This chestnut flour cake has a gentle aroma, a warm-coloured crumb and the rustic character of an autumn breakfast cake. Equal amounts of chestnut flour and Italian type 00 wheat flour make up a simple batter, mixed with an electric whisk and finished with a dusting of icing sugar.
The recipe uses seed oil and milk, with no butter. Allow 10 minutes to prepare the batter and about 40 minutes for baking, plus time for the cake to cool slightly. Serve it for breakfast with milky coffee or as an afternoon snack with a warm drink.
Easy · 6 servings · 20 cm tin
Preparation: 10 minutes · Baking: about 40 minutes · Total: about 50 minutes, plus cooling · Preheated oven: 170 °C
Ingredients
- 120 g Italian type 00 wheat flour
- 120 g chestnut flour
- 3 eggs
- 150 g sugar
- 100 ml seed oil
- 100 ml milk
- 8 g baking powder
- Icing sugar, as needed to decorate
How to make chestnut flour cake
1. Prepare the oven and tin
Preheat the oven to 170 °C and line the base of a 20 cm round cake tin with baking parchment. Weigh and prepare all the ingredients.
2. Whisk the eggs and sugar
Crack the eggs into a large bowl, add the sugar and beat with an electric whisk until pale, thick and frothy.
3. Add the oil and milk
Pour the seed oil and milk into the bowl. Whisk briefly, just until they are incorporated.
4. Mix in the flours and baking powder
Add the type 00 wheat flour, chestnut flour and baking powder. Whisk until the batter is smooth, with no visible lumps.
5. Fill the tin and bake
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and level the top if needed. Bake at 170 °C for about 40 minutes. Check the centre with a skewer before taking the cake out of the oven.
6. Cool slightly and decorate
Let the cake cool slightly, remove it from the tin and dust with a little sifted icing sugar. Cut into slices and serve.
How to serve chestnut flour cake
Enjoy it for a simple breakfast with coffee, milk or tea, or as an afternoon snack without a filling. To serve it as dessert, add a spoonful of whipped cream to each slice just before bringing it to the table.
Optional chocolate chip variation
For a richer variation, add 100 g of chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips to the batter. This addition is optional and is not included in the ingredients for the plain cake shown in the steps.
Storage
Once the cake has cooled, wrap it in food-safe cling film and refrigerate it to help prevent it from drying out. The source recipe does not specify an exact number of days, so no guaranteed storage period is given here.
Frequently asked questions
Is this chestnut flour cake gluten-free?
Not this version: it contains 120 g of type 00 wheat flour as well as chestnut flour. For a gluten-free cake, use a dedicated recipe rather than replacing flours without checking the formula.
Is this cake made without butter?
Yes. The batter uses seed oil instead of butter. It still contains milk and eggs: no butter does not mean lactose-free or vegan.
What size tin do I need?
These quantities are for a 20 cm round cake tin and 6 servings. Line the base with baking parchment.
Recipe source and images
Adapted from the material supplied, with reference to Buon’Idea’s recipe on Fatto in casa da Benedetta. Ingredient quantities are unchanged; tin diameter and oven temperature were checked against the source.
Buon’Idea — Torta con farina di castagne, Fatto in casa da Benedetta
The images are AI-generated illustrations and do not document a practical test of the recipe.
