Baked Baklawa Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 1/2 c pecan, coarsely ground
- 1/2 c sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 8 sheets filo pastry
- 1/2 c melted butter
- 625 g cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 c sugar
- 2 tbs maple syrup /or rice syrup
- 2 tbs corn flour
- pinch of salt
- zest of lemon
- 1 tbs rosewater
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolk
- 1/4 c whipping cream
- 3/4 c pecan, coarsely chopped
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 4 tbs sugar
- top decoration:
- 6 filo pastry
- 1/4 c melted butter
- 1/4 c maple syrup/rose sugar syrup
- 1/4 c pistachios, coarsely chopped
Preparation
Crust: Mix pecan, sugar & cinnamon in a small bowl. Brush one sheet of filo pastry with melted butter and lay on the bottom of a 22 cm springform pan making the hang over the edges. Sprinkle some of the nut mix on the pastry. Repeat the same with the remaining 7 pastry sheets making sure they hang over the edge and the nut mix in between
Preheat oven 200°c
Cake Mix
In a food processor, beat all the ingredients until creamy
Pour half of the batter into the pan layered with filo pastry. Sprinkle nut mix then pour the remaining half of the batter. Bring up the overhanging filo pastry and fold over to the edges to sit on the surface. Take the remaining filo sheets one at a time, brush with melted butter, crumple them up gently and place them on the top of the cake but leaving the centre exposed
Place the pan on a baking tray and place in the oven. Bake for 20 mins. Remove from oven and cover with aluminium filo to prevent from burning
Lower the oven temperature to 170°c and return the pan to bake for additional 1 hr and 15 mins, until it’s set and not wet & shiny in the centre
Once it’s done, turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake rest in the oven for 30mins to cool slowly. Remove & allow to cool for several hours before serving. Loosen from the sides of the pan and place on a serving platter
With a drizzle of syrup and chopped pistachios
