Chocolate Pistachio Knefe Cake
Remember the Dubai chocolate bar that went viral on TikTok? This is it but turned into a cake! Layers of moist crumbly cake, a to die-for pistachio knefe and a velvety silky chocolate ganache are stacked together to yield a stunning delight that is surprisingly easy to assemble and luscious for the lucky ones who are going to taste it!
Chocolate Pistachio Knefe Cake
Yield: 8
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 3/4 cups sifted flour
- 2/3 cups cocoa powder sifted
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the chocolate ganache:
- 2 cups chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3 tbsp honey
- 4 tbsp cocoa powder sifted
- 2/3 cups sour cream
For the pistachio knefe:
- 1/4 cup butter+2tbsp
- 1 1/2 cups kataifi (shredded phyllo dough)
- 1 cup raw shelled pistachios
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 C).
- Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and line them with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, combine the flour with the cocoa powder,both sugars, baking powder,baking soda and the salt.
- In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the oil, sour cream and vanilla.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined.
- Divide the batter equally between the prepared pans and bake in the heated oven for around 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove the pans from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before inverting them onto a rack.
To make the chocolate ganache:
- Place the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl.
- Combine the heavy cream with the honey in a saucepan and bring to a gentle bowl.
- Pour over the chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes.
- Stir until smooth then mix in the cocoa powder and the sour cream. Whisk gently until smooth.
To make the pistachio knefe:
- Melt 1/4 cup butter in a pan and add the kataifi. Cook stirring frequently until the kataifi is golden. Transfer to a bowl.
- Place the pistachios in a food processor and add 1/4 cup of the milk and the powdered sugar. Blitz until you get a paste.
- In a small saucepan mix the remaining milk with the remaining 2 tbsp butter and the white chocolate chips and stir on low heat until the butter and chocolate are fully melted.
- Add the mixture to the pistachio paste and blend until smooth.
- Mix the pistachio cream with the kataifi.
To Assemble:
- Cover the first cake with half of the chocolate ganache and top with half of the pistachio kataifi.
- Place the second cake over the pistachio kataifi and cover it with the remaining chocolate ganache and pistachio kataifi.
- Place the cake in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Serve, slice and enjoy!
