Pistachio Dacquoise With Strawberries

This pistachio dacquoise recipe is a keeper! The cake is a feast for the eyes and the mouth.

It is all about contrasting textures and flavors where the biscuit dacquoise marries with pistachio mousseline cream and fresh strawberries. Unveil this lovely cake for an extra special dessert!

What a beautiful color combination where the green color of the pistachio cream fits the red color of strawberries! It is an unusual combination in fashion, but what a beauty in a cake.

What a beautiful combo where the sweet bitterness of the pistachio emphasizes the fruity flavor of red berries! It brings additional pleasure to the taste.

Pistachio dacquoise belongs to a category of cakes called dacquoise. And if you follow my blog, you may be familiar with other dacquoise recipes such as Coconut Dacquoise Cake and Layer Cashew Cake Sans Rival.

Definition of dacquoise

According to Merriam-Webster, dacquoise is

a dessert made of layers of baked nut meringue with a filling usually of buttercream.

Dacquoise varies to the type of chopped nuts folded into the meringue before baking. You can use pistachios and make pistachio dacquoise (see the recipe below), hazelnuts, almonds, or any type of nuts you desire.

For those with nut allergies, replace nuts with coconut flour and make coconut dacquoise.

History of dacquoise

The origin of dacquoise is French. The cake takes its name from the French feminine dacquois, which means from Dax, where Dax is a town located in southern France.

The word itself is known from 1954. As a cake, the dacquoise originated in the 17th century when it was created as a luxurious dessert for the people of the French court.

Later on, the dacquoise recipe became popular in England when lots of French chefs moved there to cook for the top class.

Why pistachio dacquoise recipe works

• This pistachio dacquoise recipe (aka pistachio meringue recipe) is classic to welcome it into your life, learn, and make it a go-to cake recipe.
• Bright colors of the cake and its exquisite look make the dessert a winner of the table from the first minute it is served.
• The cake serves up to 10 people or maybe 5 with doubled servings. Yes, your guests will be begging for an additional slice!
• Making the dacquoise one day in advance saves time for the day of serving.
• The taste of the cake is beautiful: yes, it is a delicious French cake!
• What's more? The cake is gluten-free!

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

Pistachios: process raw or toasted unsalted pistachios in a food processor to make ground pistachios.

Icing sugar: make it yourself with a coffee grinder or use a store-bought powdered sugar.

Almond flour: it is a usual ingredient to make the dacquoise.

Eggs: the recipe calls for egg whites and yolks from large eggs at room temperature.

Sugar: use regular granulated white sugar.

Milk: whole milk is perfect to use in the recipe.

Corn starch: a small amount of corn starch is added to the pastry cream.

Butter: use a top-quality unsalted butter.

Pistachio paste: use a store-bought pistachio paste or make it yourself.

Strawberries: fresh strawberries (not the frozen ones) are the key to decorate the cake. Replace them with fresh raspberries if you prefer.

How to make pistachio dacquoise step by step

Preheat oven to 335 F/170 C.

To make pistachio dacquoise, chop pistachios into small pieces or process nuts in a food processor to get the ground pistachios. Mix powdered (icing) sugar, almond flour, and chopped (ground) pistachios.

Beat egg whites with an electric mixer and gradually add granulated sugar. The meringue has to be flexible: just reach medium-firm picks (photo 1).

Pour the dry ingredients into the whites and gently mix with a rubber spatula going in a circular motion from outside to inside. Stop mixing as soon as the mixture is homogeneous (photo 2).

Butter a tart ring or another cake ring of 9 inches/23-24 cm in diameter (the height does not matter) and place it on a baking sheet covered with the parchment paper.

Place the dacquoise preparation in a pastry bag with Ateco plain pastry tip 806. Make a spiral into the tart/cake ring, starting from the center and going to the edge of the ring.

Then make small balls in the direction towards the center, side by side along the edge of the ring (see note #1). Sprinkle small balls with powdered (icing) sugar (photo 3). Bake for 30 minutes (photo 4).

To make the pastry cream, bring milk in a saucepan to boil. In a separate small bowl, whip egg yolk, sugar, and corn starch together. Pour the hot milk into the yolk/sugar/starch mixture, stirring constantly.

Pour the mixture back in the saucepan and bring it over low heat. Continue whisking until the mixture starts thickening (photo 5). Pour the pastry cream on a shallow plate, cover with a plastic film in contact and let it cool at room temperature.

To make the Italian meringue, bring water and sugar to a boil. Meanwhile, whip egg white with an electric mixer. Once the sugar syrup reaches 250 F/121 C  (use a cooking thermometer), pour it over the beaten egg white while keeping whisking. Beat until the meringue becomes firm (photo 6). 

To make creme Anglaise, bring milk to a boil. In a separate bowl, mix sugar and egg yolks. Pour the hot milk into the yolk/sugar mixture, stirring constantly.

Bring the preparation back in the saucepan, heat over low to reach 181 F/83 C, continually whisking with a hand whisk (photo 7). Pour the thick cream on a small plate, cover with a plastic film in contact and let it cool at room temperature.

Mix the pastry cream with the pistachio paste and set aside (photo 8).

Whisk the softened butter with a stand or electric mixer. Add the cooled creme Anglaise and whisk. Then add the Italian meringue, whip again: the buttercream is ready (photo 9).

Add the pastry cream/pistachio paste mixture to the buttercream and whip again. The pistachio mousseline cream is ready (photo 10).

To assemble the cake, place the dacquoise on a serving plate. Transfer the pistachio mousseline cream in a pastry bag with a plain tip and spread the cream over the dacquoise biscuit, leaving the edges of dacquoise not covered (photo 11). 

Cut strawberries into halves and place them over the mousseline cream. Sprinkle chopped pistachios over berries and dust the edges of dacquoise with powdered (icing) sugar (photo 12).  

Expert tips

1. While making the dacquoise, pipe small round balls around the edges of the ring instead of making balls in the direction towards the center: this method makes sure that you will have enough of the dacquoise preparation to finish piping.
2. If you make dacquoise in advance, assemble the cake four hours as a maximum before serving, or it will become soggy.
3. Replace fresh strawberries with fresh raspberries if you desire.
4. Take the cake out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving so that the mousseline cream will have time to soften.

Frequently Asked Question

Can you make a dacquoise in advance?

Yes, you can make a dacquoise up to one week in advance. Wrap it tightly in plastic film and store in an airtight container.

What is mousseline cream?

Mousseline cream (pronounced "moos-eh-leen") is a pastry cream combined with softened butter. The typical ratio of the pastry cream and butter is 2:1. 

What is the difference between pastry cream and creme Anglaise?

Both, pastry cream and creme Anglaise are made with milk, egg yolks, and sugar. The main difference between pastry cream and creme Anglaise is that the pastry cream is corn starch added.

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• Browse all the Cake Recipes

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Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was adapted from http://empreintesucree.fr. It was originally published on May 09, 2018. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.