If you're after a foolproof, fuss-free baklava cheesecake recipe, look no further! This version swaps traditional phyllo for puff pastry, making it incredibly simple, just like our puff pastry baklava. Flaky pastry shells are layered with rich pistachio cream, a silky no-bake cheesecake filling, and finely ground nuts, all finished with a drizzle of fragrant simple syrup.
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If there's one thing I've learned about my readers, it's that they appreciate simple recipes. Traditional baklava cheesecake is prepared with phyllo dough layered in a cheesecake pan with ground nuts and cheesecake between the layers. Once baked, the syrup is poured over the cheesecake.
Making baklava cheesecake the traditional way is fine, but when you don't want to spend all day in the kitchen, this puff pastry baklava cheesecake recipe is a great alternative! Here's another shortcut: Use cheesecake in a tub instead of making the no-bake cheesecake mix from scratch.
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🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Cream Cheese: Full-fat, cold cream cheese (to help the cheesecake filling firm up).
- Sugar: Granulated sugar for the syrup and to use in the cheesecake filling. Save a tablespoon to sweeten the nut mixture.
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Flavoring: Vanilla extract & rose water (optional, but recommended)
- Spices: Cinnamon & cardamom powder, plus cardamom pods to flavor the syrup.
- Pistachio Cream: You can purchase pistachio cream or make it using my pistachio cream recipe.
- Nut Mixture: A combination of nuts including walnuts, almonds, pistachios, and hazelnuts. Feel free to use your favorite nuts!
- Optional Garnish: Edible roses
*See recipe card for full list of ingredients
🍮 How to Make This Baklava Cheesecake Recipe
Let's break this baklava cheesecake recipe down into manageable steps, starting with the filling...
Prepare Filling
Step 1: Add cold cream cheese, ⅓ cup sugar, and vanilla extract to the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the paddle attachment to blend the ingredients until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
Step 2: Pour cold heavy whipping cream into the mixer, and using a whisk attachment, blend the ingredients for 5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Pour the cream cheese filling into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate.
Prepare Syrup
Step 3: Add ⅔ cup sugar, lemon juice, rose water (optional), and cardamom pods to a small saucepan, then cover with ⅔ cup water. Stir to combine, then simmer over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes or until thickened. The syrup will thicken further once completely cooled.
Pro Tip: Leave the cardamom pods in the syrup until you use it so that they impart even more flavor.
Bake Puff Pastry Shells
Preheat Oven to 425 degrees F
Step 4: Remove frozen puff pastry shells from packaging and snap to separate along perforated lines. Place the frozen shells on an ungreased baking sheet, top-side up. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the shells have puffed up and are golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes, then use a small knife to remove the lid. Repeat steps with the second package.
Prepare Nut Mixture
Step 5: Add nuts to a hot cast iron skillet and toast, stirring often, until fragrant, then cool, being careful not to burn. Add cooled nuts, 1 tablespoon sugar, cinnamon powder, and cardamom powder to a small food processor. Pulse to grind nuts until finely ground, but not powdered, and set aside.
Assembly Instructions
Step 6: Use a small spoon to scrape the soft layers inside each pastry shell out to make room for the filling. Add 1-½ to 2 teaspoons of pistachio cream inside each pastry cup and level with a spatula.
Step 7: Next, divide the cheesecake filling between all the pastry shells, adding approximately 1-½ to 2 tablespoons per pastry shell, then level with the back of the spoon.
Step 8: Finally, divide the nut mixture between the pastry shells as a final layer and drizzle with cooled syrup. Add lids and drizzle with a little more syrup. Store in the refrigerator, covered, for a few hours to set, then serve.
Pro Tip: Another option is to chill the syrup and the baklava cheesecake shells separately, then warm the syrup (so that it's easier to pour) and add it just before serving or serve it on the side.
Serve this cheesecake baklava recipe with a cup of Turkish coffee. Their flavors complement each other beautifully.
🤷🏻♀️ FAQs
Baklava cheesecake is prepared with layers of buttered phyllo dough, crunchy spiced nuts, and creamy cheesecake, all drenched in aromatic simple syrup.
