Pistachio and Rich Chocolate Cream Cake
Rich in Chocolate
This cake is gluten free, I used only almond flour and coconut flour for the batter. The chunks of pistachio and chocolate add extra nice flavor to this sponge cake. The base of the chocolate cream is Swiss merengue, butter and melted dark chocolate. This cake is really rich in chocolate. Are you a chocoholic? It’s definitely for you.
85% Chocolate
The best choice is a bar with 75-80 percent cacao or higher. A chocolate bar with lower percentages of cacao has more added sugar and unhealthy fats. I use bar with 85% of cocoa.
Scientific studies have shown that dark chocolate is rich in antioxidant and packed with nutrients. Dark chocolate contains phytonutrients (flavonoids), which are plant chemicals that act as antioxidants and may play a role in cancer prevention and heart health.
This article of BMJ Journals is worth reading: Habitual chocolate consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease among healthy men and women. Its objective is the examination of the association between chocolate intake and the risk of future cardiovascular events. They found that people who ate more chocolate per day had a lower risk of both heart disease and stroke.
Studies show consuming high concentrations of dark chocolate may benefit your brain. Some researches show chocolate stimulates neural activity in areas of the brain associated with pleasure and reward, which in turn decreases stress and improves your mood. (Published in FASEB Journal)
These beneficial properties do not mean that chocolate can be consumed without moderation. Moderation is very important. Especially, people who are living with diabetes have to pay attention to this very much.
Pistachios
Pistachios called nuts, but botanically pistachios are seeds of the pistachio tree. They’re usually green and slightly sweet. You have to crack open its hard shell before consuming. It’s a bit tricky sometimes because of their tough shell. Pistachios are great source of vitamins and minerals, including manganese, phosphorous, copper, potassium, vitamin B6.
Pistachio and Rich Chocolate Cream Cake
Equipment
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer, food processor
Ingredients
For the sponge cake
- 8 large eggs
- 6 tbsp honey
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 80 gram almond flour
- 60 gram coconut flour
- 1 tsp baking powder gluten free
- 80 gram pistachio shelled
- 80 gram 85% dark chocolate
For the cream
- 3 large eggs white
- 100 gram coconut sugar or syrup
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 240 gram butter room temperature
- 100 gram 85% dark chocolate melted
For decoration
- 20 gram pistachio roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175°C. Line a 23 x 23 x 4.5 cm square baking tin with parchment paper.
- Make the batter. Whisk eggs, honey, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt with electric hand mixer or stand mixer for about 5-6 minutes, until it’s creamy and its size is doubled.
- Whizz 80 gram pistachios and 80 gram chocolate in a food processor until very finely chopped.
- Mix almond flour, coconut flour and baking powder and add this mixture to the whisked eggs mixture. The batter should be creamy.
- Add pistachio and chocolate mixture to the batter.
- Pour the batter into the lined tin and bake for 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Let it cool perfectly.
- While the sponge cake is baking, make the chocolate cream. Boil water in a pot.
- Make Swiss merengue. Mix egg whites, coconut sugar (or syrup), salt and vanilla extract in a bowl. Place the bowl into the hot water and stir the merengue mixture constantly until its temperature is about 70°C.
- Pour the mixture into a cold bowl and start to whisk with electric hand mixer or stand mixer, until the temperature reaches 30°C. You will get a creamy merengue.
- Add the butter in small chunks at a time. Whisk constantly. Continue whipping on medium speed for about 8 minutes, until you get stiff peaks.
- Melt 100 gram 85% dark chocolate and add to the merengue. Whip for 2-3 minutes.
- When the sponge cake has cooled completely, cut it in half horizontally.
- Then cut in half vertically. You get 4 same size sheets.
- Spread 3 sheets with chocolate cream and place them on top of each other. Place the 4th sheet to the top finally.
- Spread the whole cake with the remaining chocolate cream and sprinkle the top with roughly chopped pistachio. Put the cake into the fridge for 30 minutes. Enjoy!
