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You are here: Home / Recipes / Baking (sweet) / Chocolate chestnut fondant – a decadent Christmas dessert

Chocolate chestnut fondant – a decadent Christmas dessert

by Jeanne Horak on December 23, 2012 25 Comments in Baking (sweet), Christmas, Dessert, Recipes

The other day, a friend and fellow-blogger asked an open question of his readers:  do you collect mementos when you travel, and if so, what?  If you’d aked me that question 15 years ago, the answer would have been a resounding “YES! How much time do you have?” At various times over my teenage and 20-something years, I insisted on collecting writing paper from every hotel I stayed in; shells from every beach I walked on; pebbles from cities I had visited, erasers from around he world, key rings, and wine-bottle shaped fridge magnets.  What can I say – I was born a pack rat!!  But moving from my parents home into a small 2-bedroom apartment and then moving countries kind of put paid to my ambition to collect random stuff.  So when Chris asked this question, my first reaction was “no – only photographs”.

 

 

But, ah, self-delusion is a wonderful thing.  It is indeed thrue that most of what I bring back from my travels these days takes up no more space than one small memory card.  But one glance at my spice rack and kitchen cupboards tells a different story.  “Seven kinds of salt??  Who the hell needs seven different kinds of salt?” yells my husand in frustration.  “Pistachio paste?  What on earth are you supposed to do with that?” ask my friends in bemusemet.  “Eenie meenie miney mo, which kind of oil shall I use today”, I muse, “Greek olive, Provencal olive, Portuguese olive, Austrian pumkin seed or sesame seed?”.  Yeah right, photos are all I bring back from my travels.  I bring back the entire grocery store.

 

 

The other day when I was once again scrabbling about in one of my kitchen cupboards trying to find something useful (tinned tomatoes, sugar, tuna – you know, actual food!) and coming up only with seaweed crisps from Japan, crispbreads from Sweden and achiote paste from Mexico, I decided that I had had enough.  It was time for radical action – a roll call of all the edible flotsam and jetsam in my cupboards was in order, followed by an organised plan to use them up, one by one, and to derive some pleasure from then rather than frustration. To make sure I did not lose sight of the slippery little suckers again, I put my exotic collection on the kitchen counter – and they had barely been there a few days when I caught sight of one of them on my dear friend Jamie’s blog:  the creme de marrons, or sweetened chestntutr cream (think the love-child of a chestnut Nutella and a can of caramelised condensed milk).  The recipe for a decadent and near-flourless chocolate chestnut fondant dessert struck me as the perfect alternative  Christmas dessert, which is why I made it for friends at a pre-Christmas lunch last week.  It is terribly easy to make, and absolutely decadent to eat: think of it as my little Christmas present to you (you can thank me later!).

 

 


5.0 from 2 reviews
Chocolate chestnut fondant
 
Print
Prep time
10 mins
Cook time
40 mins
Total time
50 mins
 
This near-flourless decadent chocolate treat is an easy crowd-pleaser.
Author: Jeanne Horak-Druiff
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 200 g dark chocolate
  • 160 g) butter (I used salted)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 x 500 g tin of Crème de Marron (sweetened chestnut cream)
  • 1 rounded Tbs plain flour
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a 20cm springform pan with baking paper.
  2. Break the chocolate into squares into a heatproof Pyrex bowl. Cut the butter into blocks and add to the bowl, then set the Pyrex bowl over a saucepan of boiling water on the stove (do not let the bowl touch the water). When the chocolate is mostly melted, remove from the heat and stir stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture blended and smooth. Allow the mixture to cool until it is lukewarm.
  3. Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl and beat well until blended, then whisk in the chestnut cream. Slowly add the chocolate mixture while continuing to whisk. Sift in the flour and mix well.
  4. Pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan and bake for about 30-40 minutes, until the fodant is set in the centre, slightly puffed and cracking a little.
  5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before serving. Mine was served at a pre-Christmas dinner, accompanied by thick brandied cream.
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  1. fiona maclean says

    December 23, 2012 at 10:31 pm

    I grew up spending my summer holidays with a french family in Savoie. One of the things I used to bring home with me every year was a can of this sweetened chestnut puree. MY idea was that my mother would make the dessert we enjoyed in a patisserie in Chambery, called Mont Blanc, which from memory had vanilla icecream, chestnut puree, vanilla cream and chocolate in a huge ‘mountain’.

    It’s wonderful stuff…

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      January 5, 2013 at 8:04 pm

      Oh yes, I am sure I have heard of (or maybe even tried??) Mont Blanc as a dessert! Yummy! This can was bought mainly because it is so pretty and had been lurking in the cupboard for a while – this is a fantastic way to use it up (and probably easier to make than Mont Blanc LOL!). I love the Savoie, summer or winter…

      Reply
  2. Robin O says

    December 24, 2012 at 4:44 pm

    This rings all the bells for me this Christmas Eve Jeanne. The delicious dessert share by friends and the recognition that we have so much in common — photos and intriguing ingredients from around the world. And those fabulous Plate to Page goodie bags only add to our cookery addictions! Merry Christmas to you and Nick!

