All the flavors and textures in the famous baklawa are in this cheesecake. You will love every exotic mouthful of this classic dessert with an Arabian touch.
MAKES: 10–12 servings
INGREDIENTS:
CRUST:
- ½ cup walnuts, coarsely ground
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 8 sheets filo pastry
- ½ cup melted butter
CAKE:
- 5 pkgs (½ lb each) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1½ cups sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- pinch of salt
- zest of 1 orange
- 1 tbsp orange blossom water
- 1 tbsp rosewater
- 5 eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ cup sugar
- 6 sheets of filo pastry, to decorate
- ¼ cup rose syrup
- ¼ cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Combine the walnuts, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Brush one sheet of filo pastry with melted butter and lay it on the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan, going up the sides and letting it hang over the edges. Sprinkle some of the nut mixture on the pastry. Keep layering the pastry, with the excess hanging over the edge, and the nut mixture until all of the pastry dough is used.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a large bowl beat the cream cheese, sugar, honey, cornstarch, salt, orange zest, orange blossom water, rosewater and 2 of the eggs until creamy. Add the rest of the eggs and the yolks one at a time. Beat in the heavy cream, on the lowest speed if using an electric mixer. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan.
- Sprinkle the walnuts, cinnamon and sugar on top and ladle in the rest of the batter. Fold over the overhanging filo pastry so that it sits on the surface. Take the remaining filo sheets one at a time, brush with melted butter, crumple them up gently and place them on top of the cake but leaving the center exposed.
- Place the springform pan on a cookie sheet and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 325°F. Bake for an additional 1 hour and 15 minutes until it’s set and not wet and shiny in the center. If the filo is browning too much, tent it lightly with a sheet of foil. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake for 30 minutes to cool slowly. Remove and allow to cool at room temperature for several hours before serving. Loosen from the sides of the pan and place on a serving platter. Garnish with a drizzle of rose syrup and chopped pistachios.
