Easy Baklava Cheesecake Recipe

Baklava is one of my favorite things in the world—and combining it with one of my other favorite things, cheesecake, creates the most decadent, divine Baklava Cheesecake. Honestly, it’s the perfect festive dessert!

From the creamy cheesecake filling and cinnamon-coated nuts to the crunchy phyllo pastry, it’s truly amazing and absolutely worth the time and effort.

Flakiest Baklava Cheesecake

• Yields: 12 Servings
• Prep time: 45 mins
• Cook time: 1 hour 30 mins
• Resting time: 6 hours

Ingredients

The Syrup:

• ½ cup (120ml) Water
• ¼ cup (50g) White granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (85g) Liquid honey
• 1 ½ tbsp Fresh lemon juice
• 1 Small cinnamon stick

The Nut Filling:

• 1 ½ cups (200g) Pistachios (shelled)
• 1 ¾ cups (200g) Walnuts
• 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp White granulated sugar
• Note: You will reserve ½ cup of the plain chopped nuts for decoration before adding spices.

The Crust:

• 10 sheets Phyllo pastry (thawed)
• ¼ cup (60g) Unsalted butter, melted (plus extra if needed for brushing)

The Cheesecake Filling:

• 3 ¼ cups (735g) Full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup (200g) White granulated sugar
• 2 ½ tbsp All-purpose flour
• ¾ cup (180g) Sour cream, room temperature
• 2 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1 ½ tsp Lemon juice
• ¼ tsp Salt
• 3 Large eggs, room temperature

Complete Step by step Baklava Cheesecake Instructions

Cooking Our Syrup

So, to start off, we’re going to prepare our syrup. You want to do this first so it has time to cool.

In a small saucepan, combine the water, white granulated sugar, liquid honey, fresh lemon juice, and a small stick of cinnamon. Bring it to a simmer and let it cook for about 5 minutes. Once that’s done, set it aside—with the cinnamon stick still in it—to infuse all that flavor.

Preparing the Crunchy Nut Filling

Next, we’re going to prepare our nuts! In a food processor, add the pistachios and walnuts. Pulse them until you get small chunks. It shouldn’t be a fine powder—you still want that distinct crunch from the nuts in your cheesecake.

As you can see in the photos, there are still some nice chunks left.

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To the remaining nuts in the processor, add the cinnamon powder and white granulated sugar. Give it a quick mix and set it aside for now

Whipping Up the Creamy Cheesecake Filling

Before we start on the cheesecake filling, preheat your oven to 140°C (284°F) with the fan on. We want it nice and warm when we’re ready to bake.

In a large bowl, add the softened cream cheese and, using a hand or stand mixer, beat on medium speed until smooth—this should take less than a minute.

Next, add the all-purpose flour and mix until just combined. We don’t want to aerate the batter, so be careful not to overmix.

Once incorporated, add the granulated sugar, sour cream, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and salt. Again, mix until just combined. Finally, add the three eggs, one at a time, mixing each until just combined before adding the next. This shouldn’t take more than 10 seconds per egg.

Note: It’s very important that all your ingredients are at room temperature. This ensures a smooth cheesecake batter without lumps.

Assembling the Layers

Now for the fun (and slightly tedious) part! Grab a 23cm (9-inch) springform cake tin.

I like to line the bottom with baking paper by placing a sheet over the base, putting the ring on top, closing it, and pulling the paper taut so the bottom lies flat.

Melt your butter in the microwave, and using a pastry brush, brush the bottom and sides of the tin with the melted butter.

1. Place one sheet of phyllo pastry in the tin, letting it hang over the sides.
2. Place another sheet in the opposite direction so the tin is fully covered.
3. Generously brush the phyllo with melted butter, making sure to cover the sides.
4. Sprinkle a thin layer of your cinnamon-sugar nut mixture on top.

Repeat this process: Two sheets of phyllo, butter, nuts; two sheets of phyllo, butter, nuts—continue until all your nut mixture is used.

To finish, place two final sheets of phyllo on top and brush with butter. In total, you’ll use about 10 sheets of phyllo.

Pour your cheesecake filling directly into the phyllo-lined tin. Use scissors to trim the excess phyllo hanging over the edges—you can leave a little overhang for a rustic look. To remove air bubbles, gently drop the tin on the countertop twice and run a toothpick through the filling. Finally, brush the exposed top edges of the phyllo with a little more butter to ensure they crisp up.

Baking & The “Crispy Side” Trick

Place the cheesecake on a thin baking tray and bake for 1 hour.

