As I am sure many of you have noticed, Dubai chocolate is all the rage. This no bake Dubai chocolate cake is my creative take on the viral Dubai chocolate bar that has taken the internet by storm. At first, I thought it would be a temporary trend to make your own Dubai chocolate bars, but it’s been a month, and it seems like it is here to stay. Now, you can find so many dessert variations created using the same flavor profile.
What is Dubai Chocolate?
Some of you may be wondering. Well, it all started with a large chocolate bar stuffed with crispy Kataifi pistachio cream. This filling typically had a hint of tahini as well. The combination of chocolate, crisp kataifi, and creamy pistachio is fabulous. Someone from my audience suggested I do a take on this popular treat and make it a no bake layered dessert. It got me thinking for months and this no bake dubai chocolate cake was born.
What is a No bake Dubai chocolate Cake?
It’s layered flavors of the Dubai chocolate bar in an icebox cake form. It is similiar to the viral dubai chocolate bar cake but without baking a cake! The biscuits offer a cake-like texture. Cakes like this are perfect for convenience and are beginner-friendly. Not everyone likes to bake or trusts themselves with an oven! I took the idea from my popular Nescafe cake and Biscoff icebox cake and created this no bake Dubai chocolate cake. It took months of planning and trials to see what worked best. You’ll find layers of soaked chocolate biscuits in instant coffee topped with the famous pistachio kataifi cream, filling with more layers of dipped biscuits, whipped cream, and kataifi pistachio. It ends with a final layer of chocolate ganache and a heavy serving of pistachio garnish.
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What do I need to make this Chocolate Pistachio Cake?
You will only need a few ingredients to make this dessert and just a little patience to create the layers for this icebox cake. It comes together quickly and you;; be left with super tasty results that will give you Dubai chocolate bar vibes.
- Chocolate Tea Biscuits – I always use a type of cookie or biscuit in my icebox cake recipes. In my nescafe cafe cake, I used plain tea biscuits. In the biscoff, I used lotus cookies. Here, I am using chocolate tea biscuits because it is the most fitting for replicating flavors of Dubai Chocolate.
- Instant Coffee—While this is not an ingredient in the viral chocolate bar, it pairs perfectly with chocolate and enhances its flavor. So, the tea biscuits are dipped in instant coffee for optimal flavor. Who doesn’t need a little caffeine to pick me up? especially if you are making this for Ramadan to enjoy after a long day’s fast. Feel free to use decaf if need be. If you don’t have instant coffee, you can use brewed coffee.
- Kataifi Dough– Also known as knafeh dough for Knafeh khisneh which is the coarse crispy topping knafeh as opposed to kna na the finer dough. This dough can be found in the freezer aisle by other pastries like puff. This pastry dough is shredded for this dessert, cut into smaller pieces, then toasted in melted butter until crisp before folding it into the cream.
- Pistachio Cream– This is the main ingredient to nailing this dessert. The pistachio cream while you can make pistachio butter on your own- its much more convenient for this dessert to purchase it and stir it with the crispy kataifi. Try to find a good quality one. You will be using about 2 cups of this cream. You can find it in most supermarkets by the Middle Eastern section or the nut butter. I’ve heard it’s also been at big box stores, like Costco. If you shop on Amazon, you will find some there as well.
- Heavy Whipping Cream—This ingredient is used twice. Once, it is used to make a whipped cream filling, where the heavy cream is whipped with powdered sugar. A layer of this will be in the cake. Then, it will be warmed up and used to make the final layer, chocolate ganache.
- Chocolate—You cannot make a variation of Dubai chocolate without chocolate. The final layer of this dessert is a layer of chocolate ganache. I like to use high-quality dark chocolate chips for this.
How to make this no bake dubai chocolate cake?
- First, make the filling, which requires crisping the shredded kataifi dough in melted butter and then folding it in the pistachio cream. Set that aside.
- Then, make the fresh whipped cream by whipping heavy cream with powdered sugar until you achieve fluffy, stiff peaks. Set aside.
- Then, make the instant coffee and lightly dip the chocolate tea biscuit into the coffee and layering.
- It will be one flat layer of dipped biscuits in a 9 by 13 pan followed by half of the pistachio kataifi filling then another layer of dipped biscuits followed by the whipped cream. Then, another layer of dipped biscuits followed by the last of the pistachio filling.
- Lastly, add a layer of dipped biscuits and top with the chocolate ganache evenly.
- To make the chocolate ganache, stir the chocolate into the warm cream in a 1:1 ratio. Let it cool a bit until it becomes slightly thicker before pouring it on top.
- Add crushed pistachios, cover, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. Once ready to serve, remove 10 minutes ahead of time to sit at room temperature. For a plated dessert, serve a slice of this with a dollop of whipped cream and diced strawberries.
Please Leave a Review & Rating
I’m excited for you to try this delicious No bake Dubai Chocolate Cake! If you try my recipes, please leave a star rating and/ or review in the comment section below. I love hearing from you. Feel free to leave any questions or comments below as well. You can share your remakes with me on Instagram!
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Start by making the pistacho katafi filling. In a pan, add the butter and allow to melt before adding in the shredded dough.
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Cook until the shredded dough starts to brown and crisp. This will take a few minutes. Stir so the butter and carameliation is evenly distrubuted.
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Take it off the heat and add the pistachio cream to the crisp kataifi. Stir together until it is well incorporated. Set aside.
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In a kitcheaid mixer with a whisk attachment or with an electric whisk, beat the heavy cream with the powdered sugar until stiff peaks are achieved. The result should be fluffy. Set to the side.
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Boil a cup of water and add it to a shallow bowl. To that, add a tbsp of instant coffee of your choice. Stir together.
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Dip the chocolate tea biscuits in the instant coffee. Be sure to do so quickly or the cookie will fall apart. All it takes is a dip on each side for a few seconds.
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Then, place the dipped biscuit in a 9 by 13 baking pan. Keep doing so until you have one flat layer covering the base of the dish.
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Top with half of the pistachio kataifi filling spreading it evenly across the top.
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Follow by another layer of dipped biscuits.
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Followed by a thick layer of whipped cream. You may have extras. Just place in a tupperware in the fridge to enjoy at a later tine.
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Follow by another layer of dipped biscuits. Then top that off with the remaining pistachio kataifi evenly.
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Add another layer of dipped biscuits. Now, add the chocolate chips to the hot heavy cream. Typically, I let my cream come to a light boil then take it off the stovetop and add the chocoalte to it. Stir together and let the chocolate dissolve. As it cools, the ganache will thicken. Let it cool for 5-10 minutes then drizzle all over the top of the cake creating an even layer of chocoale ganache on top.
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Lastly, top it all off with crushed pistachios. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Best overnight. Take it out 10 minutes before serving. Feel free to serve with diced strawberries for freshness or even a dollop of whipped cream.