Dubai brownie with pistachio ice cream and ganache – a creamy, intense dessert with Middle Eastern inspiration.
This Dubai brownie is my take on the viral Dubai chocolate – in a cake that combines chocolate, pistachio and texture into one spectacular dessert experience.
The base is a rich, gooey chocolate brownie – topped with a layer of kadayif (shredded kataifi pastry) and pistachio cream, which gives it that distinctive Middle Eastern texture and flavour. On top comes a soft, glossy milk chocolate ganache, and the whole thing is served with chopped pistachios and creamy pistachio ice cream on the side.
It is a rich, indulgent dessert that is eaten in small pieces – and one that truly treats both the eyes and the palate.
One important note
The cake needs to come out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving, so the fats in the brownie, pistachio filling and ganache all have time to soften. It makes all the difference! If you serve it too cold, the layers will feel a little stiff and won’t melt together as they should.
You can easily make the cake a couple of days ahead, so it is ready for guests, a party – or simply as a lavish dessert when you want to impress.
Dubai brownie with pistachio ice cream
Ingredients
- 160 g butter
- 25 ml flavourless oil
- 180 g dark chocolate (55%), buttons or roughly chopped
- 280 g caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- 80 g plain flour
- 20 g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 80 g dark chocolate (55%), buttons or roughly chopped
Crunchy pistachio layer
- 160 g toasted kadayif* shredded kataifi pastry
- 200 g pistachio cream sweet pistachio spread
Chocolate ganache
- 100 ml whipping cream (38% fat)
- 25 g butter
- 2 tbsp glucose syrup
- 200 g milk chocolate, buttons or roughly chopped
To serve
- Pistachio ice cream
- Chopped unsalted pistachios
- Edible gold flakes, optional
Method
- Melt the butter and oil in a saucepan. Turn off the heat and stir in the 180 g chocolate until completely melted. Set aside and let it cool slightly – without letting it set.
- Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and sugar until lightly foamy. Just a couple of minutes – it should not get to the pale, thick and fluffy stage.Stir the butter and chocolate mixture into the eggs until you have a smooth, even batter.
- Combine all the dry ingredients and sift them into the batter, then stir everything together quickly and thoroughly, and finally fold the 80 g chocolate buttons into the batter.
- Line a baking tin of approx. 24×24 cm with baking parchment and pour in the batter.
- Bake the cake in the middle of a preheated oven at 175°C, conventional oven (top and bottom heat), for approx. 25 minutes.The cake should be fudgy and must not stay in the oven too long – so check the centre of the cake after approx. 25 minutes with a skewer or similar. A little batter should still cling to it – then it is perfect.
- Let the cake cool in the tin before topping it with the pistachio layer and ganache.
Crunchy pistachio layer
- Stir the kadayif and pistachio cream together. If your pistachio cream is very firm, warm it briefly in the microwave or stand the jar in a little hot water – that makes it easier to stir.*If you can’t find toasted kadayif, you can toast it in a frying pan yourself first. Cut it into smaller pieces and fry it until golden in a little butter in a frying pan.
- Spread the topping in an even layer over the cake, making sure to go right to the edges.
Chocolate ganache
- Heat the cream, butter and glucose syrup in a small saucepan until it is only just starting to bubble at the edges. Stir as it heats.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir the chocolate into the cream until you have a completely smooth ganache.
- Pour the ganache over the cake and spread it in an even layer. Decorate with a few gold flakes or chopped pistachios if you like.
Serving
- Take the cake out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Cut the cake into suitable pieces and serve with a sprinkling of chopped pistachios and a scoop of pistachio ice cream.
Nutrition
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Den smagte lækkert!
Vi har dog en halv kage tilbage, efter nytårsfesten. Kan den mon fryses?
Hej Trine
Hvor er det dejligt at høre – tusind tak:)
Har ikke prøvet at fryse en kage med kadaiyf – men jeg tænker nu sagtens det kan lade sig gøre:)
Warm wishes, Dianna
Hvad kan man bruge istedet for glukosesirup?
Hej Susanne
Uhhh har ikke prøvet med andet, desværre:)
Warm wishes, Dianna
Ser så lækker ud! Det er en ret “stor” opskrift til mange mennesker kan jeg se. Jeg vil lave den som nytårsdessert, hvor vi bliver 5 personer. Hvis jeg halverer opskriften kan jeg så mon lave den i en 20 cm springform?
Hej Hannah
Beklager mit sene svar, men er på ferie og ikke så meget på hjemmesiden.
Jeg tænker det passer fint ja – håber det lykkedes:)
Warm wishes, Dianna
Den er fuldstændig fantastisk.
Hejsa
Hvor er det dejligt at høre, tusind tak 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna
Virkelig lækker kage! Nem at lave og alle var vilde med den!
Hej Michelle
Tusind tak, det er jeg virkelig glad for at høre:)
Warm wishes, Dianna
Har selv fundet ud af det!
Lyder sim en lækker opskrift, jeg må prøve. Kan kagen laves dagen før?
Hejsa
Det kan den sagtens ja 🙂 Faktisk havde jeg et stykke tilbage, der efter 5 dage, stadig var snasket og lækkert og på ingen både tørt 🙂
Husk at tage den ud af køleskabet minimum 30 minutter inden servering 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna
Hvilket mærke bruger du af pistacie cremen ?
Ellers en mega god kage ❤️
Hej Anne
Uhhh jeg køber dem oftest online, for synes det er svært at finde i supermarkedet hvor der reelt er en god % pistacienødder i cremen.
Kan desværre ikke huske mærket, men prøv at google og vælg en med et højt indhold af pistacie – det giver bedste resultat:)
Warm wishes, Dianna
Ser top lækkert ud. Hvor finder man pistagecremen? Det er vel ikke pistagemarcipan?
Hej Kirsten
Tusind tak 🙂 Mange supermarkeder er begyndt at have det, og ellers køber jeg det i bazaaren eller online 🙂
Det er pistaciecreme, altså en slags nøddesmør 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna
Hvad er kadayif?
Hejsa
Tro du jeg bruge crunchy pistasiecreme?
Mvh
Dorthe
Hej Dorthe
Ja absolut, det kan du sagtens:)
Warm wishes, Dianna