Italian Chestnut Cake - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
8 ounces butter, softened
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can chestnut puree
9 eggs, separated
7 tablespoons dark rum
1 1/4 cups double cream

Preparation

Preheat oven to 180c/350 degrees F.
Grease a springform cake tin& line.
Cream butter& three-quarters of the sugar.
Fold in two-thirds of the chestnut puree, alternating with the egg yolks,& beat.
Fold in the sifted flour.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff.
Beat a little of the egg whites into the chestnut mixture, until evenly blended, then fold in the remainder.
Gently pour the cake mix into the tin.
Cook for 1 1/4 hours or until cooked.
Leave the cake in the tin& pirece holes evenly all over the cake with a skewer.
Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of the rum over the top& allow to cool before removing from the tin.
Cut horizontally into two layers.
Place the bottom layer on a serving plate.
Beat the cream, rum, sugar& chestnut puree until thick.
Spread two-thirds of cream on the bottom layer& place the other layer on top.
Spread the remaining cream over the top& sides of the cake.
Decorate with piped cream stars.