Chocolate and chestnut cake

Ingredients

• 60g golden raisins
• 60ml red wine, sweet red vermouth or port
• 100g unsalted butter, chopped into cubes, plus extra to grease
• 300g vacuum-packed cooked chestnuts
• 130ml crème fraîche
• 30g plain flour, plus extra to dust
• 1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1⁄2 tsp ground ginger
• 200g dark chocolate, chopped
• 3 medium free-range eggs, separated
• 60g caster sugar

For the ganache

• 100g dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 160ml double cream
• Chocolate sprinkles, sugared almonds, gold chocolate pearls, marrons glacés and/or gold shimmer dust to decorate

Specialist kit

• Deep 16cm loose- bottom cake tin (see Know-how)

Method

1. Put the raisins in a small bowl with the wine, vermouth or port and leave to soak overnight so they plump up. If you can’t wait, put the fruit and wine in a small pan, bring to the barest of simmers, then set aside to cool. 2 Lightly grease the base and sides of the cake tin with butter and line with baking paper. Heat the oven to 160°C fan/gas 4.
2. In a food processor or with a hand blender, whizz the chestnuts and crème fraîche until smooth. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, ginger and a pinch of salt