Baklava cheesecake
- Prepare
- overnight
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 12
Flaky filo pastry with toasted nuts and a sticky rosewater-infused syrup is the baklava base for this surprisingly easy white chocolate no-bake cheesecake. The feta gives it a sweet-salty tang.
From Saturday Kitchen
Ingredients
For the syrup
- 225g/8oz caster sugar
- 1 lemon, zest only
- 1 tbsp rosewater
For the cheesecake
- 60g/2¼oz unsalted butter
- 100g/3½oz walnuts, chopped
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 250g/9oz filo pastry
- 200g/7oz white chocolate, broken into small pieces
- 200g/7oz feta, chopped
- 280g/10oz full-fat cream cheese
- 200ml/7fl oz double cream
- 3 tbsp runny honey
- handful chopped pistachios
Method
To make the syrup, place 100g/3½oz caster sugar in a small saucepan with 125ml/4fl oz water and two strips of the lemon zest (use a peeler for this).
Bring to the boil over a medium heat, swirl to dissolve the sugar, then reduce the heat slightly. Simmer for 5–8 minutes, until there is a thick but not coloured syrup. Stir in the rosewater and leave to cool completely.
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Grease a 20cm/8in springform cake tin with a little of the butter.
Place the walnuts in a dry frying pan and toast for a few minutes over a medium heat. Once they start to smell nutty, stir in the cinnamon and 25g/1oz of the remaining caster sugar. Let the sugar caramelise slightly, then carefully tip the nuts out onto a chopping board. Once cool enough to handle, finely chop.
Melt the rest of the butter in a small frying pan. Lay two sheets of filo over the cake tin, overlapping slightly, so they completely cover the base and sides. Brush all over with the melted butter.
Sprinkle a quarter of the chopped walnuts over the bottom, and repeat the process twice more with filo then butter and walnuts (setting the remaining walnuts aside).
Top with a final layer of filo, really pushing it into the bottom and sides, then brush with the butter. Trim off any excess pastry around the top with scissors and bake for 25–30 minutes, until crisp and golden.
Remove the filo shell from the oven and drizzle over the cold syrup, particularly down the sides. Leave to cool.
Place the white chocolate in a heatproof glass bowl. Melt in a microwave or set the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water – be careful that the bowl does not touch the water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is just melted.
Meanwhile, place the feta in a large bowl, add the remaining 100g/3½oz caster sugar and blend with a hand-held blender until smooth. Add the cream cheese and the remaining lemon zest. Beat with a whisk or electric whisk until smooth. Add the double cream, whisk again until light and then finally stir in the melted white chocolate.
Spoon the filling into the filo case, loosely cover and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight if possible.
Just before serving, drizzle with the honey. Scatter over the reserved walnuts and the pistachios for a pop of colour.
