Baklava cheesecake

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This baklava cheesecake recipe is one of the most surprising combinations ever and works so well that I might just admit that this is the most delicious cheesecake I have ever made! Taking classic baklava one step further, this is a must try recipe for baklava and cheesecake lovers. Lighter than traditional baklava, in the meantime more exciting flavor profile than traditional cheesecake, the best of both! You will be pleased to know that making this baklava cheesecake is super easy too, it comes together really quickly and a perfect cheesecake recipe even if you are beginner in the kitchen.

What is baklava cheesecake

Baklava is a layered dessert made of filo pastry, filled with chopped nuts, and sweetened with syrup or honey. It is a super popular dessert all around the world particularly in the Middle East and Greece with small local adjustments.

This Baklava cheesecake recipe delivers on the key baklava and cheesecake attributes! Creamy and light cream cheese filling on top of walnut filled filo pastry layers soaked in aromatic honey rosewater syrup. A dangerously delicious recipe, I warned you! Let´s get started!

My Top 5 Baking Tips for home bakers

1. Read this recipe carefully including my tips and recommendations on how to avoid and fix typical issues during baking
2. Avoid using substitutes and changing the recipe unless you are aware of how to fully reformulate the recipe in order to keep the balance in texture as well as flavour. In general, substituting ingredients, leaving out ingredients, or using ingredients not on the right temperature etc. will all have an impact on your baking
3. For consistent, happy baking experience always measure your ingredients with the help of a Digital scale. Cup measurement is not an accurate way to measure ingredients and can easily lead to a little bit too much of this, too little of that that is the most common reason for baking fails
4. Did you know that most home ovens can significantly under or oven run? Also, oven temperature hugely drops when opening the oven door therefore it is recommended to always pre-heat the oven above the required baking temperature.
5. Temperature is super important factor in baking and accurate oven temperature is key, can make or break any recipe. Make sure you invest into an inexpensive Digital oven thermometer to avoid under baked or burnt baklava cheesecake

Important notes regarding the INGREDIENTS of this Baklava cheesecake recipe

For the baklava

1. Filo pastry: While I am all about baking from scratch, filo pastry is not something I recommend doing at home unless you are professional and have the right equipment. What is filo pastry? Filo or phyllo is a very thin (thinner than paper) dough used for making pastries such as baklava. Baklava is made by layering many sheets of filo brushed with butter and filled with nuts. Filo pastry is usually available in the supermarkets either frozen or refrigerated, if it is not accessible in your local supermarket, worth to try Middle Eastern theme shops or restaurants.
2. Walnut: Make sure you use whole walnut (so not the ground version) and roast it first in the oven for a few minutes for the flavor to really come out. Then, I recommend to pulse bland the whole walnut in food processor or chop it by a knife. The walnut should not get totally ground, but should stay in tiny pieces. Instead of walnut you can use pistachio or even hazelnut or mix these
3. Butter: Use always unsalted as you want to be in control of the quantity of the salt. I am using 82% fat content butter in all my recipes. Butter needs to be melted in the microwave for a few seconds
4. Sugar: No sugar in the actual baklava filling! Just the right amount of sweetness will come from the syrup

For the cream cheese filling

1. Cream cheese: I always use full fat Philadelphia tub when I state cream cheese in my recipes. I find it easy to cream (need to bring it to room temperature first) and very pleasant in taste. I usually beat it with a hand mixer for 1-2 minutes, just until it becomes fluffy and increases a bit in volume. Avoid over whipping
2. Granulated sugar: I use simple, white granulated sugar, nothing fancy . While beating it up with cream make sure the sugar granulates fully dissolve. If you want to learn about the different types of sugar and how to use them in baking, please read my article in here.
3. Egg: Room temperature as always
4. Heavy cream: Also known as whipping cream or double cream, has a fat content between 36% and 40% . Use it on room temp so the mixture can properly emulsify and do not substitute with vegetable based “whipping cream”. Heavy cream will make the filling effectively more creamy, super smooth and rich
5. Flour: I used simple AP flour, you probably won´t have problem finding that in your local supermarket. If you want to be a Pro when it comes to deciding what type of flour to use in your baking, please read my article in here

For the syrup

First thing first, some typical mistakes. What makes the baklava sometimes unpleasantly sweet and also very soggy is the inappropriate sugar syrup quality and quantity. Regarding quantity, the recipe below will provide enough syrup to “hold” the filo sheets together but without making the dessert overly soggy and overly sweet. Regarding sweetness, I am using a mixture of sugar, honey, water simple syrup base and offset the sweetness with lemon juice! It does not taste lemon, but lemon balances the sweetness of the syrup.

