Baklava Cheesecake

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This Baklava Cheesecake is made with a phyllo dough crust, creamy honey-cinnamon cheesecake filling, and honey walnut filling and topping! This unique dessert is a fun twist on the traditional Greek dessert. It’s delicious and full of amazing flavor!

Why You’ll Love This Baklava Cheesecake Recipe

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 several years ago and fell in love. The honey and cinnamon are totally up my alley. Since then, I’ve used it as inspiration for a few different desserts, such as my baklava poke cake and this baklava cheesecake. Here are a few reasons why I think you’ll love this just as much as I do.

• Combination of two great desserts. This recipe is truly a marriage of a classic cheesecake and Greek baklava. The filling is your standard cheesecake filling with a twist so you have that creamy, tangy filling balanced out by the honey, walnuts, and phyllo dough from the baklava.
• Phyllo dough crust. This cheesecake begins with a phyllo dough crust. It’s used in traditional baklava so I thought it’d be fun to incorporate it here and give it more of the traditional flavor and texture. Plus, having it stick up over the edges of the cheesecake is kinda nifty and pretty.
• Walnut filling & topping. The cheesecake’s filling is your standard cheesecake with a baklava walnut filling in the middle. It’s a simple mixture of walnuts, cinnamon, melted butter, and honey, all tossed together and added to the middle of the cheesecake. It’s also added on top to finish off the dessert. So much great flavor in here!

What You’ll Need

This recipe combines the ingredients used in a classic cheesecake recipe with the ingredients used to make baklava. You can find the exact measurements in the recipe card below.

Filling

• Cream cheese – Be sure the cream cheese is at room temperature to avoid a lumpy filling. You want to use full-fat brick-style cream cheese for this cheesecake. Low fat or the kind in the tub container will make the filling too soft.
• Sugar
• All-purpose flour – Flour helps to create a creamy texture in the filling and prevent cracks.
• Sour cream – Sour cream adds tp the classic tangy cheesecake flavor and breaks up the richness of the cream cheese.
• Ground cinnamon – Adds a warm flavor throughout the filling.
• Honey – Honey is one of the classic ingredients in baklava so it helps add that flavor to the cheesecake while sweetening it a bit as well.
• Eggs – Use large eggs, not medium or extra large. They should be at room temperature as well. If you need to do that quickly, you can set them in a bowl of warm water.
• Finely chopped walnuts – Another classic baklava ingredient that adds texture and flavor to this cheesecake. You can toast them for extra flavor if you want.
• Unsalted butter

Crust

• Unsalted butter – Melted
• Phyllo dough – You’ll need about 18 sheets, which was one of the two rolls that came in the box oh phyllo dough.

Walnut Topping

• Walnuts – Chopped. You can toast them if you want.
• Ground cinnamon
• Unsalted butter – Adds a richness to the topping.
• Honey – Adds the classic sticky-sweet texture and flavor to the walnut topping.

How To Make Baklava Cheesecake

Each part of this baklava cheesecake comes together in a few steps. It does require several hours to cool before slicing, so begin with plenty of time (or make it the night before). You can find the printable version of the instructions in the recipe card below.

Make the filling

• Prep. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line the springform pan with parchment paper in the bottom and grease the sides.
• Make the cheesecake filling. Add the cream cheese, sugar, and flour to a large mixing bowl. Beat on low until completely combined and smooth. Add the sour cream and 2 1/4 teaspoons of cinnamon. Beat on low to combine then add 1/2 cup of honey and mix on low. Beat the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition.
• Make the walnut mixture. Combine the remaining cinnamon and honey, melted butter, and walnuts in a bowl. Set aside.

Make the crust and bake

• Make the crust. Unroll the phyllo dough according to the package instructions. Using one piece at a time, place the phyllo sheets into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Since they’re not as big as the pan, you’ll need to use a few for each layer. Brush the melted butter between the phyllo sheets so they stick together.

• Assemble the cheesecake. Add a third of the cheesecake filling to the crust. Drop the walnut filling by the spoonful into an even layer then add the remaining cheesecake filling, drizzling it gently over the walnut filling.
• Prepare the water bath. Place the springform pan inside another pan. Fill the outside pan with enough warm water to go about halfway up the sides of the springform pan, ensuring the water does not go above the top edge of the aluminum foil.
• Bake. Bake the baklava cheesecake for 1 hour and 45 minutes, until the center is set but still jiggly.
• Cool. Turn off the oven but leave the door closed for 30 minutes then crack the oven door and allow the cheesecake to continue to cool slowly. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and water bath then let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until firm, at least 4-5 hours.

Add the topping

• Prep. Once the cheesecake is fully set, remove it from the pan (you can see my tips in this post). Place it on a plate or serving platter.
• Add the topping. Combine the ingredients for the walnut topping. Spoon evenly over the cheesecake.

Tips for Success

• Mix on low speed. When mixing the filling ingredients, be sure to mix on low speed. This helps reduce the amount of air added to the batter. Too much air in the batter can cause the cheesecake to crack.
• Scrape down the bowl. After each ingredient addition, be sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl to ensure everything is being evenly combined.
• Make the filling first. In most cheesecake recipes, I make the crust first. However, for this baklava cheesecake, you want to make the filling first. You don’t want the phyllo dough sitting around and drying out while you make the filling.
• Keep the phyllo dough from drying out. While you are working with the phyllo dough to make the crust, place a damp towel over the pieces that haven’t been used yet. This will prevent the dough from drying out.
• Cool slowly. It’s important to let this baklava cheesecake cool slowly, starting with 30 minutes with the oven door closed and 30 minutes with the door cracked open. This allows the center to finish cooking and prevents cracks in the cheesecake.

How Do I Know When This Cheesecake Is Done?

Your baklava cheesecake is done when the center is set but still jiggly. It will continue to cook in the oven after you turn the heat off so you don’t want to over bake it.

Note that because of the walnut filling, it may still be a little bit more jiggly than a regular cheesecake. For more tips, you can check out my post on how to tell if your cheesecake is done baking.

Can I Use A Different Crust?

Yes! The phyllo dough can be a little tough to cut and doesn’t have the same crispness of a regular graham cracker crust. So if you don’t want to use the phyllo dough, this baklava cheesecake would still taste delicious if you used my classic graham cracker crust.

Proper Storage

• Fridge. Baklava cheesecake can be stored in the fridge for 4-5 days. Keep it covered with a cake carrier, if you have one. It may be hard to cover with plastic wrap because of the crust.
• Freezer. If you want to freeze this cheesecake, you may want to consider the graham cracker crust. Wrapping the phyllo crust would cause it to break. To freeze the cheesecake, flash freeze it for 1-2 hours then wrap it tightly in a few layers of plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months. You can freeze the entire cheesecake or just slices of it. Thaw in the fridge before serving.

More Fun Cheesecake Recipes To Try

• Pecan Praline Cheesecake
• Reese’s Cheesecake
• Loaded Butterscotch Cheesecake
• German Chocolate Cheesecake
• Champagne Cheesecake
• Pecan Pie Cheesecake

This recipe was updated 11/25/2024. For the original recipe, download the recipe PDF.

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