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Chocolate chestnut cake cut into squares.

High Altitude Chocolate Chestnut Cake

Heather Smoke
A high altitude chocolate chestnut cake, made with fluffy and moist chocolate cake, frosted with buttercream swirled with creamy and nutty chestnut paste.

All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.

5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, French
Servings16

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment

Ingredients
 

Cake

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
  • ¾ cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 6 tbsp unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • 1 tbsp instant espresso powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
  • ½ cup whole milk, room temperature
  • ½ cup sour cream, room temperature
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 tbsp chestnut spread/paste
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

Buttercream

  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • ½ tbsp meringue powder, optional
  • tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 6 tbsp chestnut spread/paste, divided

Instructions
 

Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Spray a 9-inch square baking dish with nonstick baking spray.
  • In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt, then whisk until well distributed.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, sour cream, oil, eggs, chestnut paste and vanilla extract until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and whisk just until combined.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Set the pan on a cooling rack, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and cool completely before frosting.

Buttercream

  • In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for one minute until smooth.
  • Add the powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt, mixing on low until combined. Add the vanilla extract and 4 tablespoons of the chestnut spread. Increase the speed to medium and whip for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy, stopping to scrape the bowl down several times.
  • Spread the buttercream onto the cooled cake. Dollop the remaining 2 tablespoons of the chestnut spread onto the frosting, and lightly swirl it in with an offset spatula, leaving visible streaks in the frosting.
  • Cut into 9 squares for large servings or 16 squares for small servings.
Keyword Chestnut, Chocolate, Chocolate Cake, High Altitude Cake, One Layer
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