Serves 1
Directions
- 1Finely grind whole roasted pistachios in a food processor until a good portion is finely ground.
- 2Sift the ground pistachios into a large bowl.
- 3Continue grinding the larger pieces until you have 1 cup of pistachio flour.
- 4Set the pistachio flour aside.
- 5To make the crispy feuilletine, combine equal amounts of all-purpose flour and powdered sugar in a medium bowl.
- 6Pour in 2 tbsp of plain yogurt followed by 2 tbsp of melted butter.
- 7Mix until you have a smooth creamy batter.
- 8Spread the batter out as evenly and thinly as possible on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using a bench scraper.
- 9Bake in a preheated 340 degree oven for 10-15 minutes until brown and crispy.
- 10Allow to cool completely, then separate from the parchment paper and break the sheet into pieces that will fit inside a food processor.
- 11Pulverize the pieces until they are a fine crumb.
- 12Transfer to a bowl or container with a lid, cover, and set aside.
- 13Combine 1 cup of milk with 1 tbsp of vinegar to make a buttermilk substitute and let it sit for about 5 minutes.
- 14In a large bowl, add 1 cup of pistachio flour then sift in powdered sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- 15Set the dry mix bowl aside.
- 16In a new bowl, mix together 1/4 cup of plain yogurt with 2 tbsp of melted butter.
- 17Gradually add the milk and dry mix into the butter and yogurt, mixing after each batch until everything is combined.
- 18Finally, sift in 1/2 cup of cake flour and mix until the batter is well combined.
- 19Transfer the batter to a greased and lined 9 1/2 by 13 inch sheet tray.
- 20Spread the batter out evenly by lifting and gently rotating the tray.
- 21Bake at 390 F for 10-15 minutes, then allow to cool completely.
- 22Flip the cake onto a cutting board and carefully remove the parchment paper.
- 23Cut the cake into 3 even slices and set aside.
- 24To make the chai syrup, add water, a cinnamon stick, 4 cardamom pods cut in half, 1-star anise, 4 whole cloves, 10-15 fennel seeds, 3 large slices of fresh ginger, and 2 tbsp of sugar to a saucepan.
- 25Turn the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer.
- 26Cook for 10-15 minutes to infuse the flavors.
- 27Add 2 tbsp of black tea leaves and cook for another 5 minutes.
- 28Strain the syrup through a sieve, discard the spices, and save the syrup for later.
- 29Melt semi-sweet chocolate in a double boiler over recently simmering hot water.
- 30Once fully melted, remove from the heat and pour in the crispy feuilletine bits.
- 31Mix well, then spread evenly over one portion of the cake.
- 32Cover the chocolate coated cake piece and chill.
- 33Whip softened unsalted butter with an electric mixer or whisk until light and fluffy.
- 34Pour in 1/3 of a cup of sweetened condensed milk followed by 2 tbsp of the chai syrup.
- 35Mix again until fluffy to create the chai buttercream frosting.
- 36Make a simple chocolate ganache by pouring hot heavy cream over semi-sweet chocolate pieces.
- 37Cover and chill the ganache for 30 minutes to firm up.
- 38After chilling, fluff up the ganache again with an electric mixer so it’s easier to spread.
- 39Remove the chocolate-coated portion of cake, which should be firm enough to flip so the chocolate is on the bottom.
- 40Brush on a layer of chai syrup onto the cake.
- 41Add half the buttercream and spread it out evenly.
- 42Place the second piece of cake on top and brush on another layer of the chai syrup using a dab and brush motion.
- 43Top with the chocolate ganache and spread out evenly using a knife, spatula, or offset spatula.
- 44For the last layer, repeat with a layer of chai syrup followed by the other half of the buttercream spread out evenly.
- 45Chill the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- 46When the cake is nearly done chilling, make a chocolate glaze by melting dark chocolate chips in a double boiler over recently simmering water with the stove turned off.
- 47Once the chocolate is mostly melted, pour in 1 tbsp of neutral oil and mix.
- 48Pour the chocolate glaze over your chilled cake placed on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet.
- 49Carefully spread the glaze out to get as even a layer as possible without dripping too much down the sides.
- 50Chill for 15 minutes to allow the chocolate glaze to firm up a bit.
- 51To make the cake look professional, slice off about 1/2 an inch from all sides.
- 52Decorate the cake as desired; for example, with a simple line of cold lustre dust along one edge.
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups roasted pistachios
- 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 4 tbsp powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp plain yogurt
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp baking soda
- 0.25 tsp salt
- 0.25 cup plain yogurt
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- 0.5 cup cake flour
- 1 cup water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cardamom pods
- 1 star anise
- 4 cloves
- 10 -15 fennel seeds
- 3 large fresh ginger slices
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp black tea leaves
- 0.33 cup semi-sweet chocolate
- 0.5 cup feuilletine flakes, crushed
- 0.75 cup unsalted butter
- 0.33 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tbsp chai syrup
- 0.75 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces
- 0.5 cup heavy cream, hot
- 0.75 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- edible gold lustre dust
Equipment
food processorlarge bowlsievemedium bowlbaking sheetparchment paperbench scrapercontainer with a lidsaucepandouble boilerelectric mixercooling rackcookie sheetknifespatulaoffset spatulasheet traycutting board
Tips
- Sift dry ingredients for cakes to avoid lumps.
- Use a bench scraper to spread batter thinly and evenly.
- When making chocolate glaze, turn off the stove after simmering water to avoid scalding the chocolate.
- Slice off about 1/2 an inch from all sides of the cake for a professional look.
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