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      January 5, 2013 at 8:05 pm

      Hahaha – yes – the P2P goodie bags are the source of many ingredients to mystify friends in my kitchen! And yes – we are definitely cut from the same cloth as far as photos and exotic ingredients are concerned. Wishing you and yours the very best for 2013 – would be wonderful if we managed to meet up again!

      Reply
  3. Krista says

    December 24, 2012 at 10:16 pm

    Oh you are hilarious, Jeanne. 🙂 I just returned from a two-trip to Brisbane and have BAGS of food found at the most wonderful European delicatessen. 🙂 It extends the pleasure of any trip no end to have such treasures in the pantry. 🙂

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      January 5, 2013 at 8:07 pm

      Hahaha – oh Krista, we are secret foodie sisters! I have carried back so many kgs of food items from my travels – I just can’t say no! And as you say, when you cook with them later, it is a little like re-living the trip…

      Reply
  4. Mairi @ Toast says

    December 26, 2012 at 1:39 am

    It is heaven isn’t it? Made it for friends just the other week & it went down a treat 🙂 Happy Christmas!

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      January 5, 2013 at 8:07 pm

      It is ridiculously easy to make (and even easier to eat LOL!) Hope you had a great Christmas and wishing you all the best for 2013!

      Reply
  5. Brian @ A Thought For Food says

    December 26, 2012 at 1:53 pm

    My father is also a pack rat… the man doesn’t throw anything away. So, this made me laugh. I, on the other hand, love getting rid of things. And now that I’m taking pictures everywhere, that’s the only memento I need.

    Love the look of this fondant! Just gorgeous!

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      January 5, 2013 at 8:09 pm

      The older I get, the more I fight my pack-rat tendencies… I have weaned myself (mostly!) off buying random stuff – I find it easier not to buy something in the first place than to try and throw it out later (saddo!!). The fondant is awesome, even if I say so myself – so easy to make and totally decadent to eat, at any time of year…

      Reply
  6. Camilla @Fabfood4all says

    December 28, 2012 at 7:31 pm

    Oh my goodness I just want to grab a spoon a dig into this delightful pud and I’ve never been a fan of Chestnut Puree but I’d have to make an exeption this this beauty!

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      December 30, 2012 at 6:23 pm

      That’s the funny thing – I don’t like chestnuts or chestnut cream much either! But in this fondant, it adds texture more than flavour – the whole thing is just divine…

      Reply
  7. Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says

    December 29, 2012 at 4:24 am

    I am guilty of the same, in fact I pack extra light to make sure there’s room for all the food I know I’ll be bringing back!

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      December 30, 2012 at 6:22 pm

      Hah – I thought I was the only crazy woman to do that! I’ve paid for carry-on luggage before just so I knew I could bring back food and wine from a trip!

      Reply
  8. lapiubelladitutte says

    December 29, 2012 at 1:48 pm

    Oh my god!!! I think I could seriously eat the whole cake, christmas or not!!!!

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      December 30, 2012 at 6:21 pm

      Well… new year’s eve is coming 😉 Any excuse will do, really!

      Reply
  9. Sarah, Maison Cupcake says

    December 29, 2012 at 8:29 pm

    Jamie gave me a can of this once and I wish I could easily buy the same brand again! The cans are so pretty. I am exactly the same bring back the grocery store, the stuff I have lurking in my cupboards from France is quite unbelievable!!

    I love the look of this fondant cake, it would be a perfect new year dessert.

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      December 30, 2012 at 6:13 pm

      Oh but you can! The big Sainsburys near my house sells that very brand 🙂 Let me know if you want some and I can try and get some for you before our January meet up! I have made an early new year’s resolution to use up some of the ton of stuff lurking in my cupboards this year…

      Reply
  10. Zirkie says

    January 1, 2013 at 1:52 pm

    The fondant looks heavenly! I wonder whether I will be able to find chestnut cream in SA? Best wishes for a wonderful and blessed 2013!

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      January 5, 2013 at 8:11 pm

      Wel… if you want me to bring you some when next I come to SA, put your order in now ;o) Seriously though, I am almost sure you can make a fondant cake with Nutella too – will have to investigate!

      Reply
  11. Chocolate Cake Blog says

    January 3, 2013 at 5:27 am

    Sensational looking fondant. We’d love to share this on our blog 🙂
    Cheers

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      January 5, 2013 at 8:13 pm

      No problem – glad you like it and thanks for the share!

      Reply
  12. Anna says

    March 14, 2013 at 9:12 pm

    It’s funny because I’m doing the exact same thing with my pantry right now and searching for a recipe to use up my chestnut paste is exactly what brought me here 😀 I think I’ve found my winner!

    Reply
  13. Jamie says

    October 21, 2014 at 10:00 am

    How did I not see this? Your fondant is gorgeous!! Perfect in every way and it is time to pull out a can of crème de marron and make this again!

    Reply
  14. Keira Ball says

    October 4, 2020 at 2:01 pm

    I love baking specialy easy and quick recipes like this.

    Reply
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Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

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