Pistachio Cream:

Take a heat proof bowl or container, and add in 2 cups of shelled roasted unsalted pistachios and 2 cups of boiling water. Let it sit for 5 minutes to blanche the pistachios. Drain the hot water and transfer the pistachios into a bowl of cool water. Individually rub the pistachios with your fingers in the water to peel off the skins. Discard the skins and keep the blanched peeled pistachios.

In a food processor, add in the blanched peeled pistachios, and pulse until it turns into a mixture that somewhat clumps together. Add in 2 tbsp of vegetable oil, 2 tsp of vanilla extract, 2/3 cup of honey, 2/3 cup of heavy cream, and 1 tsp of salt. Pulse this mixture until well combined and smooth.

Transfer this pistachio cream mixture into a bowl and set it aside. This can be made a day in advance and stored in the fridge in an airtight container.

Chocolate Sponge Layer:

Separate 2 eggs into yolks and whites, and let them come to room temperature.

Preheat your oven to 340 degrees Fahrenheit (170 C). Prepare one 9" round cake pan by lining the bottom with parchment paper. Do not grease the parchment paper or the sides of the pan. Soak 1 cake strip in cold water for 5 minutes. Then shake off excess water but do not wring. And place the soaked cake strip around the cake pan.

Prepare hot coffee, and mix 1/4 cup of hot coffee with 2 tbsp of unsweetened natural cocoa powder. Mix well and let it cool.

In a large bowl with a sieve, add in 1/2 cup of cake flour, 1/2 tsp of baking soda, 3 tbsp of granulated sugar, and 1/4 tsp of salt. Sift together and whisk to combine. Add in the 2 egg yolks, 3 tbsp of vegetable oil, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 1 tsp of finely grated orange zest, and the coffee/chocolate mixture from earlier. Beat with an electric mixer or by hand just until smooth and well blended.

In the bowl of your stand-mixer, add in the 2 room temperature egg whites and 1/4 tsp cream of tartar. With the whisk attachment, beat on medium speed till it's frothy. Then turn up the speed to medium-high, and very slowly add in 3 tbsp sugar and beat until you see stiff glossy peaks. One third at a time, gently fold in this meringue into the cake mixture until very well combined. Pour this batter into the prepared round cake pan.

Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the surface springs back when touched lightly at the center, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Invert the cake onto a metal rack, then immediately lift off the pan and peel off the parchment paper. Let it cool on the rack completely to room temperature.


Dark Chocolate Mousse Layer:

In a small mixing bowl, take 2 egg yolks and beat it for 1-2 min till it is lemon yellow in color. Set aside.

Place a small heat proof (stainless steel or glass) mixing bowl over a water-bath on medium-low heat. Add in 4 ounces of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, which is about 2/3 cup of chocolate chips, and 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into three 1-tbsp cubes. Melt and mix them together until smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat.

While the chocolate is still hot, add in the whipped egg yolks and stir them in, then add 1/4 tsp salt and an optional 2 tsp of light rum, and stir those in as well. Set this aside to cool till it is lukewarm.

In a separate mixing bowl, add in 1/2 cup of very cold heavy cream and 1 tbsp of granulated sugar. Beat this till you start to see soft peaks.

When chocolate has cooled to lukewarm, fold in the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, one-third at a time, till it's smooth.

Take a cake board that's larger than 9", we use a 10" cake board. Invert the sponge cake onto the 10" cake board, so that the flatter side is on the cake board. Using an 8" cake ring, cut the outer edges off the cake to create an even 8" cake round with straight edges. This will help create straight edges in the final naked-layer cake. Remove the excess chiffon and clean up any remaining crumbs from the cake board.

Take an acetate sheet (also called a cake collar) that's 30" long and 6" high and place it around the chocolate sponge so that the circumference of the acetate sheet is flush with the chocolate sponge perpendicular to the cake board. Use tape (often comes with acetate sheet) to hold the acetate sheet together.

Then add the chocolate mousse on top. With a small spoon, make sure it goes all the way to the sides touching the acetate sheet, and level it so the top is as smooth and even as possible. Leave this in the freezer for the chocolate mousse to set quickly.

Crunchy Kataifi Layer:

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add in 1 2/3 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 cup of cornstarch, and 3/4 tsp of salt. Whisk the dry ingredients together to combine.

Then add in 2 tbsp of vegetable oil and 2 cups of water, and whisk this until smooth. Strain the batter through a sieve to remove any remaining lumps, and transfer the batter into disposable piping bags. Depending on the size of the bags, you may need to divide the batter into 3 batches.

Take a large non-stick skillet and heat it over medium heat. When the pan is very hot, cut a 2 mm hole at the tip of the piping bag, and drizzle batter over the pan in circular motions, going from the middle of the pan and working towards the outer edge of the pan.

After about 20 to 30 seconds, the strands of pastry will start to peel off the pan. When you see that it's starting to peel off the pan, use a spatula to transfer the strands from the pan onto a clean plate or chopping board.

Continue this process until all the batter is used up from all the batches of batter, then roughly chop the kataifi strands into 1" to 2 " long pieces.

Take the same large skillet as before and heat it over medium-low heat. Add in 8 tbsp of unsalted butter, and let it melt. Once the butter has melted, add in the sliced kataifi and stir continuously until they are golden brown. The strands will shrink as they become crispy. This will take about 20 minutes on medium-low heat. Turn off the heat. and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add in 1 cup of roughly chopped pistachios, and mix them in. Let it cool to room temperature.

When the kataifi has reached room temperature, add in 1 cup of the pistachio cream, 1 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of ground cardamom. Mix this together till well combined.

