Chocolate Pistachio Cake

This Chocolate Pistachio Cake combines chocolatey cake layers with pistachio buttercream, chocolate ganache and crispy chocolate-coated kadayif. I also used some of the ganache to make truffles for the top of the cake, which look pretty and are SO delicious! If you loved the Dubai chocolate trend, you'll love this cake version!

Make the Chocolate Cake Layers

This recipe uses my Perfect Chocolate Cake recipe to make three 8" layers. They're chocolatey and moist and not too sweet, which lets all of the other ingredients really shine in this cake!

Chocolate Kadayif

Pour the kadayif into a bowl. Make sure you buy the shredded and baked strands, also called kadaif or kataifi.

Melt chocolate chips and drizzle the melted chocolate over the kadayif, tossing everything together with a fork until the strands are coated with chocolate. This keeps them crispy!

Pour the chocolate kadayif onto a tray lined with parchment, wax paper, or a silicon mat and leave to cool and set.

Chocolate Ganache

Heat the cream until hot but not boiling. This takes about 30 seconds in the microwave or if you're using a pan on the stovetop, heat the cream over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and push the chocolate chips under the surface of the cream with a spoon.

Leave the cream and chocolate to sit for five minutes and then stir until the chocolate has completely melted and the ganache is smooth.

You'll use approximately two thirds of this ganache, cooled to room temperature, for the cake filling. Scoop up a third into a bowl or tupperware and refrigerate to set and use for chocolate truffles later.

Make the Pistachio Buttercream

This pistachio buttercream is made with homemade pistachio paste, butter, powdered sugar, and cream.

To make the pistachio paste, put 2 cups of pistachios into a food processor and blend briefly to coarsely chop the pistachios. Remove half a cup of the crushed pistachios and set aside for later, to decorate the cake. Blend the rest of the pistachios until fine. Add a tablespoon of water and blend again to make a paste. Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides of the food processor so everything blends evenly. When the paste pulls away from the sides of the bowl, it's ready.

This is what the pistachios will look like at each stage: coarsely chopped, finely ground, and as a paste:

You don't need to peel the skins off your pistachios before blending them. If you do, your pistachio buttercream will have a brighter, greener colour. Leaving the skins on gives the buttercream a more muted, natural pistachio colour. I loved the colour of mine exactly as it was but if you want it to be brighter, you can add a drop of leaf green food colouring.

Put room-temperature butter into the bowl of a mixer. If you don't have a stand mixer you can use a handheld mixer instead. Add the pistachio paste and mix until it's evenly incorporated into the butter.

Add powdered sugar (or icing sugar) and cover the mixer with a clean kitchen towel before mixing at the lowest speed. This prevents the sugar flying everywhere! Add milk to thin out the pistachio buttercream to a consistency that's easy to stir and spread. Cover with plastic wrap until you're ready to use it, so that it doesn't dry out and crust.

Make Chocolate Pistachio Truffles

Once the bowl of chocolate ganache in the fridge has chilled and set, scoop up a spoonful and add a generous pinch of the chocolate kadayif. Roll into a ball between your hands and drop into a bowl of cocoa powder to coat. Repeat to make 12 truffles, placing them on a plate and putting them into the fridge until you're ready to use them. I really recommend using gloves for this step because it's messy!

Assemble the Chocolate Pistachio Cake

Spread some ganache or pistachio buttercream onto the middle of a cake board and place your first chocolate cake layer on top. The ganache or buttercream will act as glue to hold the cake still while you assemble it.

Spread half of the chocolate ganache on top of the cake and sprinkle half of the remaining chocolate kadayif on top. Then spread pistachio buttercream onto top. It's a bit tricky to spread over the kadayif but it's important to layer the fillings in this order so that the next layer of cake attaches to the sticky pistachio buttercream.

Add the next cake layer and repeat. After adding the final cake layer, cover the cake with a thin crumb coat of pistachio buttercream and chill until firm.

Frost the cake with a final layer of pistachio buttercream and smooth the top and sides. Move the cake onto a tray and, using the coarsely chopped pistachios you set aside earlier, give the cake a border by pressing the pistachios around the bottom of the frosting. It's easiest to do this straight after frosting the cake, while the buttercream is still soft and sticky so the pistachios will attach easily.

Arrange the chocolate pistachio truffles on top to finish the cake. To space them evenly, I like to imagine that the top of the cake is a clock face and place the truffles at 12 o'clock and then opposite at 6 o'clock, and then in between those truffles at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock. Then add the rest, with two truffles in each gap between.

How to store this chocolate pistachio cake

You can keep this cake in the fridge for a few days but assuming you don’t like cold, rock hard cake, this HAS to be eaten at room temperature! Take it out of the fridge 4 hours before you slice into it to let the cake and buttercream and ganache warm up and become soft again.

