Chinese-Style Chestnut Filled Cake - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Sponge Cake
1/3 cup flour, plus
1 tablespoon flour
1/3 cup sugar
3 eggs, separated
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 tablespoons melted butter
Filling
1 lb chestnuts, shelled and peeled
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water (preferably water used in cooking chestnuts)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons milk

Preparation

Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 7\" round baking pan and dust lightly with flour.
Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Beat egg yolks lightly and fold into egg white. Blend well.
Sift together flour and salt. Add 1/3 flour mixture to egg mixture and mix well using light, swift actions. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture, mixing well after each addition.
Add vanilla essence. Add melted butter and blend quickly.
Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake for 25 minute.
Remove from oven and allow to cool on a rack.
Filling:Place chestnuts in a saucepan and add enough water to cover them. Cook until soft. Drain, reserving the water.
Mash chestnuts.
Use 1/2 cup chestnut water or plain water to cook sugar. Then add butter, vanilla essence and milk to this.
Add sugar and milk mixture to chestnuts and mix well.
Slice sponge cake into two layers.
Force chestnut filling through a potato masher and pile the strands of chestnut onto one cake. Place the other half over the chestnut filling, and pile the remaining chestnut filing on top of this.
Cover with whipped cream. (I normally just sandwich all the filling between the two layers and serve decorated with dusted icing sugar, chocolate curls and some extra chestnuts.