Take the cake out of the freezer, and add this kataifi mixture on top of the chocolate mousse layer. Make sure the kataifi is packed into itself creating a dense layer. Use a small spoon to flatten and level the top so it's as smooth as possible. Place everything back in the freezer for the kataifi layer to firm up quickly.

Pistachio Mousse Layer:

In a microwave-safe bowl, add 1/2 cup heavy cream and microwave for 50 seconds, till the heavy cream is steaming. Add in 3 oz, which is about 1/2 cup, of white chocolate chips into the hot heavy cream, let it stand for 1 minute, then mix until the white chocolate is completely melted and there are no lumps.

Add in 1/2 cup of the pistachio cream, and mix this together until smooth. Create an ice bath by placing a thermally conductive bowl like glass or stainless steel over a big bowl of ice water so the bottom of the bowl is submerged in ice water. Transfer the pistachio mixture into the metal/glass bowl and stir constantly till it is completely chilled, about 10 minutes.

When the pistachio ganache has been chilled, transfer this mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer. With the whisk attachment, whip it on medium-high speed for about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and add in 1/2 cup of very cold heavy cream, and an optional 2 to 3 drops of green gel food coloring. Continue whipping on medium-high speed till you see soft peaks.

Take the cake out of the freezer, and add this pistachio mousse on top of the kataifi layer. With a small spoon, level it so the top is as smooth and even as possible, making sure it goes all the way to the sides touching the acetate sheet. Put everything back in the freezer to let this pistachio mousse set quickly.

Milk Chocolate Mousse Layer:

In a microwave-safe bowl, add 1/4 cup heavy cream and microwave for 45 seconds, till the heavy cream is steaming. Add in 2 oz, which is about 1/3 cup, of milk chocolate chips into the hot heavy cream, let it stand for 1 minute, and mix until the milk chocolate is completely melted and there are no lumps.

Create an ice bath by placing a thermally conductive bowl over a big bowl of ice water so the bottom of the bowl is submerged in ice water. Transfer the chocolate mixture into the metal bowl and stir constantly till it is completely chilled, about 10 minutes.

When the milk chocolate ganache has been chilled, transfer this mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer. With the whisk attachment, whip it on medium-high speed for about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and add in 1/4 cup of very cold heavy cream, 1/8 tsp of salt, and an optional 2 tsp of light rum. Continue whipping on medium-high speed till you see soft peaks.

Take the cake out of the freezer, and add the milk chocolate mousse on top of the pistachio mousse layer, which should be quite firm by now. With a small spoon, level it so the top is as smooth and even as possible, making sure it goes all the way to the sides touching the acetate sheet. Put everything back in the freezer to let this milk chocolate mousse set quickly.

Chocolate Glaze Layer:

In a microwave-safe bowl, add in 1/3 cup of heavy cream and microwave for 50 seconds, till the heavy cream is steaming. Add in 2 oz, which is about 1/3 of a cup, of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips, into the hot heavy cream. Let it stand for 1 minute, then gently stir until the chocolate chips are completely melted and there are no lumps.

Let the chocolate glaze cool completely to room temperature, about 30 to 40 minutes. Then take the cake out of the freezer and pour the chocolate glaze mixture over the milk chocolate mousse layer, making sure it goes all the way to the sides touching the acetate sheet.

Before the chocolate glaze sets, immediately sprinkle 1/4 cup of roughly chopped pistachios around the outer perimeter of the top surface. Put everything back in the freezer and let the cake rest in the freezer overnight for the layers to set. Keep the cake in the freezer till you're ready to serve.

Pistachio Crème Anglaise (Custard Sauce):

Prepare an ice bath and set it aside. Take a small saucepan and add in 1 cup of heavy cream and 1/2 cup of whole milk. Heat over medium heat till it just starts to boil at the edges of the pan. Turn off the heat and let it cool at room temperature for 10 minutes.

While it's cooling, take a large mixing bowl and add in 3 egg yolks, 1/4 cup of the pistachio cream, and 2 tsp of vanilla extract. Whisk these together with a hand mixer for 2 minutes till they're well combined and smooth.

While constantly whisking the eggs vigorously, one small pour at a time, *very slowly* pour the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture. Adding the hot milk-cream a little at a time, very slowly, is important to temper the egg yolks, so that they don't get cooked immediately. Then pour everything back into the saucepan.

Heat over low heat, stir constantly for 5 to 8 minutes until the custard thickens enough that it coats the back of a wooden spoon. The mixture should reach 180 F (82 C). When you run your finger across the back of the spoon, the mark of your finger should remain (i.e. the cream should not run into the mark you made). Keep repeating this test every 30 seconds or so. Once this happens, turn off the heat.

Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, to remove any lumps, into a clean metal bowl or glass container (thermally conductive). Add in an optional 2 to 3 drops of green gel food coloring to adjust the color if you'd like, and mix it in till everything is well combined.

Place the bowl in the prepared ice bath and stir constantly to cool off the sauce and stop the eggs from cooking any further. Continue stirring in the ice bath till it thickens to the desired pourable consistency. This will happen as it chills to below 40 F (4 C).

Once the sauce has chilled to below 40 F (4 C) in the ice bath, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest in the fridge overnight to finish thickening. Store it in the fridge till you're ready to serve. This pistachio sauce will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

The next day, when you're ready to serve your pistachio
crunch cake, pour the cold pistachio sauce on top of the cake, allowing it to come all the way to the sides, touching the acetate sheet. Sprinkle a handful of edible rose petals on top of the pistachio sauce. Remove the acetate tape and carefully peel off the acetate sheet and allow the pistachio sauce to drip down the sides of the cake. Enjoy!