Baked Baklava Cheesecake

Name: Baked Baklava Cheesecake
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 70 min
Ingredients: 12 sheets phyllo dough ((14x9-in.)); 60 g butter (melted); 1/2 cup pistachio (chopped); 1/2 cup walnuts (chopped); 1 tbsp sugar; 1/4 tsp nutmeg; 1/4 tsp cinnamon; 1 tbsp of melted butter; 600 g cream cheese (softened); 2 eggs (room temp); 3/4 tsp orange extract; 180g cup sugar (granulated); 100 g Greek yogurt (room temp); 50 g all purpose flour; ⅔ cup water; ¼ cup honey; ⅛ cup sugar; 1 tsp orange zest

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This gorgeous Baked Baklava Cheesecake deserves a spot on your dessert table! The main ingredients include phyllo pastry, pistachios, walnuts, cream cheese, sugar, eggs and Greek yogurt, which are all easy to find. Serve this beautiful cheesecake on special occasions and decorate it with edible rose petals.

baklava-cheesecakes decorated with pistachios and rose petals.

Let’s get into this delicate and charming cheesecake! It has a buttery, flaky crust, a crunchy, nutty base and a smooth, creamy cheesecake filling with a hint of orange flavor. The flavors in this cheesecake are just phenomenal and to top things off, it looks beautiful and makes a wonderful centerpiece.

Table of Contents

What I Love About this Recipe

It looks stunning!
It is easier to make than it seems.
The ingredients are budget-friendly.
The ingredients are easily accessible.
You can make it ahead of time!

Ingredients

Crust

Phyllo dough sheets: Use sheets that are (14×9-in.) to cover the whole springform pan. I bought ready-made phyllo sheets that can be refrigerated for this recipe, but if you are using frozen phyllo sheets, defrost them in the fridge before using them.
Unsalted butter: Melt unsalted butter and use it to brush the phyllo sheets.
Pistachio: Select roasted pistachios and remove them from their shells. Then chop or blitz them in a food processor into a crumb-like texture to make the crust.
Walnuts: Chop or blitz them with the pistachios.
Sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon: To sweeten the crust.

Cheesecake filling

Cream cheese: Must be softened and at room temperature to make the filling. Use full-fat good-quality cream cheese.
Eggs: Let eggs come to room temperature before mixing.
Orange extract: This is an orange-flavored cheesecake but you can swap it with rose extract to make a rose-flavored cheesecake instead.
Sugar: Use granulated sugar.
Greek yogurt: Must be at room temperature to ensure it combines properly with the other wet ingredients.
All-purpose flour: Sift flour to remove lumps.

Syrup

Water:
Honey: Any honey will do.
Sugar: Use whatever sugar you have to hand.
Orange zest: To add orange flavor to the syrup.

Equipment

Parchment paper
Springform cake tin
Chopping knife or food processor
Mixing bowl
Handheld mixer
Egg wash brush
Scissors

Recipe Variation

Change the flavor of this cheesecake by using rose water and rose extract instead of orange. This will give the cheesecake a rose-like flavor profile instead of orange.

If you prefer pistachios to walnuts, use 1 cup of pistachios to make the crust instead.

How to Make Baklava Cheesecake

Cheesecake Crust

Firstly, preheat the oven to 380F/160C. Then line an 8” springform pan with parchment paper and grease it lightly with butter. Make sure you grease the sides too.
Press two phyllo sheets onto the lined pan and ensure they stick to the sides. Then, baste the sheet with melted butter. Ensure you get the sides and the part of the sheets that flop over the pan.

1. Line a springform tin. Add phyllo sheets.

3. Repeat this step with ten more sheets and make sure you rotate them around the tin as you go along. This will ensure that the crust is even.

4. Once all of the phyllo sheets have been added to the tin, use scissors to cut the sheets that flop over the cake tin. This will help when removing the cheesecake from the springform pan.

5. Next, combine ½ a cup of thinly chopped pistachio, ½ cup of thinly chopped walnuts, 1 tbsp of sugar, ¼ tsp of nutmeg, ¼ tsp of cinnamon and 1 tbsp of melted butter in the bowl and mix.

2. combine chopped pistachios, walnuts, cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg in a bowl.

6. Pour the nut mixture onto the base of the phyllo sheet in the springform tin and press it down gently to even it out.

3. Add nut mixture to phyllo sheets in cake tin.

Baklava Cheesecake Filling

7. Grab a large mixing bowl and mix 600g of softened cream cheese with 180g of granulated sugar until combined.

3. Combine sugar and cream cheese in a bowl.

8. Then, add two room-temperature eggs and 1 tsp of orange extract and whisk until combined. Next, add 100g of Greek yogurt and whisk until combined.

4. Add eggs and Greek yogurt to the cream cheese mixture.

9. Finally, add 50g of all-purpose flour and whisk until combined. Pour the cheesecake filling into the pan on top of the nut mixture.

5. Add ap flour and mix. Then pour mixture into prepped cheesecake crust.

10. Smooth the filling, then bake in preheated oven for 65-75 minutes. My cheesecake took 70 minutes.

6. Bake cheesecake then remove from the oven.

Make Syrup

As the cheesecake bakes, prepare the syrup. Add ⅔ cup of water, ¼ cup of honey and ⅛ cup of sugar and 1 tsp of orange zest to a pot and bring to a boil. Then let it simmer for ten minutes.

Chill Cheesecake

Once the cheesecake is ready, turn off the oven, crack open the oven door slightly and let the cake cool for 10 minutes.

Then remove the cake from the oven using oven mitts and pour the syrup into the phyllo crust. It is okay if some of the syrup gets on the cheesecake. Let the cheesecake cool for 2 hours, then refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight to firm the filling.
Remove the cheesecake from the fridge and gently remove the springform pan. Decorate the cheesecake with chopped pistachio and rose petals and serve for dessert!

Tips and Tricks

Room temperature: The eggs, cream cheese and Greek yogurt must be at room temperature for this recipe. This will ensure that all of the wet ingredients combine properly mixing.
Measuring scale: Use a scale to weigh the ingredients for accurate results. Using less or more of any ingredient will affect the cheesecake.
Melted butter: Make sure you baste the phyllo sheets with melted butter as it will create golden crisp layers.
Phyllo sheet: Be careful when handling the phyllo sheets as they are quite delicate and tear easily. If you are using frozen phyllo, then let it defrost before using it.
Nuts: Option to roast them for a few minutes before making the crumb.

FAQs

What is baklava cheesecake made of?

Phyllo sheets, melted butter or olive oil and chopped pistachios are used to make the crust. Cream cheese, eggs, sugar, greek yogurt or sour cream are used to make the filling. Then the cheesecake is baked in the oven at 380F/160C for 65-75 minutes.

What is a sheet of phyllo?

It is a thin sheet of dough made with wheat flour, water and oil or melted butter. It is typically used to make Turkish, Greek and Middle Eastern sweets and desserts.

How to store baklava cheesecake?

Refrigerate in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

Can I freeze baklava cheesecake?

Freeze the cheesecake in an airtight container or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap for up to two months. Defrost in the fridge overnight or until it softens.

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What I Love About this Recipe