Chestnut Cream Maple Cake

Maple syrup cake

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 Pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cup maple syrup (preferably dark syrup for its robust flavour)
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Chestnut and maple cream

• 12 vacuum-packed chestnuts, cooked and shelled (store-bought)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup maple butter
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 pinch of salt

Maple sugar icing

• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 3/4 cup maple sugar
• 2 egg whites
• 1 pinch of salt
• A few drops of vanilla essence

Maple swiss meringue

• 4 egg whites
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 cup fine maple sugar
• 1/4 cup red colour gel in a tube (in cake decorating range of grocery stores)

Maple syrup cake

1. Preheat oven to 180 °C (350 °F). Place rack in centre of oven.
2. Butter three 20-cm (8-in) diameter cake tins. Line bottom with parchment paper.
3. In a bowl, sift flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Set aside.
4. In another bowl, mix oil and maple syrup together. Add eggs and vanilla, and mix well. Add sifted ingredients and stir in well. Pour batter into tins.
5. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into centre of cake comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes, then run a thin blade around cakes to separate from tin. Remove cakes from tins and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

Chestnut and maple cream

1. In a food processor, blend all ingredients until smooth.
2. Transfer to a container, cover and refrigerate at least 15 minutes before adding filling to cake.

Maple sugar icing

1. In the upper part of a double boiler, add all ingredients except vanilla.
2. Beat mixture with an electric mixer for 5 to 7 minutes or until stiff peaks form.
3. Remove from heat, add vanilla and stir well. Put icing on cake.

Maple swiss meringue

1. In the upper part of a double boiler, use an electric mixer to continuously beat egg whites, salt and maple sugar until soft peaks form. Remove from heat and continue to beat until meringue is slightly warm and stiff peaks form.
2. Place a 1.25-cm (1/2-in) diameter plain tip on a pastry bag. Using the back of a knife blade, draw several evenly spaced lines of red gel onto inside walls of pastry bag.
3. Fill pastry bag with meringue and decorate surface of cake with mini meringue domes.