Chestnut Layer Cake with Hazelnut Nougat

Photography by Brigitte Sporrer

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Chestnut Layer Cake with hazelnut nougat

For a 9-1⁄2 in (24 cm) springform pan (12 pieces)

Time: 45 mins prep + 40 mins baking + at least 3 hrs chilling

For the base:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3⁄4 cup fine cane sugar

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1⁄2 tsp salt

1⁄4 cup vegan cocoa powder

1 3⁄4 cups soy milk

1 1⁄2 tbsp cider vinegar

2⁄3 cup canola oil

For the filling:

2 1⁄3 cups soy cream, suitable for whipping, well chilled

1 tsp (slightly heaped) agar-agar

4 1⁄2oz (125g) vegan dark chocolate, roughly chopped

5 1⁄2oz (150g) chestnut purée

Also:

6 1⁄2oz (190g) hazelnut nougat

2⁄3 cup soy cream, suitable for whipping, well chilled

2 3⁄4oz (80g) chestnut purée

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). For the base, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift over the cocoa powder and fold it in. Whisk together the soy milk and cider vinegar, leave to thicken for 5 minutes, then stir in the canola oil. Quickly mix the liquid and dry ingredients with a large spoon.

Line a spring-form pan with parchment paper, transfer the cake mix into the pan, and bake in the center of the oven for about 40 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool completely. Place the base on a cake plate and surround with a cake ring.

For the filling, bring 1 1⁄4 ⁄ cups of the soy cream to a boil over medium heat with the agar-agar and the chocolate and simmer for a few minutes, stirring carefully, until the chocolate melts. Leave the cream to cool slightly, remembering to stir occasionally.

Whip the remaining soy cream for 3 minutes using an electric mixer on its highest setting. Use a hand blender to combine the chestnut purée with the warm chocolate and cream mixture. Once the chocolate cream mixture has cooled, fold in the whipped cream and spread quickly over the base of your cake. Smooth the surface with a spoon and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

To decorate, first melt the hazelnut nougat in a double boiler. Spread most of the nougat over the surface of your cake, then spread the remaining nougat over a board. Leave the cake and the nougat to cool. Whip the cream with the chestnut purée and transfer to a piping bag with a star nozzle attached. Cut the solidified nougat into pieces. Carefully release the cake from the ring, pipe on 12 generous swirls, and top each one with a square of the nougat.