Here’s the secret: At the one-hour mark, carefully remove the sides of the springform tin, increase the oven temperature to 160°C (320°F), and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes. This exposes the sides of the phyllo, giving them a nice, subtle golden-brown color.

Once done, the center should still be slightly jiggly. Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake cool inside with the door slightly ajar for 20 minutes.

The Grand Finale

While the cheesecake cools in the oven, reheat your syrup until it’s hot, then discard the cinnamon stick.

After the cheesecake has rested for 20 minutes, transfer it to a wire rack with a tray underneath. Immediately pour the hot syrup around the edges of the cake. It’s okay if some syrup touches the cheesecake, but try to focus on the crispy phyllo edges. I like to use a pastry brush to ensure the crust is completely coated.

Decorate the top with the reserved crushed nuts and some dried edible rose petals.

Let it sit at room temperature for about 2 hours, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours to set completely.

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Baklava Cheesecake Recipe

Recipe by Sana ReiCourse: DessertCuisine: Middle Eastern FusionDifficulty: Advanced

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

45

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

30

minutes

Calories

680

kcal

Total time

8

hours 

15

minutes

Ingredients

• Full ingredients list with exact measurements + grams
• Syrup

• 1/2 cup (120ml) Water

• 1/4 cup (50g) White granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup (85g) Honey

• 1 1/2 tbsp Lemon juice

• 1 Cinnamon stick

• Nut Mixture

• 1 1/2 cups (200g) Pistachios, shelled

• 1 3/4 cups (200g) Walnuts, halves or pieces

• 1 tsp Ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp White granulated sugar

• Crust

• 10 sheets Phyllo pastry (thawed)

• 1/4 cup (60g) Unsalted butter, melted (approximate, may need slightly more)

• Filling

• 3 1/4 cups (735g) Cream cheese, full-fat, softened

• 1 cup (200g) White granulated sugar

• 2 1/2 tbsp All-purpose flour

• 3/4 cup (180g) Sour cream, room temperature

• 2 tsp Vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 tsp Lemon juice

• 1/4 tsp Salt

• 3 Large eggs, room temperature

• Garnish

• Dried rose petals (optional)

Directions

• Prepare the Syrup: In a small saucepan, combine water, 1/4 cup sugar, honey, lemon juice, and the cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool (leave the stick in for now).
• Prepare the Nuts: In a food processor, pulse the pistachios and walnuts until coarsely chopped. Remove 1/2 cup (60g) of the plain nut mix and set aside for the final garnish.
• To the remaining nuts in the processor, add 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp sugar. Mix briefly.
• Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 140°C (285°F) Fan / 300°F Standard.
• Make Filling: In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese on medium speed until smooth (about 1 minute). Add the flour and mix until just combined. Add the sugar, sour cream, vanilla, 1.5 tsp lemon juice, and salt. Mix until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating briefly after each addition. Do not overmix.
• Assemble Crust: Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-inch (23cm) springform pan with melted butter. Place two sheets of phyllo in the pan (crisscrossed to cover gaps), letting excess hang over sides. Brush generously with butter. Sprinkle a thin layer of the cinnamon-nut mixture.
• Repeat the layering: 2 sheets phyllo, butter, nuts. Continue until all nut mixture is used.
• Top with final 2 sheets of phyllo and brush with butter.
• Bake: Pour the cheesecake filling into the crust. Trim the overhanging phyllo with scissors (leave about 1 inch height above the filling). Bake at 140°C for 1 hour.
• Brown the Sides: Remove cake from oven. Carefully remove the side ring of the springform pan. Increase oven temperature to 160°C (320°F). Bake the collarless cheesecake for another 20-30 minutes until the phyllo is golden brown.
• Cool & Soak: Turn oven off and let cake cool inside with door ajar for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, reheat the syrup until hot and discard the cinnamon stick.
• Place cake on a rack. Pour hot syrup over the phyllo edges and sides. Garnish with reserved nuts and rose petals.
• Allow to cool completely at room temperature (2 hours), then refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

Notes

• Room Temp Ingredients: This is non-negotiable! If your cream cheese or eggs are cold, the batter will be lumpy.
• Phyllo Handling: Keep your phyllo dough covered with a slightly damp towel while working so it doesn't dry out and crack.
• The "Ring Removal" Technique: Removing the springform ring halfway through baking is what gives the sides that baklava crunch. Be very gentle when unclasping the ring so you don't tear the soft pastry.
• Storage: Keep refrigerated. This cake tastes even better the next day as the syrup infuses the crust.