Chocolate chestnut cake

<strong>Preparation: </strong>

For the cake layer:

• Preheat the oven to XNUMXο C (XNUMXο F) set to fan.
• In a bowl, add all of the solid ingredients. The baking powder, cinnamon, orange zest, ginger, cocoa powder, flour, and mix with a spoon.
• In a mixer’s bowl, add the butter, sugar, and beat at high speed until the mixture is fluffy.
• Lower the mixer’s speed and add the vanilla extract, and the eggs one by one. Wait for each one to be incorporated before adding the next.
• Remove the bowl from the mixer, add the yogurt and the solid ingredients. Mix with a spatula until the ingredients are homogenized.
• Butter and flour, with cocoa powder, three round XNUMX cm cake pans and divide the batter.
• Bake for XNUMX minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool well.

For the cream:

• In a small saucepan, add the boiled chestnuts, sugar, cognac, vanilla, water, and boil, with the lid off, for XNUMX-XNUMX minutes.
• As soon as the water’s level decreases and it is about XNUMX cm, remove from the heat.
• Transfer the whole mixture into the food processor, and beat until the chestnuts are dissolved and your mixture turns into a puree (you may need to add a little hot water).
• When the puree is ready, transfer it into a bowl.
• While it’s still warm, add the chocolate couverture finely chopped, mix well with a spatula and set the mixture aside to cool.
• In a mixer’s bowl, add the heavy cream and beat it with the whisk attachment for XNUMX-XNUMX minutes, until it turns into whipped cream.
• When the puree with the chestnuts and chocolate cools, add the whipped cream in batches with a spatula, and mix lightly so that the mixture homogenizes and becomes fluffy.

To compile:

• Spread a little of the cream onto the serving platter so that the first cake layer can stick onto it. Place, the least pretty one, at the base.
• Add XNUMX/XNUMX of the cream onto the cake layer and spread it with a spoon, so that it covers its whole surface.
• On top of that, place the second cake layer, and then the remaining XNUMX/XNUMX of the cream; spread it until its surface is covered.
• Follow the same process for the third cake layer, too.
• With a spatula, spread all of the remaining cream onto the surface and the sides of the cake.
• Serve with the chocolate pine cones and dust with icing sugar.