Baklava Cheesecake

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This Baklava Cheesecake is such a fun twist on the traditional Greek dessert. With all the flavors of cinnamon, honey and walnuts, it’s a fun way to mix together two delicious desserts into one!

Baklava cheesecake recipe! So good!

Baklava cheesecake recipe! So good!

So if you follow on instagram or twitter, you may have noticed that I was at a food blogging conference over the weekend. It was a ton of fun! It was great to see old friends and meet new ones, and of course I always learn so much and leave feeling renewed.

Well normally hotel sleeping is all good for me but this weekend I struggled a bit. See I wake up regularly at night to go to the bathroom. At least once, often twice. It’s annoying, but true. Well this weekend that didn’t go so well for me. There was a little piece of wall that you had to walk around to get from the beds to the bathroom and one night when I was walking back to my bed, I left the bathroom, tried to avoid the wall…and walked straight into it. Like face planted in the wall. #fail

So the next night when I woke up and was going back to bed from the bathroom, I tried to avoid the wall by leaving plenty of space. Too bad there was luggage on the floor. Guess who walked right into it and fell over completely, landing on all fours and sounded a bit like a dying animal? That’s right. This girl. A shining moment, my friends. Hotel nighttime bathroom trips and I did not get along this weekend. Fortunately I survived.

Please tell me I’m not the only one who’s had this problem. 🙂

Baklava cheesecake recipe! So good!
Baklava cheesecake recipe! So good!

Baklava is one of those desserts that I didn’t grow up on but as an adult I’m definitely a fan. I tried it for the first time a few years ago and totally fell in love. The honey and cinnamon is totally up my alley.

Shortly after trying it for the fist time, I turned it into a Baklava Poke Cake. And since I love taking some of my favorite desserts and creating fun twists of them, I’ve now got a cheesecake version for you.

To start, I used phyllo dough for the crust. It’s the same stuff that’s used in actual baklava, so I thought it’d be fun to incorporate it. Plus, having it stick up over the edges of the cheesecake is kinda nifty and pretty. I totally dig it, but if you’d rather not go through the trouble I totally understand. You could replace it with your favorite kind of cheesecake crust – perhaps graham crackers or vanilla wafers. Another option would be to use the phyllo dough sheets, but not have them stick up over the edge of the pan.

Making the crust is not actually hard, but it is a bit time consuming. Much like when making baklava, the sheets of phyllo dough are layered with melted butter. The trick with phyllo dough is to keep it from drying out while you are working with it. You want to keep a damp cloth over the rolled out dough. Grab one piece of the dough at a time and add it to the cheesecake pan, being sure to spread a little melted butter between each piece. The dough sheets aren’t individually big enough to fully cover the pan, but you can use a few to get full coverage, add some melted butter and then add another layer with a few more sheets. To keep the phyllo from over-baking, it isn’t pre-baked.

Baklava cheesecake recipe! So good!
Baklava cheesecake recipe! So good!

The filling of the cheesecake is your standard cheesecake with a bunch of baklava walnut filling in the middle. It’s a simple mixture – walnuts, cinnamon, melted butter and honey. Those are all tossed together and added to the middle of the cheesecake.

Once the cheesecake is baked and cooled, it’s topped with a little whipped cream and a little more walnut filling. That really is the best part of baklava in my opinion, so it isn’t lacking at all from this cheesecake. You’ll want to handle the cheesecake with a bit of care once it’s baked, since the phyllo dough is pretty thin and can break easily.

If you love baklava, this cheesecake should be a hit! It’s got all the essential flavors and really isn’t hard to make. Yay for twists on classics!

Baklava cheesecake recipe! So good!

You might also like:

Baklava Poke Cake
Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake
Cinnamon Sugar Swirl Cupcakes
Mini Cinnamon Roll Cheesecakes
Overnight Cinnamon Apple Baked French Toast Casserole

Print
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Baklava Cheesecake slice on white plate
Recipe

Baklava Cheesecake

  • Yield: 14-16 Slices
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Description

A fun twist on the traditional Greek dessert. With all the flavors of cinnamon, honey and walnuts.


Ingredients

CRUST

  • 4 tbsp butter, melted
  • Phyllo dough (about 20 sheets)

CHEESECAKE FILLING

  • 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 3 eggs
  • 2/3 cup sour cream
  • 6 tbsp honey
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

WALNUT FILLING AND TOPPING

  • 3 3/4 cups finely chopped walnuts
  • 3 tsp cinnamon
  • 6 tbsp butter, melted
  • 10 tbsp honey

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar and flour until combined (Use low speed to keep less air from getting into the batter, which can cause cracks). Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating slowly and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.
4. Add the sour cream, honey and cinnamon. Beat on low speed until well combined. Set aside.
5. In a medium sized bowl, toss together 2 1/2 cups of chopped walnuts, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 4 tbsp melted butter and 6 tbsp of honey. Set aside.
6. Grease a 9 inch springform pan and cover the outside with aluminum foil so that it’s ready for a water bath.
7. To prepare the crust, unroll the phyllo dough according to package instructions. You’ll need to keep it from drying out by placing a damp towel over the pieces that haven’t been used yet. Using one piece at a time, place phyllo sheets into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan. The sheets won’t be as big as the pan, but using a few for each layer you should be able to get one full layer. Layer the melted butter between the phyllo sheets so that they stick together.
8. Once the crust is ready, add a small amount of cheesecake filling to the pan. It should be just enough to thinly coat the bottom of the crust.
9. Add the walnut filling in an even layer on top of the cheesecake filling.
10. Add the remaining cheesecake filling and spread into an even layer.
11. Place springform pan (covered with aluminum foil) inside another pan. Fill outside pan with enough warm water to go about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. The water should not go above the top edge of the aluminum foil on the springform pan.
12. Bake for 50-60 minutes. The edges should be firm but the center will still be a little jiggly.
13. Turn off heat and leave cheesecake in oven with door closed for 30 minutes.
14. Crack oven door and leave the cheesecake in the oven for about 20 minutes.
15. Remove cheesecake from oven and chill until completely cool and firm.
16. To finish off cheesecake, toss together remaining 1 1/4 cups walnuts, 1 tsp cinnamon, 2 tbsp melted butter and 4 tbsp honey. Top cheesecake with whipped cream and walnut mixture.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Slice
  • Calories: 456
  • Sugar: 26.5 g
  • Sodium: 140.3 mg
  • Fat: 29.6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 44.7 g
  • Protein: 8.2 g
  • Cholesterol: 58.2 mg

