabbit saddle. Put back in the oven for 15 minutes, lid off.

For serving, transfer the rabbit to a platter, cut into 8 slices and spread the potatoes, mushrooms and chestnuts all around.

Notes...

Merry Christmas!

Looking for more Christmas Recipes? 

• Spiced Persimmon Chutney Foie Gras Toasts 
• Speculoos Cookies from Alsace
• Honey and Citrus Spiced Bread 
• French Eggnog Madeleines 
• Pistachio & Almond Crescent Cookies 

The post Stuffed Rabbit Saddle with Chestnuts and Mushrooms appeared first on Pardon Your French.

Chestnut cream is sold in tubes or cans in France and can be found in most grocery stores. But for those in the US or Canada who can’t find it that easily, here is are simple instructions for you to make your own at home. But beware… it is addictive!

Chestnut Cream

Print Recipe

Serves: 1 jar (500ml) Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes 20 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 3.6/5

( 20 voted )

Ingredients

2 lbs (0.9kg) chestnuts, whole
1 ¼ (250g) sugar 
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Score your chestnuts with an “X”, deep enough to cut through the outer skin and transfer the chestnuts to a pot of cold water. Bring the water to a boil and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Remove the chestnuts from the water (keep the pot full of water, but turn off the heat) and peel the chestnuts.

Transfer the chestnuts back into the big pot and ensure they are covered with about an inch of water (dispose of the “unnecessary” hot water that’s left in the pot). Bring the water back to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes (until the chestnuts are very tender when poked with a fork). Drain the chestnuts and dispose of all the remaining water.

In a separate pan, combine sugar and water on medium-low heat, and cook until the sugar has dissolved.

In a food processor, puree the chestnuts with ¼ cup of the sugar liquid (made above) until smooth.

Transfer the chestnut puree into a pot, and add all the rest of the sugar liquid. Add the vanilla extract and salt. On low heat, cook for 1-2 minutes, until the puree thickens and holds to your spoon (it thickens fast!).

Keep the chestnut spread in a mason jar (or jam jar), in the fridge, for up to 5 days.

The post How To Make Your Own Chestnut Cream appeared first on Pardon Your French.