2 cups granulated
sugar
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup dry white wine
2-1/2 cups unbleached
all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-1/4 teaspoons
baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
extract
chocolate icing, warm
3/4 cup sweetened
chestnut puree *
whole chestnuts
preserved in syrup *
Preheat oven to 350
degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round layer cake pans.
Beat sugar and eggs
together, using an electric mixer, for 30 seconds on medium speed. Add oil, wine,
flour, salt, baking powder and vanilla; beat for 1 minute.
Pour batter into the
prepared pans. Set on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until
cake has pulled away from sides of pan and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Make frosting:
4 tablespoons sweet
butter
4 ounces semisweet
chocolate
3 tablespoons cream
2/3 cup sifted
confectioners' sugar, approximately
1 teaspoon vanilla
extract
Melt butter and
chocolate together in the top part of a double broilder over simmering water, whisking
constantly.
Remove pan from heat
and beat in cream. Sift in confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Icing should be
very smooth. Spread while warm. Enough for top and sides of one 8-inch
cake layer.
Let cakes cool in pans
for 5 minutes. Turn them out on rack and let cool for at least 2 hours before
frosting.
Arrange 1 cake layer on
a serving plate. Spread with warm chocolate icing. Set second layer on top of
first and spread with chestnut puree. Cover sides of cake with remaining icing.
Decorate top with well-drained whole preserved chestnuts if desired. Chill
cake for 45 minutes before serving.
Yield: 8 or more
portions
* available at
specialty food shops |