I can't wait for you to make this cake! I know there are quite a few steps but I promise that if you like pistachios and chocolate, you'll love this cake! The recipe is in the teal box below and you can toggle the ingredients between US (cups) and Metric (grams).

Please tell me what you think in the comments!

And if you're looking for ways to decorate this cake, visit my online cake school to learn hundreds of cake decorating techniques and designs!

Chocolate Pistachio Cake

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• Author: Emily
• Yield: a three-layer 8" cake 1x

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Description

This Chocolate Pistachio Cake combines chocolatey cake layers with pistachio buttercream, chocolate ganache and crispy chocolate-coated kadayif. If you love the Dubai chocolate trend, you'll love this cake version!

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For the chocolate cake layers:

• 2 cups hot water
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (plain flour)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

For the chocolate kataifi:

• 2.2 oz kataifi (buy this already shredded and toasted)
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

For the chocolate ganache:

• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

For the pistachio buttercream:

• 2 cups pistachios
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 1/2 cups unsalted butter
• 2 lb powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon milk

For the chocolate truffles:

• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

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Instructions

For the chocolate cake layers:

1. In a bowl, whisk together hot water and cocoa powder until the cocoa has dissolved. Set aside to come to room temperature.
2. In a mixer with a beater attachment, mix butter with sugar on medium speed until pale and creamy, about two minutes. Scrape down to the bottom of the bowl once during mixing to make sure no butter is stuck at the bottom.
3. Add eggs one at a time, mixing on the lowest speed after each addition until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
4. Add vanilla and mix on lowest speed for about 30 seconds to combine.
5. In a bowl sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add a third of the flour mixture to the mixing bowl and mix on lowest speed to incorporate.
6. Add half of the cocoa mixture to the mixing bowl and mix on lowest speed to incorporate. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture, then the remaining cocoa powder mixture, and then the remaining flour mixture. Mix just until the ingredients are combined.
7. Grease the inside (base and sides) of three 8" pans with non-stick spray, butter or oil. Divide batter between the cake pans.
8. Bake at 175ºC or 350ºF for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
9. Let cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes. Use a spatula to loosen cake from the edges of the cake pan and then turn onto a wire cooling rack. Leave to cool completely.

For the chocolate kataifi:

1. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave for 1 minute at 60% power. Stir and repeat until smooth.
2. Pour the kataifi into a bowl. Drizzle melted chocolate on top and then stir together with a fork to coat the kataifi in chocolate. Transfer to a tray lined with parchment, wax paper, or a silicone mat and leave to cool.

For the chocolate ganache:

1. Pour the chocolate chips into a bowl.
2. Heat the cream in a bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds or in a pan over medium heat until bubbles appear around the edges of the pan.
3. Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and use a spoon to push all of the chocolate chips below the surface of the cream. Leave for 5 minutes and this stir until smooth. Set aside to cool.

For the pistachio buttercream:

1. In a food processor, blend pistachios until coarsely chopped. Remove 1/2 a cup and set aside to decorate the cake later. Blend the remaining pistachios until fine. Add water and continue blending to make a paste.
2. In a mixer or using a handheld mixer, beat butter at low speed for a minute until smooth.
3. Add pistachio paste and mix in until combined.
4. Sift sugar to remove any lumps and then add with salt to the mixing bowl and mix at low speed until combined. Scrape down to the bottom of the mixing bowl to loosen any ingredients stuck there.
5. Add milk to loosen the buttercream. It should be smooth and easy to stir.

To put it all together:

1. Spread some buttercream or ganache onto the middle of a cake board and press the first chocolate cake layer onto it to attach it. Spread a layer of ganache on top, then sprinkle chocolate kataifi over it, and spread pistachio buttercream on top.
2. Place the next chocolate cake layer on top and repeat the fillings, finishing iwht the final cake layer.
3. Chill the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes or in the freezer for 10 minutes before continuing. This firms up the cake so it's easier to frost.
4. Cover the cake with half of the remaining pistachio buttercream as a crumb coat. Smooth it to flatten any bumps and bulges but don't worry about making it perfect.
5. Put the cake back in the fridge or freezer for 30 minutes to set the crumb coat. Meanwhile, make the chocolate truffles by following the steps below.
6. Spread the rest of the pistachio buttercream onto the cake and smooth it.
7. Place the cake on a tray and press the crushed pistachios around the bottom of the cake. They'll stick because the pistachio buttercream frosting is still soft and sticky. The tray will catch any pistachios that fall off the cake board.

For the chocolate truffles:

1. Use a spoon to scoop up the chilled ganache and sprinkle some chocolate kataifi on top. Roll it between your hands (I wore gloves for this because it's messy!) to make a ball and then roll it in the cocoa powder.
2. Place the truffles on top of the cake. I made 10 but recommend at least 12 to mark out individual portions, since cutting this cake into only 10 slices made HUGE portions!

Here's a video on how to make this Chocolate Pistachio Cake: