Baklava Cheesecake

Composed of a flakey phyllo crust, luscious cheesecake and nutty, honey and lemon infused syrup, this decadent dessert combines the best parts of both baklava and cheesecake. The cheesecake is rich and tangy surrounded by the crisp, buttery elements of baklava. This dish is the perfect contrast of sweet, salty, creamy and crispy.

While cheesecake is quite simple to make, there are 3 main tricks to ensure that is comes out perfectly every time. 

1. Make sure that all ingredients for the cheesecake batter are at room temperature. This means having them sit out at room temperature for a minimum of 2 hours. Rushing this process will result in a lumpy batter. Having lumps in the batter can cause a tendency to over mix, which leads to the next tip.

2. Don’t over mix the batter. Overmixing incorporates air into the batter. Air bubbles will lead to cracking during the baking process. While a cracked cheesecake may taste the same, it’s so much prettier when it has a perfectly smooth top.

3. Lastly, don’t over bake the cheesecake. Over baking can result in a tough, rubbery texture. Over baking can also cause cracking as the cheesecake starts to loose moisture. The cheesecake will be done baking when it jiggles in the center, and has a dull, set surface. The top of the cheesecake should never brown.

About the Farm

Missouri Northern Pecan Growers – Nevada, Missouri

There are 5 small, family farms that make up the Missouri Northern Pecan Growers Company. Together they produce the most delicious, native and organic pecans. These pecans are grown in a cooler climate, with a shorter growing season, which makes them naturally smaller and sweeter. To learn more about these delicious American native pecans visit https://mopecans.com.

Baklava Cheesecake
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Baklava Cheesecake

Recipe by Nadine MossCourse: DessertDifficulty: Easy
Servings

12 – 14

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

1

hour 

Composed of a flakey phyllo crust, luscious cheesecake and nutty, honey and lemon infused syrup, this decadent dessert combines the best parts of both baklava and cheesecake.

Ingredients

  • Phyllo Crust

  • 12 sheets phyllo dough

  • 1/2 cup (114 g) butter, unsalted

  • 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar

  • Cheesecake Batter

  • 1 lb 8 oz (681 g) cream cheese (or goat cheese, or fresh sheep milk cheese or a combination of soft cheeses)

  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar

  • 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream

  • 3 tablespoons (63 g) honey

  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

  • 3 large eggs

  • 3 tablespoons (23 g) corn starch

  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

  • Baklava Syrup

  • 1 cup (125 g) pecans, shelled, chopped and toasted

  • 1 cup (125 g) pistachios, shelled, chopped and toasted

  • 1/4 cup (170 g) honey

  • 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar

  • 1 cup (237 g) water

  • 1 cinnamon stick

  • zest from 1 lemon

  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

  • Phyllo Crust
  • Thaw phyllo overnight in refrigerator, or let come to room temperature for at least 3 hours. Once the dough is workable, carefully unroll and cover with a damp cloth.
  • Preheat the oven to 325°F.
  • Throughly grease the inside of a 9 inch springform pan. Place the springform on a sheet tray.
  • Melt the 1/2 cup butter. Separate one sheet of phyllo from the stack and brush throughly with butter and then sprinkle with granulated sugar. Then place the phyllo sheet inside of the greased springform pan. Repeat this process with all 12 sheets of phyllo, staggering the sheets inside of the pan to evenly cover the base and edges. Let the dough hang 1/2 of an inch over the edge of the pan to help hold it in place. Bake the crust for 5 minutes or until it starts to turn light golden brown. Remove the crust from the oven and let cool.
  • Cheesecake Batter
  • While the crust is cooling, prepare the cheesecake batter. In the bowl of a stand mixer, use a paddle attachment to cream together the cream cheese and the sugar. Add the sour cream, honey, vanilla extract and mix again. Then add the eggs one by one, until incorporated. Finally add the cornstarch and salt and mix one last time until smooth. Don’t over mix the batter.
  • Pour the batter into the phyllo crust. Cover with foil to prevent the crust from browning too much during baking.
  • Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour. After 1 hour, turn the oven off, prop open the oven door and let the cheesecake set for an additional hour.
  • Baklava Syrup
  • While the cheesecake is cooling, prepare the baklava syrup. Combine the water, sugar, honey, lemon zest, cinnamon stick and salt in a medium sized saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and cook until the syrup is thick. It should coat the back of a spoon and be about half of the original volume. Stir in the toasted, chopped nuts and stir until fully coated. Pour the syrup mixture over the top of the cheesecake. Gently spread until the surface area is covered.
  • Place the cheesecake in the refrigerator to set for at least 2 hours, or ideally overnight before serving.
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