Authentic Portuguese Chestnut Cupcakes • Queques de Castanhas

For São Martinho celebrations, you simply can’t go without some little cakes made with chestnuts, and in this case we have a recipe very similar to the fantastic chestnut cake, just in cupcake format, which means super creamy cupcakes with a delicious chestnut aroma. These are a wonderful fall-type sweet here in Portugal, delicious and comforting at the same time, perfect for these not-so-sunny days when all you want is something warm and cozy to nibble on with a cup of whatever you love hehehee ;D

I have to note something though, it’s not a good idea to add little chestnut pieces on top of the cupcakes like I did, and you can see in the photos. It’s better to use some almond slices, chocolate, walnuts, whatever you want, a pinch of cinnamon or powdered sugar. Just because the chestnuts that ended up on top of the cupcakes became super hard (like tooth-breaking hard), everyone loved the cupcakes, but almost everyone picked off the little chestnut pieces from the top. The chestnut pieces inside the batter turned out perfectly tender with no problem, but it’s best not to make any little pieces at all, that was me trying something out that didn’t go the best way heheheh, that’s why I’m removing it from the recipe, because it was a bad idea hahahha, so let’s get to it!

Authentic Portuguese Chestnut Cupcakes • Queques de Castanhas

Servings: 10
Time: 1hr 10mins
Difficulty: Normal
Rating: ★★★★★
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These cupcakes are like little clouds of autumn happiness, they are pretty fluffy, nutty, and absolutely impossible to have just one! Ok ok just one more ;D

Ingredients

Chestnuts – 250g
Fennel – A Pinch
Butter – 50g (Room Temperature)
Baking Powder – 1 Teaspoon
Brown Sugar – 125g
Eggs – 3 L
Butter – For Greasing
Salt – A Pinch

Directions

Start by cutting the chestnuts and boiling them in a pan with plenty of hot water and a pinch of fennel and salt. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes until tender.

Drain the chestnuts, peel them, and mash them with a food processor or hand blender until they form a paste. Set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC and grease 10 to 12 muffin tins with butter, then place them on a baking sheet.

Separate the egg yolks from the whites and whisk the whites until stiff, then set aside.

In a bowl, combine the egg yolks, sugar, and butter, and whisk well until creamy.

Then add the chestnut purée, followed by the baking powder and a pinch of salt, and mix well without whisking.

Finally, fold the whisked egg whites into the mixture, pour into the greased muffin tins and bake for about 15 minutes.

When the tops of the muffins are golden brown, insert a toothpick into a muffin/cupcake. If the toothpick comes out dry, the cupcakes are ready. Remove from the oven and they are ready to serve. Bon appétit!

Notes: This recipe takes its time because we’re going to cook the chestnuts. If you have chestnuts already cooked, or you already made extra planning for this recipe, of course you can make this recipe much more quickly.

As mentioned in the introduction, avoid topping with chestnut pieces as they become too hard when baked (makes sense you are cooking them twice). Instead, try sliced almonds (they toast beautifully!), chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, a dusting of cinnamon sugar, or a simple powdered sugar snow at the end. All of these will stay tender or add a nice textural contrast without breaking anyone’s teeth!

Make sure your bowl is completely clean and dry when whisking the egg whites, any trace of grease or yolk will prevent them from reaching stiff peaks. This is what gives these cupcakes their incredible fluffiness!

When you fold in the egg whites, use a gentle motion from the bottom up and turn the bowl as you go. This keeps all that beautiful air you just beat into them, which is the secret to super light cupcakes.

You can prepare the chestnut purée a day ahead and keep it refrigerated. Just bring it back to room temperature before using.

In Portugal, these cupcakes are traditionally made around November 11th for São Martinho (St. Martin’s Day), when chestnuts are at their peak and roasted chestnuts are sold on every street corner!

These cupcakes are best enjoyed the day they’re made, but they’ll keep in an airtight container for 2-3 days. The texture might become slightly denser, but they’ll still be delicious!

This recipe for Authentic Portuguese Chestnut Cupcakes • Queques de Castanhas was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Queques de Castanhas foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.