Try this luxuriantly rich alternative to Christmas pud, heavy with buttery nuts, prunes and dark chocolate
Tamal Ray’s alternative Christmas cakes or pud recipe
Plums are all very well, but ageing suits them. Their youthful bounce, wrinkled into tricky sweetness with spicy undercurrents: prunes are my favourite aunt of Christmas food, eaten from a fancy tin, soaked, stuffed or made into this cake order – which came about by mistake. The recipe I intended to follow does not include butter, but habit got the better of me and, before I knew it, 250g of the stuff was melting into a dark pool with the chocolate.
It was an excellent mistake, turning a good cake online into an exuberantly good one: dense, rich and thick – especially if you leave it until the next day, when it cuts into an almost fudge-like, velvet slice. Eat with a glass of port and a favourite aunt.
Chocolate, chestnut, almond and prune cake
Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 12
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150g cooked and peeled chestnuts
100g whole blanched almonds
100g pitted prunes
250ml whole milk
250g butter, diced
250g dark chocolate, broken into smallish pieces
4 eggs
125g caster sugar
1 pinch salt
Put the chestnuts, almonds, prunes and milk in a small pan over a low heat, until the milk is almost, but not quite, boiling. Take off the heat and leave to sit for 10 minutes, then blend to a soft, rough paste.
In a bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate, then leave to sit for five minutes. Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/gas 4.
Add the chestnut puree to the chocolate mix. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar and salt until soft and fluffy, then add to the mix and stir vigorously. Scrape into a 23cm-25cm tin lined with greaseproof paper, and bake in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes, until set but just a little wobbly at the centre.
The cake delivery online will be soft and mousse-like inside, so leave to cool completely – at least an hour, but ideally three or overnight – before removing from the tin.
Fiona Beckett’s drinks match
With rich, luxurious desserts, you really need a fortified wine, so look to a sweet sherry, madeira or, given Rachel’s Italian bent, marsala. Try the well-priced Cantine De Vita Marsala Dolce (£11.99 Waitrose, 17%) or the lusciously sweet Blandy’s Duke of Clarence Rich Madeira (£10 Asda and Tesco, £12.39 Waitrose, £12.50 Morrisons, 19%). FB
This article contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. All our journalism is independent and is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative. By clicking on an affiliate link, you accept that third-party cookies will be set. More information.
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source - https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/dec/09/christmas-dessert-recipe-chocolate-chestnut-prune-cake-rachel-roddy
Tamal Ray’s alternative Christmas cakes or pud recipe
Plums are all very well, but ageing suits them. Their youthful bounce, wrinkled into tricky sweetness with spicy undercurrents: prunes are my favourite aunt of Christmas food, eaten from a fancy tin, soaked, stuffed or made into this cake order – which came about by mistake. The recipe I intended to follow does not include butter, but habit got the better of me and, before I knew it, 250g of the stuff was melting into a dark pool with the chocolate.
It was an excellent mistake, turning a good cake online into an exuberantly good one: dense, rich and thick – especially if you leave it until the next day, when it cuts into an almost fudge-like, velvet slice. Eat with a glass of port and a favourite aunt.
Chocolate, chestnut, almond and prune cake
Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 12
Sign up for Word of Mouth: the best of Guardian Food every week
Read more
150g cooked and peeled chestnuts
100g whole blanched almonds
100g pitted prunes
250ml whole milk
250g butter, diced
250g dark chocolate, broken into smallish pieces
4 eggs
125g caster sugar
1 pinch salt
Put the chestnuts, almonds, prunes and milk in a small pan over a low heat, until the milk is almost, but not quite, boiling. Take off the heat and leave to sit for 10 minutes, then blend to a soft, rough paste.
In a bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate, then leave to sit for five minutes. Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/gas 4.
Add the chestnut puree to the chocolate mix. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar and salt until soft and fluffy, then add to the mix and stir vigorously. Scrape into a 23cm-25cm tin lined with greaseproof paper, and bake in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes, until set but just a little wobbly at the centre.
The cake delivery online will be soft and mousse-like inside, so leave to cool completely – at least an hour, but ideally three or overnight – before removing from the tin.
Fiona Beckett’s drinks match
With rich, luxurious desserts, you really need a fortified wine, so look to a sweet sherry, madeira or, given Rachel’s Italian bent, marsala. Try the well-priced Cantine De Vita Marsala Dolce (£11.99 Waitrose, 17%) or the lusciously sweet Blandy’s Duke of Clarence Rich Madeira (£10 Asda and Tesco, £12.39 Waitrose, £12.50 Morrisons, 19%). FB
This article contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. All our journalism is independent and is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative. By clicking on an affiliate link, you accept that third-party cookies will be set. More information.
You've read 5 articles...
... in the last two months, so we hope you will consider supporting our independent journalism today. More people, like you, are reading and supporting the Guardian’s independent, investigative journalism than ever before. Unlike many news organisations, we made the choice to keep our reporting open for all, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay.
The Guardian will engage with the most critical issues of our time – from the escalating climate catastrophe to widespread inequality to the influence of big tech on our lives. At a time when factual information is a necessity, we believe that each of us, around the world, deserves access to accurate reporting with integrity at its heart.
Our editorial independence means we set our own agenda and voice our own opinions. Guardian journalism is free from commercial and political bias and not influenced by billionaire owners or shareholders. This means we can give a voice to those less heard, explore where others turn away, and rigorously challenge those in power.
We hope you will consider supporting us today. We need your support to keep delivering quality journalism that’s open and independent. Every reader contribution, however big or small, is so valuable. Support The Guardian from as little as $1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
source - https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/dec/09/christmas-dessert-recipe-chocolate-chestnut-prune-cake-rachel-roddy
