Chocolate Chestnut Mousse Cake

By taniaf

Ingredients

• 1 jar (7 ounces) peeled roasted chestnuts
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp brown sugar
• pinch of salt
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp butter, room temp
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled.
• 1.5 cups cold heavy cream
• 24 chocolate wafer cookies

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

Lightly coat an 8 inch round cake pan with cooking spray, and line with plastic, leaving a 4 inch overhang.
Finely grind chestnuts in a food processor. Heat chestnuts, milk, 3 tbsp sugar and salt in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until bubbles form at edges.
Whisk together yolks, cornstarch and 2 tbsp sugar in medium heatproof bowl.
Slowly add hot chestnut mixture to yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Return to pan, cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until thick, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl of a mixer, add vanilla and butter. Beat on medium speed until cool, 5 minutes. Stir half chestnut mixture into melted chocolate.
Beat 1 and 1/4 cups cream until soft peaks form. Gently fold half the whipped cream into the plain chestnut mixture, and the other half into the chocolate-chestnut mixture.
Pour chestnut mousse into prepared pan. Cover with 12 chocolate wafers, working in a circular pattern. Top with chocolate-chestnut mousse and remaining 12 chocolate wafers. Fold plastic over to cover cake. Refrigerate overnight.
Uncover cake, place platter on top, flip and unmold. Remove plastic. Beat remaining 1/4 cup cream until soft peaks form. Spread on top of cake. Garnish with chocolate shavings.