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Baklava cheesecake recipe

Baklava cheesecake recipe

14 ratings

We've given a classic baked cheesecake a Middle Eastern-inspired twist with a moreish Baklava topping. This recipe takes a little time, but is well worth the effort and is sure to impress at any celebration, from Easter through to Christmas. See method

  • Serves 14
  • 1 hr 45 mins, plus cooling and overnight setting
  • 458 calories / serving
  • Vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 125g unsalted butter
  • 250g pack filo pastry (12 sheets)
  • 200g shelled pistachios
  • 100g golden caster sugar, plus 3 tbsp
  • 600g full-fat soft cheese
  • 150g clear honey
  • 2 tbsp plain flour 
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract​
  • 1 large orange, zested and juiced
  • 2 eggs, plus 1 yolk
  • 150g soured cream
If you don't have sour cream, use crème fraîche or yogurt

Each serving contains

  • Energy

    1905kj
    458kcal
    23%
  • Fat

    31g 44%
  • Saturates

    16g 82%
  • Sugars

    22g 24%
  • Salt

    0.4g 7%

of the reference intake
Carbohydrate 35.5g Protein 8.3g Fibre 2.8g

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C and sit a deep 22-23cm round springform or loose-bottomed tin on a baking sheet. Melt 50g butter. Carefully unroll the filo sheets and cover with a clean, slightly damp tea towel (so they don’t dry out). Brush one side of a pastry sheet all over with the melted butter and use to line the tin, buttered-side down, pressing into the corners so it lies as flat as possible. Repeat with 8 more pastry sheets so the tin is evenly lined. Trim the pastry edges flush with the top of the tin, then brush all over with a last coating of melted butter.
  2. Bake for 15-20 mins until golden brown and crisp, but check at 10 mins in case your oven has any hot spots and you need to turn the tin.
  3. Melt another 50g butter. Put the pistachios in a food processor and pulse a few times until you have a mixture of chopped, finely chopped and ground pistachios. Measure 150g into a small mixing bowl, reserving the rest, and stir in the melted butter and 3 tbsp sugar. Spread in the base of the pastry case and use the bottom of a jar to lightly press down.
  4. For the filling, beat the cream cheese with an electric whisk for 2 mins. Whisk in the 100g caster sugar with 75g honey, followed by the flour and 2 pinches of salt. Whisk again, then add the vanilla, orange zest, eggs and yolk, followed by the soured cream, whisking between each addition. Pour into the pastry case and sprinkle just over half of the remaining pistachios on top.
  5. Melt the final 25g butter (along with any leftover melted butter), and liberally brush all over the final 3 pastry sheets. Roughly scrunch up and arrange lightly on top of the cheesecake to cover the filling completely. Bake for 15 mins, then reduce the oven temperature to gas 21⁄2, 160°C, fan 140°C and bake for a further 45 mins. Leave to cool to room temperature, then transfer to the fridge overnight to set.
  6. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 75g honey and the orange juice in a small saucepan and bubble together over a medium heat for 1 min. Leave to cool to room temperature.
  7. To serve, carefully release the cheesecake from the tin and transfer to a serving plate. Drizzle over the syrup and scatter with the remaining chopped pistachios. Slice into wedges with a serrated knife.

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