Dubai Chocolate Strawberry Cups (Printable Version)

Elegant Middle Eastern style cups with kataifi, chocolate, strawberries, and creamy pistachio topping.

# What You'll Need:

→ Kataifi Cups

01 - 5.3 oz kataifi pastry, thawed
02 - 2.1 oz unsalted butter, melted
03 - 2 tbsp granulated sugar

→ Chocolate Layer

04 - 4.2 oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped
05 - 2 tbsp heavy cream

→ Pistachio Cream

06 - 3.5 oz shelled pistachios, unsalted
07 - 3 tbsp powdered sugar
08 - 3.4 fl oz heavy cream, cold
09 - 3.5 oz mascarpone cheese
10 - 1 tsp rose water (optional)

→ Strawberry Topping

11 - 12 fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
12 - 1 tbsp honey (optional, for glazing)

→ Garnish

13 - 2 tbsp chopped pistachios
14 - Edible gold leaf or rose petals (optional)

# Steps:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a standard 6-cup muffin tin with butter or cooking spray.
02 - Gently separate and fluff the kataifi pastry with your fingers. Toss with melted butter and granulated sugar until evenly coated throughout.
03 - Divide the kataifi pastry into 6 equal portions. Press each portion firmly into a muffin cup, shaping to create a nest with a hollow center for filling.
04 - Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until crisp and golden brown. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then gently remove and place on a cooling rack.
05 - Place chopped dark chocolate and heavy cream in a heatproof bowl. Set over a pot of simmering water or melt in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring until smooth and fully combined.
06 - Spoon a thin layer of melted chocolate into the bottom of each cooled kataifi cup. Allow to set at room temperature for 10 minutes or refrigerate briefly.
07 - Finely grind pistachios in a food processor until resembling fine meal. In a separate bowl, whip cold heavy cream to soft peaks using an electric mixer or whisk. Fold in mascarpone, powdered sugar, ground pistachios, and rose water if using until smooth and fully combined.
08 - Transfer pistachio cream to a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe generously into each chocolate-lined kataifi cup, creating a peaked presentation.
09 - Arrange strawberry halves on top of the pistachio cream. Optionally brush lightly with honey for a glossy finish.
10 - Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and garnish with edible gold leaf or rose petals if desired. Serve immediately for optimal texture and presentation.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • These look impossibly fancy but come together in less than an hour, which means you can actually pull them off on a weeknight.
  • The textures are what make it magic—crispy pastry shell, silky chocolate, creamy pistachio filling, and fresh juicy strawberries all in one bite.
  • You can prep the cups and cream ahead, then assemble just before serving, so there's zero last-minute stress.
02 -
  • The cups must cool completely before adding chocolate, or the heat will make everything slide around—I learned this the hard way and had cups that looked like edible abstract art.
  • Don't assemble everything until just before serving, because the pastry loses its crispness if it sits with wet filling too long, and that one detail is what separates a good dessert from a spectacular one.
03 -
  • If you can't find unsalted pistachios, use regular ones and skip the extra salt in any component—taste as you go and adjust the powdered sugar if the cream ends up too salty.
  • A tiny pinch of cardamom stirred into the pistachio cream shifts the whole flavor profile toward something even more special and authentically Middle Eastern, so don't skip it if you have it on hand.
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