Dubai Chocolate Cheesecake. Photos: Chris Emeott
Read along, and learn how to make a decadent fad-worthy dessert.
When chocolate wraps itself around a mixture of pistachio cream, tahini and kataifi pastry, the sweet tooth crowd goes wild. For months, checkout lanes, end caps, grocery shelves and even social media platforms have offered precious real estate to Dubai chocolate bars, candies and all sorts of confections.
The lifecycle of most food trends includes a make-at-home version. Tonka Bay’s Spencer Olson, a regular recipe contributor to our Noteworthy section, offers a recipe for Dubai Chocolate Cheesecake. “By the nature of it being a cheesecake, the texture will naturally be creamier than your typical Dubai chocolate bar,” Olson says of the recipe. “However, with a bite, including the filling, chocolate and crust, [the cheesecake mimics] the crunch and creaminess of a Dubai chocolate bar.”
Dubai Chocolate Cheesecake Crust
- 1 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 stick and 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, straight from the fridge
- ⅓ cup pistachios, finely chopped
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour and salt. Cube the butter into ¼-inch cubes. Using a pastry knife or fingers, cut or rub the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse meal. Mix in the pistachios and brown sugar. Press this mixture into a 9-inch springform pan, ensuring that the crust reaches approximately halfway up the side of the pan. Bake at 325 F for 15 minutes. Set the crust aside; cool completely. Note: The crust can be made in a food processor by pulsing the pistachios until chopped, adding the remaining ingredients and pulsing until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Some of the ingredients for Spencer Olson’s Dubai Chocolate Cheesecake are readily available at local grocery stores. However, some items might take a different level of sourcing.
Pistachio Kataifi
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups kataifi, shredded
- ¼ cup and 2 Tbsp. pistachio cream
- pinch of salt
In a large frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the kataifi, stir continuously, toasting until golden brown. Take off the heat; mix in the pistachio cream and salt. Spread and gently pat down this mixture over the previously baked crust.
Pistachio Cheesecake Filling
- 32 oz. cream cheese, softened
- to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup sour cream, room temperature
- ¾ cup pistachio cream
- 2 Tbsp. tahini
- ¼ tsp. almond extract
- 2 tsp. vanilla paste
- ½ tsp. salt
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer for 3–4 minutes until it is creamy. Beat in the sugar until well combined. Beat in the sour cream, pistachio cream and tahini until well combined, about 2 minutes. Beat in the almond extract, vanilla and salt until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until just combined. Note: Don’t overbeat the mixture after the eggs are added.
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Wrap the bottom of a springform pan in tin foil. Pour the pistachio cheesecake filling into the springform pan and over the crust. Place the springform pan into a deep roasting or sauté pan. Place the pans in the oven; pour boiling water into the deep pan until it reaches halfway up the springform pan. Bake for approximately
1 hour and 15 minutes or until the top looks dry but the middle wiggles slightly like gelatine. The edges should be fairly firm. The best method to ensure doneness is to use an instant-read thermometer. The center should read 150 F. Turn off the oven; open the oven door 1 inch. Let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 1 hour. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and water bath. Unwrap the foil; place the pan on a cooling rack. Run a thin knife or offset spatula around the edge. Once completely cool, place in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 5 hours.
Chocolate Ganache
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
- pistachios, chopped (optional)
In a medium mixing bowl, add the chocolate. In a small pan over medium heat, warm the heavy cream until just before it begins to boil. (Small bubbles at the edge of the pan will appear; this is a sign that the cream is ready.) Pour the cream over the chocolate; let it stand for 4 minutes. Cover the top of the bowl with a sheet pan to help retain the heat. Using a spatula, mix the chocolate until it is fully melted. (Using a whisk will introduce too much air.) Remove the cheesecake from the refrigerator; carefully remove the springform pan. Pour the ganache over the cheesecake. If needed, spread the ganache over the cheesecake, using an offset spatula. Let the cheesecake stand until the ganache is set. Decorate using chopped pistachios if desired. Note: To achieve a drip effect on the edges of the cake, let the ganache cool slightly before pouring it over the cake. Test the ganache by holding a sheet pan vertically and putting a 1 Tbsp. of the ganache at the top. If it drips down too quickly, let the ganache cool further.
Sweet Notes
Spencer Olson shares some tips for making his version of Dubai Chocolate Cheesecake:
The Dubai chocolate bar ingredients are unusually difficult to find in stores. Both the kataifi and pistachio cream can be sourced online, Olson notes. Amazon is a good option, but many other stores, such as Target, will deliver it. Kataifi is also sold under the name kadayif. For reference, Olson used Dolce Calma Pistachio Cream Spread and Eastanbul dried and shredded kadayif.
Pistachio cream is different from pistachio butter. While pistachio butter is largely ground-up pistachios with the potential additions of salt and a neutral oil, pistachio cream is made for desserts and combines pistachios with sugar and oils. Pistachio butter is not suited for this recipe, according to Olson.
“Kataifi is related to filo pastry (alternately spelled phyllo) in that they share the same basic ingredients,” Olson says. “The method of making it is, however, different. Filo pastry is notoriously hard to make, as the baker rolls the pastry very thin. Kataifi is easier to make and is spun into fine threads by piping thin lines of batter and cooking it. However, making this pastry is beyond the scope of the recipe.” Olson recommends purchasing the pastry.
“Milk chocolate is too light in color for the ganache, and dark chocolate has a higher content of cocoa powder, which means it is trickier to make a smooth ganache,” Olson says. “Can a ganache be made with milk or dark chocolate, yes, but a good quality semisweet chocolate will give great flavor, great color and will be easy to get the smooth texture we are looking for.”
The most important tip is making sure the cheesecake is baked properly. The best tool for this is an instant read thermometer. “It’s a small price to pay, compared to the ingredients in this cake, and can be used in ensuring doneness of cakes, bread, meat, etc.,” Olson says.
Spencer Olson
Instagram: @the_wooden_spoon_chefs