1. Sugar + Honey: Use simple white granulated sugar, nothing fancy or expensive. Honey is natural inverted sugar, I used acacia honey. If you want to learn about the different types of sugar and how to use them in baking, please read my article in here
2. Lemon juice and zest: Secret ingredient no. 1. As mentioned above, it won´t really add any taste as such but balances the sweetness. You can´t skip this, believe me. Zest needs to be added to the syrup in 2-3 pieces then needs to be removed before drizzling dessert with the syrup
3. Cinnamon: Secret ingredient no 2. I am using a medium sized cinnamon stick, again won´t give too much flavour as such more like a very slight cinnamon aftertaste
4. Rosewater: Secret ingredient no 3. Please note that there is a huge different between pure rosewater, pure rose essence and all the other fake ones. Make sure to only use 100% natural pure rose products for your health and also for maximum taste. In terms of rosewater and rose essence, rosewater is sold in a larger bottle usually and you have to use more of that vs. rose essence. I am using 1 table spoon here. If you have rose essence at home, which is a much more concentrated product, then you only need to use a tiny amount, like one teaspoon or even less. Rosewater is rather a love it or hate it flavour, so feel free to skip it if you don´t like it. In the meantime if you haven´t tried it before, I really recommend start using it in desserts, it pairs amazing not just with Middle Eastern desserts but also with e.g. raspberry

My top 6 tips regarding the TECHNIQUE of making this Baklava cheesecake recipe

1. How to handle and bake with filo pastry

Filo is an extremely versatile, super thin pastry, which needs to be handled with care. Depending on whether you purchase it frozen or not, first you will need to bring it to room temperature but do not open the package yet as the pastry can get dry out very quickly. Once the pack is open, place the sheets in between very lightly wet tea towels to make sure that the filo won´t dry out while you are assembling the baklava cheesecake.

2. How to make the cream cheese filling

This is a classic cheesecake recipe that comes together really quickly, all you need to pay attention is not to over mix it. You will only need a couple of ingredients like Philadelphia cream cheese, cream, eggs, a little bit of sugar and a small amount of flour.

Whip cream cheese with sugar for 1-2 minutes until fluffy, mix in flour, add eggs and finally the heavy cream, mix just until combined, do not over mix. If you are spending more than 3 minutes with preparing this filling then you are probably over beating it.

I am not using vanilla and lemon – that are often used in cheesecake fillings – because the flavor of this baklava cheesecake will very much come from the syrup.

3. How to assemble this baklava cheesecake

My filo bag had 10 large filo sheets and I have used all 10 of them – that gives a high enough baklava layer under the cheesecake layer.

While assembling the baklava cheesecake use the following pattern (from bottom to top):

2 sheets filo then butter brush + walnut

2 sheets filo then butter brush + walnut

2 sheets filo then butter brush + walnut

2 sheets filo then butter brush + walnut

2 sheets filo

Then comes the cream cheese filling on top

Don’t forget to trim the filo pastry around the cake pan before baking. Please see process pictures below!

4. How to bake this baklava cheesecake

First and foremost, always pre-heat you oven for at least 10-15 minutes and make sure you invest into an inexpensive Digital oven thermometer to avoid under baked or burnt baklava cheesecake. If your oven tend to burn more on the top, it is better to bake this cheesecake more on the bottom so the filo pastry won´t burn.

Can I bake this baklava cheesecake without water bath? Yes, absolutely! You will be pleased to see that this cheesecake won´t crack on top!

I suggest to bake the cheesecake in the following way; First bake it at 180C / 356F for 45 minutes, then remove the side of the spring form and bake for a further 25 minutes so the side gets also golden in colour. This baklava cheesecake is rather tall therefore require minimum one hour baking time, however please note that each oven is different and you will have to experiment with your own one. If the cheesecake was browning too much on top, feel free to cover it with aluminium foil towards the end of the baking time.

5. How to make soaking syrup that is not overly sweet

Making syrup is super simple, you will literally have to boil all the ingredients together (except rosewater) however it is worth to note 3 important things:

1. Boil the mixture for a 5-10 minutes (depends on stove) so that it gets syrupy. If mixture is not syrupy enough but more on the liquid side, it can make the cheesecake wet and soggy instead of moist. Add in rosewater after syrup is ready

2. Prepare the syrup towards the last 5-10 minutes of the baking time so it will be ready by the time your baklava cheesecake is baked

3. While drizzling the cheesecake with syrup I suggest to focus on the side around where the filo pastry is. It is fine to drizzle the cheesecake part (middle) a tiny but but the main focus should be to moisten the filo

6. What baking pan to use to make baklava cheesecake

You will definitely need a spring form like  this one. Spring form type of baking pan has two parts: a round shape base and a side band with a clamp. The band expands and contracts by opening and closing the clamp. Easy peasy! For the best results, choose a non-stick finish and I recommend a not too large (15-20 cm / 6-8 inch) but deep version to avoid sad looking flat cakes. The one I am using is 19 cm / 7,5 inch in diameter spring form, this one.

Want to try some of my other Cheesecakes?

• Pistachio cheesecake recipe: I´ve made many cheesecakes in my life but this Pistachio cheesecake is special! If you are a cheesecake and pistachio lover and like to make delicious desserts without a lot of fuss, this will be a recipe you will love! A No-bake, no problem recipe, check it out in here.
• Oreo cheesecake recipe: Crunchy, decorative Oreo crust filled with extra smooth vanilla cream cheese mousse with hidden Oreo pieces! This No-bake Oreo cheesecake is super light and taste amazing with just the right amount of sweetness! A dream come true! Recipe in here
• Basque burnt cheesecake: This is a super EASY Basque Burnt Cheesecake recipe that literally comes together in 5 minutes using 5 simple ingredients yet has an unbelievably texture and taste, one of best Cheesecakes I have ever had! Recipe in here
• Jiggly Japanese cheesecake:  After tasting the famous, original Jiggly Japanese cheesecake on Osaka´s food market (look for Ricuro), I knew I want to bring the recipe for you one day. This Jiggly Japanese cheesecake recipe is the ultimate fluffy, souffle like cheesecake recipe that some refer to Japanese Cotton cheesecake due to its unique texture. It totally delivers on the Recipe in here

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