Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Chocolate Chestnut Cupcakes

Yup, more chestnuts, and more chocolate too. I think they are a nice pair, much better than chocolate and orange. In previous posts, I seem to have implied that I hate chocolate, but that's not the case. I just don't find it very appealing in bar form. But a cake? Mmm. Oh yes,  and I love labour-intensive chestnuts. I am still working on using up the jars of jam and the candied chestnuts. I made these cupcakes one night when some friends came over for dinner. I had planned to make a layer cake filled with the mousse but ran out of time. In fact the cupcakes my guests got didn't look at all like the above. They got the tin of cupcakes, the mixing bowl of mousse and the jar of candied chestnuts in syrup. It was an assemble-your-own kind of evening. I saved this one for the next morning. A single photograph and it became breakfast. Magic.

Chestnut Mousse
Source: The Cake Bible
2 cups whipping cream, chilled
1 cup sweetened chestnut puree with vanilla
rum to taste, optional
  1. Whip cream until soft peaks form, then fold in chestnut puree and rum. Combine well. Whip a bit more if you want stiffer peaks. Keeps chilled for a day or two.

For the cupcakes, I used half the recipe for the German Chocolate Cake, baked for 15-20 minutes at 350.  

To serve, top the cupcakes with the mousse and candied chestnuts, if desired. Makes 12, with a very generous amount of mousse.

8 comments:

Lisa said...

Mary, Mary, I must have one of these cupcakes! I love chestnut - I think it's so under used, if you know what I mean. I'm definitely trying these!, Well, definitely when I get a chance, considering I always overload my plate! lol Love the masala stew below too!

Wholesale Food said...

Looking very delicious and sweet..

Valerie Gamine said...

I love making guests work for their food. :D

Cupcakes, chestnuts, and chocolate...what a splendid trio!

Evelyne CulturEatz said...

Yum, chestnut mousse. This cupcake looks so inviting. Love the assemble-your-own idea though.

Valérie said...

Now this sounds like a real treat! I love sweet chestnut cream, I'd eat it straight out of the can! And assemble-your-own-food evenings are a great way to keep guests entertained while minimizing your own efforts.

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Rambling Tart said...

I keep trying to be a fan of chestnuts, Mary, but each time they're so wretchedly dry and awful that I can't bear them. BUT, you just may change my mind with this glorious mousse. :-)