Scary day, let's face it with Chestnut Cream Cake

Today is a scary day. First, in case you haven't noticed, it's Halloween. So we have the horror movies on TV, the kids dressed up in monsters costumes, high on sugar and looking for more. I'm not a huge fan of it, but I can see the fun for the children, and there's one part that I like: carking Halloween pumpkins. Every year we try new patterns, and it's always fun.

But it's not the only reason why today is a scary day. It's official: we are 7 billions on the planet today! Heading down to being 10 billions by 2100. Beside how puzzled this is leaving me, it also brings us to the question, how will we be able to feed all those people, when there is still famine going on in Africa. Not to mention, will the planet be able to take it?

I say, let's go to our safe place for now, mine has to include something sweet. So baking a cake seems like the right thing to do, and using up some homemade Chestnut Cream finally gave me the opportunity to try the "Ardechois" cake. Ardechois, because it originates from the french region l'Ardèche.

Though I'm really not a big fan of alcohol, the combination of rhum with the chestnut cream works really well in this cake. It has little ingredients, but lot of taste, the chestnut cream give it a nice texture and it keeps really well. It is no answer to the challenges we are facing, but it did put a smile on the faces of the little monsters I was feeding.

Ardéchois, Chestnut Cream Cake (based on a recipe from www.odelices.com)

2 Eggs
100gr of Light Brown Sugar
100gr of Flour
1 Tablespoon of Baking Powder
100gr of Butter, at room temperature
200gr of Chestnut Cream
2 Tablespoon of Rhum
Salt

Preheat the oven to 150°C.

Preferably in a standmixer, cream the eggs with the sugar and a pinch of salt. Add the flour mixed with the baking powder.

When well combined, add the butter, that has been diced and left at room temperature. Afterwards, add the chestnut cream and the rhum.

In a round cake tin, that has been buttered and floured, pour in your cake batter and give it in the oven for about 40 minutes.

Check with a knife if it's done, and let it cool before taking it out of the tin. You can serve it like that, or with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.