I admit it – the chestnut cake is a little bit of an obsession for me, especially if it’s a Mont Blanc. I look for it whenever I can. Outside of Chinese bakeries in Vancouver, the chestnut cake isn’t common and I have not seen a single one here in Central Coast California. I was so, so, so happy when I found it at Mitsuwa, the Japanese store on the second floor in International Marketplace. An unexpected though actually an unsurprising find in Honolulu. So that was a couple of years ago already. I do miss Hawai’i…that’s another story.

The last time I came close to having one was in Vancouver this past December. We were having lunch in Richmond, before boarding our plane home. While they ordered, I went across to St. Germain Bakery to line up for egg tarts. And a slice of chestnut cake. Maybe I should have eaten it first, before lunch. I was too full and instead of navigating the airport with this little box and ending up with a creamy mess, I gave it to my mom.

So when I visited Hong Kong in April, I looked forward to having chestnut cake.

The Chestnut Cake

The chestnut cake is definitely a nostalgic thing for me. It was always a special treat.

Even with International Marketplace being so close to our place, I only got it once in a while. More often than not, I just grabbed an onigiri or two. I love these rice balls. Rice triangles. Mitsuwa didn’t always have it and then they carried it as a frozen dessert. Since it’s imported, I guess it makes sense that it comes frozen.

Hong Kong, a Foodie Destination

Hong Kong is full of bakeries and chestnut cake is quite common. When my friend flew in from Singapore to visit me, we stayed for a few nights in Sheung Wan. On the way to the MTR was a bakery. I spotted that chestnut cake the first time we walked by.

One afternoon when I was out by myself, I got a piece. Just one.

I knew that it would taste good. I also knew it wasn’t going to be the most delicious.

This bakery was also where my friend bought cookies in cute cat tins for gifts. Cute tins get some of us every time!

(I still have Japanese cookie tins from decades ago. They make great storage boxes.)

Mont Blanc

So I’m not talking about the traditional Chinese water chestnut dessert which is called Ma Tai Go (馬蹄糕). I’m also not talking about the Swiss roll version.

I’m talking about the creamy chestnut cake. I’m talking about the sponge cake layered with fresh cream and puréed chestnut. My favourite chestnut confection though is the Mont Blanc.

From Europe to Japan

Translating to “white mountain”, Mont Blanc is the tallest in the Alps and straddles France and Italy. The Mont Blanc desert comes from these two countries. In Italy, it’s called Montebianco and in France, Mont Blanc aux Marrones.

It first appeared in fifteenth century Italy as puréed brown chestnut topped by powdered sugar. The French fashioned it into a dome with strands of puréed chestnut topped with Chantilly cream. A treat for royalty and nobility.

Mont Blanc’s popularity today is thanks to the Parisienne patisserie, Angelina. Founded in 1903 by Anton Rumpelmayer, an Austrian confectioner, Angelina was named after his daughter. The meringue base they added gave the dessert more texture and further highlighted the lightness of the chestnut purée. The first overseas Angelina store opened in Ginza, Tokyo, in the early 1980s.

Actually the Mont Blanc in Japan has two stories – the yellow and the brown Mont Blanc. Angelina’s is the brown. The “yellow” was created by Chef Sakota, who brought Mont Blanc back to Japan. He changed the base to a Japanese sponge cake and used the yellow-coloured Japanese chestnuts. You can still get this at Mont Blanc Bakery and Café in Tokyo. It’s a short 2-minute walk from Jiyugaoka Station. The Mont Blanc café was first opened in 1933 and moved to its current location in 1945.

Angelina is also still in Tokyo and has two locations. If you’re in France, Angelina has eight addresses, including the original one at 226 rue de Rivoli, one near the Louvre, and a couple in Versailles. The two US locations are both in New York. They have 30+ around the world, including Singapore.

If you don’t like chestnut, the Japanese Mont Blanc is also made with sweet potato. With plenty of flavours to choose from.

Mont Blanc Fail. Still…

From my photos, you can see that the “strands” are deceptive. It looks like it’s only shaped from the outside. It also has very little cream. Still, I got a good taste of chestnuts.

Where to Try Mont Blanc

Places in Hong Kong to check for Mont Blanc – Patisserie Mille Feuille (16A Staunton Street, Soho Central) Grand Hyatt (1 Harbour Road, Central), Passion (G11, G12, F12A Lee Tung Avenue, 200 Queen Road East, Wan Chai), and Pancake Senmon (57 Haywood Mansion)… I was mainly on the Hong Kong side so these would have been the ones I’d tried. There are more further afield. The Japanese-style café Sap.sann is in Sham Shui Po. From Prince Edward station, it’s a 7-minute walk to 159 Tai Nan Street.

After dinner one night, I also went with family to COVA at Lee Garden 3 in Causeway Bay. They don’t have Mont Blanc. Their chestnut dessert is a chestnut cream pastry. It’s easier to find chestnut cakes and other pastries. Maybe next time, especially if Angelina is close by. Until then I may have to make it myself. It’s easy enough to purchase chestnut or chestnut purée.

I thought I’d give it another go at the Hong Kong Airport.