This is a slight variation on the traditional Italian chestnut cake that is made with olive oil and rosemary. Using chestnut flour and adding carob to the ingredients make this cake taste like an incredibly rich chocolate cake. Please note that when mixing chestnut flour, the dough may appear very runny. The chestnut flour will absorb the liquid ingredients very quickly. Chestnuts are traditionally dried in Italy over the hot stove in thin slats for 8 months, making the nuts incredibly dry. They are then ground into a fine flour powder.

The dried cherries in the recipe pair beautifully with the earthy flavors of chestnut, carob, walnuts and vanilla, while the fresh cherries in the sauce give the cake a fresh, fruity finish. The fruit part of the recipe can be changed to pineapple (dried and fresh); apricots and even plums with fresh plums for the sauce.

20 dried cherries, halved / ½ cup dried cranberries

4 tablespoons good quality dark red grape juice

1½ cups (240 g) chestnut flour

1 tablespoon cornstarch

3 tablespoons vegan carob chips

1 teaspoon of baking soda

pinch of salt

½ cup walnuts, chopped, toasted in the oven, then finely ground

1 tablespoon hazelnut/macadamia nut butter

2 teaspoons + 5 teaspoons walnut oil

2 – 3 tablespoons maple syrup, warm

1¼ cups apple juice

12 walnut halves

1½ cups chopped fresh black cherries

  1. Preheat oven to 430°F (220°C). Brush a heatproof ceramic pie plate (square or round) with walnut oil, or use a silicone baking pan.

  2. Soak dried cherries or cranberries in grape juice for one hour, or preferably overnight.

  3. Place the chestnut flour, cornstarch, carob chips, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and stir to combine. Add the fine nuts.

  4. Add the nut butter and 2 teaspoons each of the nut oil and apple juice to the flour and stir until just combined. This is a liquid mass, similar to cream.

  5. Drain the dried fruit and discard the soaking liquid (or drink it). Stir the dried fruit into the batter. For the dough in the baking dish. Place the walnut halves on the cake and pour the remaining 5 teaspoons of the walnut oil over the dough.

  6. Bake in the oven on the middle rack for 25 – 27 minutes until just set. It is normal for the cake to crack all over the surface. Place a sheet of aluminum foil over the cake for the last 10 minutes if it is getting too dark.

  7. Remove the cake from the oven. Pour the warm maple syrup over the cake so it can be absorbed.

  8. For the sauce: blend ½ cup of cherries in a blender until smooth. Add the rest of the cherries.

  9. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature. Cut the cake into slices or squares and serve with the cherry sauce on the side.

Makes enough for 8 generous servings.

Tip: By swapping out the dried fruit and fruit juice in the recipe, you achieve a completely different flavor to this versatile cake recipe. Try, for example, fresh chopped pineapple with cinnamon and coconut milk; or white grape juice with halved black grapes and vanilla powder.