Passover kashrut laws are always challenging, and the biggest challenge has to be finding a good kosher-for-Passover cake. If you need the cake to be pareve (dairy free), that’s even harder.
So when a festive and good-looking Passover cake, made of layers of chocolate cake and whipped cream, first appeared in a national newspaper in Israel in the 80s, it was immediately adopted by many home cooks, my mother included.
The cake was a revelation! At the bottom rests a rich chocolate layer made of whipped eggs and melted chocolate. When cooled down, the cake is topped with simple whipped cream lightly mixed with a drizzle of melted chocolate. The cake was not only kosher for Passover, but could easily be made pareve (using non-dairy whipped cream), which is always a bonus.
For my family, the cake became synonymous with Passover, sort of an old-fashioned treat that everyone waits for the whole year.
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Then, in recent years, I started noticing versions of it pop up in every Israeli food blog and column, only this time around the cake got a fancy name — it was now called a Krembo Cake!
Krembo, in case you’re unfamiliar, is a treat that’s popular in Israel during the winter. It consists of a plain cookie that’s topped with a soft marshmallow cream that’s dipped in chocolate. The treat originated in Denmark in the 19th century and versions of it are available throughout Europe.
Israelis love Krembo, and giving a new name to a favorite old cake did the trick. The cake (with a facelift) is in again, and everyone gets to enjoy it.
Notes:
- This cake can be made pareve by using a pareve heavy cream substitute, such as Rich’s Richwhip, parve or vegan chocolate, and vegan butter. It’s one of the rare cases where these substitutes work well.
- In order for the eggs to whip nicely they should be at room temperature.
- Use a clear cake strip (or cake collar) for a more elegant presentation.
- The cake keeps in the fridge for up to five days. Serve cold.
Krembo Cake for Passover
A modern spin on a beloved Israeli Passover dessert, this decadent chocolate cake is topped with whipped cream and ganache.
- Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 12
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake:
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- 6 Tbsp sugar
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 6 oz (170 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped (can be parve or vegan chocolate)
For the cream topping:
- 3 ½ cups heavy cream, very cold (or parve whipping cream substitute, see notes)
- 2.8 oz (80 g, 8 Tbsp) instant vanilla pudding powder (kosher for passover)
- grated zest of one lemon
For the chocolate ganache:
- 4 oz (115 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped (can be pareve or vegan chocolate)
- ¼ cup heavy cream (or pareve whipping cream substitute, see notes)
- 2 Tbsp butter (or pareve/vegan butter substitute)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Grease a 9-inch round springform pan.
- Put eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip for 1 minute on medium speed. With mixer running, slowly add the sugar in a steady stream, then add the salt. Increase the speed to high and whip for 8 minutes until the eggs quadruple their volume.
- In the meantime melt the chocolate on bain-marie or in 20-second intervals in the microwave, mixing between intervals.
- When eggs have quadrupled in volume, reduce speed to medium and slowly pour the melted chocolate in. Increase the speed of the mixer again and mix until chocolate is combined. The mixture will lose some of its volume.
- Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake for 20-22 minutes, until cake feels soft but not runny in the center. Transfer to a cooling rack.
- After 10 minutes, use a knife to release the cake from the sides of the pan (do not open the pan, keep the cake inside). Put a clear cake strip around the cake to make for a cleaner presentation (optional) and transfer the cake to the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Put the cold heavy cream in the bowl of a stand mixer. With mixer running on low, slowly add the vanilla pudding powder to the cream. Stop the mixer to scrape the powder from the sides of the bowl as needed. Turn mixer speed to high and mix for a couple of minutes or until the mixture creates soft peaks. (Make sure not to over whip, the mixture should still be soft. It will get firmer in the fridge over time.) Remove bowl from mixer, add lemon zest and fold it in. Use a spatula to transfer the cream to the cake pan on top of the chocolate cake and smooth the top. Transfer to the fridge for 1 hour.
- To make the ganache, put all the ingredients in a bain-marie or in a microwave safe bowl and melt in 20 seconds intervals, mixing between intervals.
- Take the cake out of the fridge and slowly pour the chocolate ganache all over the top. Use an icing spatula to spread the ganache evenly all over the top.
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil and transfer to the fridge for at least 4 hours to set.
Notes
- This cake can be made pareve by using a pareve heavy cream substitute, such as Rich’s Richwhip, parve or vegan chocolate, and vegan butter. It’s one of the rare cases where these substitutes work well.
- In order for the eggs to whip nicely they should be at room temperature.
- Use a clear cake strip (or cake collar) for a more elegant presentation.
- The cake keeps in the fridge for up to five days. Serve cold.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes + 5 hours 30 minutes chill time
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Holiday
Thank you! It came out perfectly! My company loved it!
I found it needed a lot more time at 300 degrees. The cream and pudding crystals work finest kind.