Chinese-style Chestnut Filled Cake

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup flour, plus
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 lb chestnuts, shelled and peeled
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water (preferably water used in cooking chestnuts)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons milk

Recipe

• 1 cake: preheat oven to 350 degrees f. grease a 7" round baking pan and dust lightly with flour.
• 2 beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
• 3 beat egg yolks lightly and fold into egg . blend well.
• 4 sift together flour and salt. add 1/3 flour mixture to egg mixture and mix well using light, swift actions. repeat with the remaining flour mixture, mixing well after each addition.
• 5 add vanilla essence. add melted butter and blend quickly.
• 6 pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake for 25 minute.
• 7 remove from oven and allow to cool on a rack.
• 8 filling:place chestnuts in a saucepan and add enough water to cover them. cook until soft. drain, reserving the water.
• 9 mash chestnuts.
• 10 use 1/2 cup chestnut water or plain water to cook sugar. then add butter, vanilla essence and milk to this.
• 11 add sugar and milk mixture to chestnuts and mix well.
• 12 slice sponge cake into two layers.
• 13 force chestnut filling through a potato masher and pile the strands of chestnut onto one cake. place the other half over the chestnut filling, and pile the remaining chestnut filing on top of this.
• 14 cover with whipped cream. (i normally just sandwich all the filling between the two layers and serve decorated with dusted icing sugar, chocolate curls and some extra chestnuts.