This elegant dessert features a light pistachio sponge cake layered with rich chocolate ganache, orange-scented whipped cream, and candied orange peel. Chocolate, pistachio, and orange harmonize beautifully in both flavor and appearance, while a light orange liqueur syrup keeps the sponge moist. Finished with chocolate shavings, ganache rosettes, candied orange peel, pistachios, and confectioners’ sugar, it is an impressive dessert for special occasions.
Chocolate Pistachio Orange Cake
Description
This elegant dessert features a light pistachio sponge cake layered with rich chocolate ganache, orange-scented whipped cream, and candied orange peel. Chocolate, pistachio, and orange harmonize beautifully in both flavor and appearance, while a light orange liqueur syrup keeps the sponge moist. Finished with chocolate shavings, ganache rosettes, candied orange peel, pistachios, and confectioners' sugar, it is an impressive dessert for special occasions.Ingredients
Directions
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Butter a 9-inch-diameter by 2 1/2-inch-deep springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper cut to fit. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
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Prepare the pistachio sponge. Process 1 cup blanched pistachios in a food processor until very fine. Sift the cake flour over the ground pistachios and combine.
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Whip the egg yolks, then gradually whip in half of the 3/4 cup sugar until the mixture is light in color and aerated.
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In a clean bowl, whip the egg whites with the salt on medium speed until white and opaque. Increase the speed and gradually whip in the remaining sugar. Continue whipping until the whites hold firm peaks.
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Fold the yolk mixture into the egg whites. Fold in the pistachio and flour mixture in two or three additions, then fold in the almond extract.
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Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the sponge is baked through. Remove from the pan and cool completely on a rack, leaving the parchment attached while cooling.
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Prepare the orange ganache. Place the finely chopped chocolate in a bowl. Bring 1 cup heavy cream to a boil and pour it over the chocolate. Let stand for 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Stir in 3 tablespoons orange liqueur. Strain into another bowl and refrigerate, whisking occasionally, until cool but not set.
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Prepare the moistening syrup. Combine 1/2 cup water and 1/4 cup sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and cool, then stir in 3 tablespoons orange liqueur.
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Prepare the orange filling. Finely chop 1/2 cup candied orange peel and combine it with 2 tablespoons orange liqueur.
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Prepare the whipped cream. Combine 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 2 tablespoons orange liqueur. Whip on medium speed until firm.
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To assemble the cake, use a sharp serrated knife to divide the cooled pistachio sponge horizontally into two even layers.
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Place the bottom layer on a cake board or serving plate. Moisten it evenly with half of the orange syrup.
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Spread most of the ganache over the first cake layer, reserving enough ganache for the final decoration.
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Drain any excess liquid from the candied orange peel mixture and distribute the peel evenly over the ganache. Cover with a layer of whipped cream.
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Place the second sponge layer on top and moisten it evenly with the remaining orange syrup.
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Cover the top and sides of the cake with the remaining whipped cream. Press the shaved milk chocolate against the sides of the cake.
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Pipe or spoon the reserved ganache into rosettes around the edge of the cake. Decorate the rosettes with pieces of candied orange peel and pistachios.
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Place chopped pistachios in the center of the cake and dust lightly with confectioners' sugar.
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Refrigerate the finished cake until serving. It may be held refrigerated for up to 6 hours.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 12
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 720kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 48.0g74%
- Saturated Fat 23.0g115%
- Cholesterol 120mg40%
- Sodium 75mg4%
- Total Carbohydrate 62.0g21%
- Dietary Fiber 5.0g20%
- Sugars 47.0g
- Protein 13.0g26%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
The original source used "Pistachio Sponge," "Orange Ganache," "Orange Filling," "Whipped Cream," and "Moistening Syrup" as section headings. They have been removed from the ingredient list as false "1 recipe" ingredients while their component ingredients and preparation steps have been retained.
The source directs the egg whites to be whipped with salt but does not provide a salt quantity. Salt is therefore retained with the quantity explicitly marked as unspecified rather than inventing an amount.
The corrupted temperature encoding has been repaired to 350°F (177°C).
The original nutrition values were inconsistent with the quantity of chocolate, pistachios, cream, eggs, and sugar in the recipe. Nutrition below has therefore been replaced with an estimated per-serving calculation rather than retaining the suspect source values.
