[Recipe] Matcha Pound Cake (with Chestnuts)

It's a little late into the season but I managed to find some cheap chestnuts at Lidl (ok, maybe that's why they were cheap). I got them for almost twice the price per kilo previously at a nearby ethnic supermarket. Note to self: always check Lidl first for affordable groceries. I brought home two nets of these lovely Italian chestnuts. 

 

Not sure if this is still the case but when I was younger, I remember when autumn comes, the air is filled with the amazing smell of roasted chestnuts. Hawkers selling freshly roasted chestnuts on carts were a common sight. In this recipe, I'm adding a bit of autumn flavour into my matcha pound cake recipe.

If you're using raw chestnuts, wash and scour each chestnut with a knife. Simmer the chestnuts for about 30-40mins. When they're cooked, peel them when they're still warm. I've forgotten how tedious it is to remove chestnuts shells 😂. The chestnuts also have a bitter skin that is quite annoying to peel. It really takes a lot of skill to keep the chestnut whole. Most of them fell apart while being peeled. Whole chestnuts look much better when you slice the cake.

As for the matcha, I order mine from Japan but you can definitely find some at the Asian grocery stores: Amazing Oriental.

 Ingredients

• Butter:150g
• Sugar: 90g-120g
• Matcha: 15-20g
• Egg: 150g
• Cake flour: 90g
• Baking powder: 3g
• [optional] chestnuts (tamme kastanjes): 100-150g

1. Cream the butter and sugar. I prefer to add less sugar but my European friends always tell me my cakes are not sweet enough. So adjust the sugar amount to your preference. Sift in the matcha and mix well. I enjoy the bitterness of matcha but my friends not used to the taste find it too much. Adjust the amount of match according to your preferences as well. 
   
   
    
   
   
2. Mix in the egg. 
   
   
   
   
   
3. Sift in the flour and the baking powder and mix. I forgot to take photos after this step 😅. Add in the chestnuts as well. Sometimes I add in some white chocolate as well. 
4. Pour the batter into a cake mould. My mould is 21(L)x8.5(W)x6(H)cm. For this size, the cake would look nicer if you double the amount of ingredients but I didn't want to make too much so the cake turned out a bit short. Tap the mould on the table to remove air bubbles. 
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C for 50-60min.
6. When the cake is done, let is cool a bit before removing it from the mould.

I used silicone cake moulds I got from Amazon (https://amzn.to/2VHVfOI). 

Disclosure: Not my intent to promote the products but as an Amazon Associate, I can earn from qualifying purchases.

This pound cake is really moist and when it's fresh from the oven, the crust has a slight crisp which I really enjoy. This version is less sweet with more matcha. I think it also goes well with the flavour of the chestnuts. 

Matcha pound cake with chestnuts. I realised later I forgot to add baking powder so the cake didn't rise as expected.

You see some holes in the pound cake. That's because there were still air bubbles in the batter. So if you're bothered by the holes, you have to tap the mould to remove as much many bubbles are possible. 

 My matcha pound cake from another time without chestnuts

Thanks for reading! Hope you try this recipe.

I would love to hear your comments and suggestions. 

Always nice to have feedback so I can keep improving.

You can also find me on Instagram or Facebook.