Filed Under:

Enjoy!

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37 Comments
  1. LaTina

    Found on Pinterest, baklava isn’t just Greek, it’s also middle eastern dessert- substitute a few ingredients. But I’m pinning this and will make it soon thank you for this recipe! 

  2. Anita

    I will be making the Baklava Cheesecake for Christmas and wondered if you ever tried it with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. I have made that switch in most of my other cheesecakes and it worked fine. I only have one shot at getting this one right, so if there is a reason not to use Greet yogurt , I will stick with the sour cream.

    1. Lindsay

      I haven’t ever tried it (I prefer the flavor of the sour cream), but I’m pretty sure others have and it’s been fine.

  3. Marla

    I just took this out of the oven and will be taking it to a dinner party tomorrow…I am so excited! The crust is a tad time consuming, but beautifully worthwhile! I can’t wait to dig into this after dinner tomorrow evening. Thanks for the easy to follow directions and sharing this lovely dessert!

  4. Taylor Wettlaufer

    Hello, you need to look at the instructions, no where does it say what to do with the rest of the cream cheese layer, I only inferred that after you put the walnut layer down that you should pour the rest over after looking at the picture. Also a little more description would help.

    1. Lindsay

      8. Once the crust is ready, add a small amount of cheesecake filling to the pan. It should be just enough to thinly coat the bottom of the crust.
      9. Add the walnut filling in an even layer on top of the cheesecake filling.
      10. Add the remaining cheesecake filling and spread into an even layer.

      If I’m not mistaken, #9 is the part of the instructions you’re looking for, right? It’s there. Perhaps you overlooked it. 🙂

  5. Chantal

    I really want to try making this!

    Do you have to do the water bath? What is the purpose?

    Also how many sheets do you layer in the bottom and how do you make them stand up so nicely!?

    Thanks!

    1. Lindsay

      I would say yes to the water bath. It keeps the cheesecake more moist, keeps the edges from browning and without it, the center of the cheesecake will fall when you take it out of the oven and leave a big crater.

      I don’t remember how many sheets I used, I just eyeballed enough to make a nice crust. The sheets should be firm enough to make them stand without a problem.

  6. Sarah N.

    Would this cheesecake holdup over 48 hours? Or would it get soggy. I want to make it in the morning, then serve it the next evening.

  7. Teresa

    I’m looking forward to trying this recipe! Question though… When you say to place the spring form pan (covered with aluminum foil) inside another pan, did you place the 9″ spring form pan inside a larger spring form pan?

    1. Lindsay

      I actually have a large 12 inch cake pan that I use, but I know a lot of people use a roasting pan. It just needs to be big enough that the 9 inch fits with at least a couple inches around it to add the water.

    1. Patti

      I soooo need to make this. Two of my fave desserts melded together?  You betcha!  I would love to see a video of how you put it all together. I somehow doubt if my phyllo would resemble how beautifully yours come up the side!

  8. Lindsey @ American Heritage Cooking

    Shut the front door! This is such a fantastic idea!!! An amazing mashup between two totally dissimilar desserts! I could eat my weight in baklava and you just managed to make it better!

  9. June @ How to Philosophize with Cake

    Cheesecake and baklava, all wrapped up in the same dessert? Sounds amazingly rich and delicious! I’ll take a slice 😀

  10. Vickie

    This is beautiful Lindsay! Thank you for sharing in time for the holidays. I have one request re; printing your recipes. Would it be possible for you to include a photo with that option? Love to have inspiration in decorating as well as just having a reminder of your wonderful creations!

    1. lifeloveandsugar@gmail.com

      Thanks for letting me know that would be helpful Vickie! I will look into how to do it and see if it’s something I can add. 🙂

  11. Julianne @ Beyond Frosting

    I am dying of laughter all over again. That 2nd one was totally my fault, but you are such a good friend for leaving that part out.

      1. lifeloveandsugar@gmail.com

        It is, thank you for alerting me to it. It’s been fixed. Could you imagine 64 tbsp of honey? 🙂

  12. Ana Fernandes

    Hi Lindsay!

    I really love your blog! Love it so much that my birthday cake was your Turtle Chocolate Layer Cake with a different chocolate cake recipe! 🙂

    This cheesecake looks amazing, but I think there’s something wrong about the ingredients used, like the 6 cups of butter and 64 tablespoons of honey!

    1. lifeloveandsugar@gmail.com

      Ah yes! Thank you for letting me know. Darn typos. 🙂

      I’m so glad you enjoy the blog! Thanks for reading! And happy belated birthday!

  13. Jen | Baked by an Introvert

    Oh wow! This cheesecake is so creative, Lindsey! I haven’t had baklava in ages! I must make this!!

Lindsay
About Lindsay

I'm a wife and a mom to twin boys and a baby girl! And I've got a serious sweets addiction! Bring on the treats!

Scripture I’m Loving

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29