Baklava Cheesecake (No Water Bath)

4.96 from 110 votes

Baklava Cheesecake (No Water Bath)

This baklava cheesecake recipe is the ultimate fusion dessert: layers of crispy phyllo pastry and roasted walnuts wrapped around a rich, creamy cheesecake filling, finished with a fragrant honey-rosewater syrup.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 15

Waiting Time2

Total Time3 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Servings:

Calories: 918kcal

Author: Katalin Nagy

Equipment

Ingredients

For the crispy baklava flio pastry

1 pack Filo pastry 1 pack of store-bought filo/phyllo (250g or 10 sheets)
50 g Unsalted butter melted but not hot
140 g Walnut roasted whole walnut, then pulse blend

For the cream cheese filling

450 g Cream cheese e.g. full-fat Philadelphia, at room temperature
100 g Granulated sugar
15 g All purpose flour
3 Eggs at room temperature
75 g Heavy Cream at least 36% fat content, and at room temperature

For the baklava honey syrup

120 g Water
70 g Granulated sugar
50 g Honey
Lemon juice Juice of ½ lemon
½ Lemon zest Zest of the ½ lemon. Peel it into 2-3 pieces so that you can take them out of the syrup later.
Cinnamon stick medium size
1 tablespoon Rose water only use pure 100% natural rosewater

Optional garnish

Dried rose petals
Pistachio nuts

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Roast the walnut

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C / 390°F (no fan).
Roast the walnuts on an oven tray for 5-10 minutes. Take care not to burn the nuts, and remove them from the oven once you start to notice a lovely nutty smell.
Then, adjust the oven temperature to 180°C / 355°F(no fan) to bake the cheesecake.

Make the cream cheese filling

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric hand whisk to cream the room-temperature cream cheese with the sugar for 1-2 minutes or until fluffy.
Mix in the flour, add the room-temperature eggs, and finally add the room-temperature heavy cream. Mix just until combined, and do not over-mix.

Assembling the cheesecake

Pulse the walnuts in a food processor until they are in tiny pieces, but do not grind them into a fine flour. Alternatively, use a sharp knife to chop them by hand.
Melt the butter in the microwave to brush over the filo pastry.
Unwrap the phyllo pastry sheets and place them between two very lightly damp tea towels to prevent them from drying out.
Generously grease the bottom and inner sides of an 8-inch / 20 cm springform pan with butter.
Lay 2 sheets of filo pastry in the pan, brush with melted, not hot, butter, and sprinkle with walnuts. Repeat 4 times.
Add 2 more sheets of filo pastry, then pour the cream cheese filling on top.
Trim the edges of the filo pastry with scissors so it is level with the top of the pan.

Baking the cheesecake

Bake your baklava cheesecake for 45 minutes at 180°C / 356°F (no fan). Then, gently remove the sides of the springform pan and bake for a further 25 minutes to allow the sides to go golden brown.
Adjust the baking time to your oven if necessary.

Making the syrup

Boil all the ingredients except the rose water together in a saucepan for 5-10 minutes or until it slightly thickens and reaches syrup consistency. Remove it from the heat, remove lemon zest pieces and cinnamon stick, then stir in the rosewater.

Finishing and serving the baklava cheesecake

Pour the syrup over the cheesecake as soon as the cheesecake comes out of the oven. Focus on pouring syrup along the edges of the filo pastry, leaving only a small amount in the center.
Let the baklava cheesecake cool and further set in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours, then decorate it with pistachio nuts and rose petals (optional) and serve.
Any leftover cheesecake can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 to 2 days.

Video

Notes

INGREDIENT NOTES:

Make sure you buy whole walnuts (and not ground walnuts) and roast them in the oven before blending to allow the flavor to come out.
Use full-fat Philadelphia or equivalent block cream cheese only as low-fat or spreadable versions contain too much water
Use room-temperature ingredients for the cheesecake elements.

TECHNIQUE NOTES:

Whilst layering the baklava part of this dessert, pay attention to the phyllo and brush it with butter so that it doesn't dry out.
The baking time is approximately 70 minutes, but adjust it to your own oven accordingly. The goal is for the phyllo to turn a beautiful golden color and to surround a well-baked, creamy cheesecake. If the cheesecake is browning too much on top, cover it with aluminum foil towards the end of the baking time.
The springform release mid-bake is not optional; it is what separates a soggy-sided cheesecake from one with a genuinely crispy phyllo crust.
Pour the syrup the moment the cheesecake comes out of the oven; even a five-minute wait means the pastry has already started to cool and will absorb the syrup unevenly.
The cheesecake will further set as it cools; let it chill in the fridge before cutting.

Nutrition