We took the elements of the trendy Dubai Chocolate Bar and transformed them into a most fabulous Dubai Chocolate Mousse Cake! Two special fillings, a layer of crunchy, nutty vibrant pistachio kadayif cream and a layer of airy, rich chocolate mousse are encased inside layers of a moist chocolatey chocolate cake, all of which are lovingly frosted with a chocolate ganache frosting. OMgoshdarnit...can you tell that we love, love, love our chocolate, lol?!
We started by making the key element of Dubai chocolate which is the luscious, creamy pistachio kadayif cream filling.
This made in heaven food combination starts with the pistachio nut which is ground down into a creamy green hued paste. This luscious paste, nutty and slightly sweet, is then mixed with crisped up kadayif noodles. Kadayif noodles are thin delicate noodles used in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern desserts for their incredibly light and crispy texture. These noodles can be bought in specialty food stores, ordered online here, or you can do what we did: make Kadayif Noodles at home and save yourself a pretty penny!
To find out how to make this truly divine filling check out our posts on How to Make Kadayif Noodles and then go on to how to make Pistachio Kadayif Cream Filling. With this nutty filling you can go on to make all kinds of Dubai Chocolate inspired treats, from chocolate bars, to cookies, to muffins, to candies, etc. For us the first inspiration was to make a Dubai Chocolate Mousse Cake!
Once we had the pistachio kadayif cream filling made we started on our cake. We baked a nice moist chocolate cake and then let it cool completely. Once cooled we sliced the rounded top of the baked cake off (you can eat that right away, baker's treat!) and then sliced the cake into two layers.
One of the cake layers went on to a cake plate. It was time to start putting our Dubai chocolate cake together!
We spread out the pistachio kadayif cream filling evenly over the cake layer.
To add a lush contrast to the nutty crunchy pistachio layer we made an airy and rich chocolate mousse. We then spread an even layer of chocolate mousse over the pistachio layer. Nom, nom, amiright?!
The next photo is one I forgot to take (probably too busy licking my chocolate mousse-y fingers lol). Basically I just placed the other layer of cake on top of the chocolate mousse layer. Then the cake was allowed to chill in the fridge while we made the chocolate ganache frosting.
It was time to frost our Dubai chocolate cake with even more chocolate! This gorgeous, gleaming and easy to make/spread chocolate ganache frosting was sooo yummy...dang it all but I sure do love me some chocolate ganache! Lastly, we sprinkled some chopped pistachio for a bit of decoration and our beautiful Dubai Chocolate Mousse Cake was done!
Here's a slice of our cake! Moist rich outer chocolate cake layers envelope inside layers of airy rich chocolate mousse and nutty, creamy, crunchy pistachio kadayif filling, all of this lusciousness further encased in a velvety chocolate ganache frosting. Omgosh, what can i say, this Dubai Chocolate Mousse Cake is pretty incredibly choco-tastic!
Dubai Chocolate Mousse Cake
Prep time: 30 mins Bake time: 15 mins
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups pistachio kadayif cream filling (click link for our recipe)
- 1/4 cup chopped pistachio, for decoration
Chocolate Mousse
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder, 15g
- 3.5 oz dark or milk chocolate, 100g
- 1 cup whipping cream, 230g
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Cake
- 1/2 cup milk, 125ml
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 3/4 cups + 2 tbsp all purpose flour, 108g
- 6 tbsp cocoa powder, 40g
- 3/4 cups +2 tbsp sugar, 175g
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp neutral tasting oil, 48g
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup expresso coffee
Chocolate Ganache Frosting
- 7 oz dark or milk chocolate, 200g
- 1 cup whipping cream, 230g
Directions:
Prepare the pistachio kadayif cream filling: Prepare the pistachio kadayif cream filling according to our recipe here. (Note: If you are making homemade kadayif noodles instead of using store bought kadayif please make the noodles a day in advance.) Cover pistachio kadayif cream filling and keep chilled in the fridge while making mousse and cake.
Prepare the chocolate mousse: Add hot water and cocoa powder to a bowl and whisk until completely mixed.
Chop the chocolate bar to small pieces. Prepare a double boiler by adding an inch of water to a small pot over low heat, then placing a heat proof bowl over the pan. The bowl's bottom should not touch the water. Add chocolate to the bowl and let it melt, stirring once in a while. Once melted remove from stove, add cocoa powder water and stir til mixed.
Add whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to another bowl and whisk until medium peaks form.
Add the chocolate to the whipped cream and use a spatula to gently fold until just incorporated. Cover and let chill in the fridge for at least two hours.
Prepare oven and pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Use butter to grease one 9 inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Prepare soured milk: First, mix the milk and vinegar in a bowl. Let it sit for a couple of minutes and it will curdle.
Prepare chocolate cake: Add flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt to a mixing bowl and whisk to mix. In a separate bowl add oil, egg, vanilla extract, coffee and soured milk. Whisk until completely mixed. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Use spatula to combine the wet and dry until just mixed.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan. Place in oven and bake for 15-20 mins. Check the cake doneness by poking a toothpick in. If toothpick comes out clean the cake is done. Let cool in the pan. Use a knife to loosen the cake edges from the pan, and remove. Once the cake is completely cooled slice off the rounded top of the cake. Then divide the cake into two equal layers.
Assemble the cake: Place one layer of cake on cake plate. Spread the pistachio kadayif cream filling over cake. Next spread the chocolate mousse over the pistachio kadayif cream. Place the second layer of cake over the top. Chill cake in the fridge while making the ganache frosting.
Prepare the chocolate ganache frosting: Chop the chocolate bar to small pieces and add to a bowl. Heat cream in a small pot until it just simmers. Pour over the chocolate and let it rest for a couple of minutes. Then, stir until all the chocolate is melted and incorporated with the cream. Cover and let chill in the fridge for up to an hour to thicken.
Frost the cake all over with chocolate ganache frosting, using an icing spatula. Use the chopped pistachios to decorate the cake. Enjoy!
Storage: Covered cake can be keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Cake-licious Cakes at The Hong Kong Cookery:
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