Dubai Chocolate Cake Recipe
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Recipe Overview
Preparation time: 45 minutes plus 30 minutes freezing time
Cooking time: 1.5 hours
Makes: 8-10 serves
This recipe is started 1 day ahead of time
Ingredients Needed
For Cake
- 1.5 cups/225g/8ozs cake flour (see note above)
- 1.5 cups/300g/10.6ozs brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons/45g/1.6ozs cocoa, sifted
- 1.5 teaspoons bi carbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1.5 cups/375ml/13flozs water
- 1/2 cup/125ml/4flozs mild flavoured oil (eg. canola oil)
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 75g/2.5oz dark chocolate (dairy free) finely chopped
For Filling
- 225g/7.9ozs kataifi pastry, cut up into small sections, around half an inch
- 90g/3ozs butter
- 540g/19ozs pistachio cream
- 30g/1oz tahini paste
- Pinch salt
For Frosting
- 360g/12.7ozs icing sugar mixture
- 60g/2ozs cocoa powder
- 113g/1stick butter, melted
- 85ml/3flozs milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 60g/2ozs pistachios, peeled
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1 MIX - Line a 20cm/8inch round but not springform baking tin with parchment and preheat the oven to 180C/350F conventional or 160C/320F fan forced. Combine flour, brown sugar, cocoa, bicarb and salt in a large bowl and whisk well together and press out any lumps. In a jug whisk the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla and then add to dry ingredients in 3-4 lots. Stir in chocolate and and then pour into the prepared tin.
Step 2 BAKE - Bake for 70-75 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Place a metal plate on top of it immediately after it comes out of the oven (this is to steam the cake and make it super moist). Cool completely. I make the cake part the day before.
Step 3 FILLING - In a very large frying pan with high sides melt the butter on medium heat and add the kataifi pastry breaking it up as you add it in. Toast the kataifi pastry well all over. This will take around 10 minutes. Taking your time is very important to ensure that you get a crunch that lasts. In a large bowl mix the pistachio cream, tahini and salt and then add in the kataifi.
Step 4 FILL - Slice cake in half horizontally with a cake slicer or a large knife (or even dental floss can work!). Use a dab of icing to adhere the cake to a cake board and place on half of the cake down. Place a greased springform cake tin collar around the cake and add the pistachio kataifi filling. Place other cake half on top. Cover and freeze for 30 minutes.
Step 5 FROSTING - While it is freezing make the frosting. For the frosting, sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder (Thermomix: 30 seconds, speed #8.5). Place in a mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment. Add the butter, milk and vanilla bean paste. Whisk on low speed until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Once the icing sugar and cocoa is mixed in, increase speed to high and whisk for 2 minutes until glossy and aerated.
Step 6 DECORATE - Remove the cake collar and spread icing on the sides and on top of the cake. Sprinkle pistachios around the edge of the cake.'
Personal Note
We love pistachios but even before the shortage they were expensive and they are even moreso now and when you combine that with the rising chocolate prices, a chocolate bar becomes an expensive treat. Making a cake could be dare I say a better priced idea! ;)
We were staying at a lovely hotel one weekend and after dinner I went to get something from the lobby area near where the breakfast is served. I saw that they had laid out the provisions for the following day's breakfast.
"There is a big container of pistachios!" I told Mr NQN excitedly, "You have to wake up early to have some!"
"Why would I get up early to eat pistachios?" He asked, confused.
"Because they're expensive. And there's a pistachio shortage!" I answered.
So tell me Dear Reader, would you get up early to eat pistachios? And do you like the Dubai chocolate combo?