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Pistachio Mousse Cake with Coffee and Chocolate Brownies

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Pistachio Mousse Cake with Coffee and Chocolate Brownies

Photo: Natalie Levin

The truth is that up until Passover eve at 12PM I had no idea what dessert I would make for Seder night. Mainly because in the past few weeks I’ve been making so many Passover desserts, as I always got to the moment of truth a little tired and fed up with the holiday. It usually comes down to me making a relatively quick cake or an easy trifle, but this time I wanted to make something a little more festive.

In the morning I suddenly remembered one of the ice creams I loved most as a girl – it came in a cardboard package in three different flavors: chocolate, coffee and pistachios. There were other kinds of that ice cream, but this combination was my favorite of all as a child. So, I decided to create some kind of homage to this nostalgic ice cream, and this is how the next cake was created.

This is a pistachio mousse cake with coffee on a fudge brownie bottom, that combines a light and airy texture of two types of mousse on a chocolatey fudgy layer of flourless brownies. This is one of the most delicious cakes I’ve ever made and judging by the comments I got from everyone who tasted it – they LOVED it too.

Pistachio Mousse Cake with Coffee and Chocolate Brownies

Photo: Natalie Levin

Pistachio Mousse Cake with Coffee and Chocolate Brownies

Photo: Natalie Levin



Pistachio Mousse Cake with Coffee and Chocolate Brownies

For the brownie bottom:

  • 100 grams dark chocolate
  • 75 grams (2/3 stick) butter
  • 75 grams (1/3 cup) sugar
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 35 grams (1/4 cup) cornstarch

For the coffee mousse:

  • 2 grams (1/2 tsp.) gelatin
  • 10 ml. (2 tsp.) water
  • 125 grams white chocolate
  • 15 ml. (1 tbsp.) milk
  • 2 tsp. instant coffee powder
  • 30 ml. (2 tbsp.) boiling water
  • 250 ml. (1 cup) very cold whipping cream

For crunchy pistachio mousse:

  • 2 grams (1/2 tsp.) gelatin
  • 10 ml. (2 tsp.) water
  • 150 grams white chocolate
  • 30 ml. (2 tbsp.) milk
  • 50 grams pistachio paste
  • 250 ml. (1 cup) very cold whipping cream
  • 100 grams roasted pistachios (finely chopped)

For decoration:

  • White chocolate sheets
  • Roasted pistachios (coarsely chopped)

Brownie bottom:

  1. preheat oven to 170c degrees and grease the pan.
  2. Chop the chocolate and put in a bowl. Add butter and melt together in the microwave or over double boiler until everything is melted and the mixture is uniform.
  3. Add sugar and salt and whisk until combined.
  4. Add the eggs one by one, while mixing between additions.
  5. Add cornstarch and mix only until uniform.
  6. Pour the batter into the baking pan and straighten the top.
  7. Bake the brownie bottom for 15-20 minutes or until it is set at the edges but still slightly soft in the center.
  8. Cool completely.

Coffee mousse:

  1. in a small bowl, mix gelatin and water. Leave for about 10 minutes at room temperature until the gelatin absorbs the liquid.
  2. In a bowl, put white chocolate and milk and melt together in the microwave or over double boiler until everything is completely melted.
  3. In a small bowl, mix coffee and boiling water until the coffee melts and add it into the white chocolate mixture stirring until combined.
  4. Dissolve the gelatin for a few seconds in the microwave and add to the melted chocolate mixture. Mix well until combined.
  5. In a mixer bowl whip cream until you get a firm whipped cream.
  6. Add 2-3 tablespoons of whipped cream into the chocolate mixture and mix well.
  7. Add the chocolate mixture to the rest of the whipped cream and fold gently until you get a uniform coffee mousse.
  8. Pour the mousse over the brownie bottom layer and straighten the top. Cool in the freezer for about an hour for stabilization.

Crunchy Pistachio Mousse:

  1. in a small bowl, mix gelatin and water. Leave for about 10 minutes at room temperature until the gelatin absorbs the liquid.
  2. In a bowl, put white chocolate, milk and pistachio paste and melt together in the microwave or over double boiler until everything is completely melted.
  3. Dissolve the gelatin for a few seconds in the microwave and add to the melted chocolate mixture. Mix well until combined.
  4. In a mixer bowl whip cream until you get a firm whipped cream.
  5. Add 2-3 tablespoons of whipped cream into the chocolate mixture and mix well.
  6. Add the chocolate mixture to the rest of the whipped cream and fold gently until you get a uniform pistachio mousse.
  7. Add the chopped pistachios to the mixture and gently fold until uniformly spread in the mousse.
  8. Pour the mousse over the coffee mousse layer and straighten the top. Cool in the freezer for 3-4 hours until completely frozen.

Decoration and serving:

  1. Remove the frozen cake from the pan.
  2. Decorate with white chocolate sheets and chopped pistachios.
  3. Dissolve about 2 hours in the refrigerator before serving.
  • You can keep the cake in the freezer for up to two weeks without decorations. The decorations should be added before serving.
  • The cake is kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in a closed container.
  • White chocolate sheets are prepared like this: melt white chocolate in the microwave or over double boiler, pour the melted chocolate on baking paper and flatten it about 1/2 cm thick, sprinkle with anything you like (nuts, sprinkled etc.) if desired, and cool in the freezer for about 30 minutes until use. Break into asymmetrical pieces and use for decoration.

Pistachio Mousse Cake with Coffee and Chocolate Brownies

Photo: Natalie Levin

Pistachio Mousse Cake with Coffee and Chocolate Brownies

Photo: Natalie Levin