Kataifi is used in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean desserts. It is spun and has a unique, hair-like texture and is often wrapped around nuts, baked until crisp, and soaked in sweet syrup.
Baklava is prepared with buttered phyllo dough sheets layered with ground nuts (often mixed with cinnamon or cardamom). Once baked, baklava is drenched in syrup.
We tested it both ways and discovered the frozen ones rose twice as high as the ones that were thawed. Make sure the oven is preheated to 425 degrees F before adding the pastry shells.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- If you'd like, you can substitute Cool Whip for the heavy whipping cream. Just follow the steps in my berry cheesecake recipe.
- I baked one package of frozen puff pastry shells straight from the freezer and another that had been thawed. The frozen ones rose nearly twice as high, so I recommend baking them without thawing for the best results.
- Keep baklava cheesecake cups covered in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Garnish with edible rose buds for an elegant presentation!
Looking for other ways to use puff pastry? Try these delicious chocolate puff pastries.
🥮 More Baklava Recipes
If you enjoy this cheesecake baklava recipe, give these other baklava recipes a try!
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📖 Recipe
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add cold cream cheese, ⅓ cup sugar, and vanilla extract to the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the paddle attachment to blend the ingredients until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Pour cold heavy whipping cream into the mixer, and using a whisk attachment, blend the ingredients for 5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Transfer the cream cheese filling into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate.
- Add ⅔ cup sugar, lemon juice, rose water (optional), and cardamom pods to a small saucepan, then cover with ⅔ cup water. Stir to combine, then simmer over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes or until thickened. The syrup will thicken further once completely cooled.
- Preheat Oven to 425°FRemove frozen puff pastry shells from packaging and snap to separate along perforated lines. Place the shells on an ungreased baking sheet, top-side up. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the shells have puffed up and are golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes, then use a small knife to remove the lid. Repeat steps with the second package.
- Add nuts to a hot cast iron skillet and toast, stirring often, until fragrant, then cool, being careful not to burn. Add cooled nuts, 1 tablespoon sugar, cinnamon powder, and cardamom powder to a small food processor. Pulse to grind nuts until finely ground, but not powdered, and set aside.
- Use a small spoon to scrape the soft layers inside each pastry shell out to make room for the filling. Add 1-½ to 2 teaspoons of pistachio cream inside each pastry cup and level with a small spatula.
- Next, divide the cheesecake filling between all the pastry shells, adding approximately 1-½ to 2 tablespoons per pastry shell, then level with the back of the spoon.
- Finally, divide the nut mixture between the pastry shells as a final layer and drizzle with cooled syrup. Add lids and drizzle with a little more syrup. Store in the refrigerator, covered, for a few hours to set, then serve.
Nutrition
Notes
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- If you'd like, you can substitute Cool Whip for the heavy whipping cream. Just follow the steps in my berry cheesecake recipe.
- Leave the cardamom pods in the syrup until you use the syrup so that they impart even more flavor.
- Another option is to chill the syrup and the baklava cheesecake shells separately, then warm the syrup (so that it's easier to pour) and add it just before serving or serve it on the side.
- I baked one package of frozen puff pastry shells straight from the freezer and another that had been thawed. The frozen ones rose nearly twice as high, so I recommend baking them without thawing for the best results.
- Keep baklava cheesecake cups covered in the fridge until ready to serve.
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- Garnish with edible rose buds for an elegant presentation!
Kelly Methey says
These tasty little gems are the perfect size for an after dinner dessert, a tea or coffee accompaniment or a take to a potluck dessert.
They are so good with the cheesecake, puff pastry, syrup and cardamom, cinnamon, nutty topping alone but the pistachio filling really adds another layer of deliciousness that is not to be missed. Yum!
Thanks, Hilda, this recipe is a home run!
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you, Kelly! The best part? They're so easy to make!
Kathy Fisher says
Hilda outdid herself on this one. Greg and I loved them. I love simple and delicious. I've been a cheesecake fan all my life but with the puff pastry how simple can it get. Of course cardamom, cinnamon, nut topping is perfect. Thank you so much for this great recipe.
Hilda Sterner says
So glad to hear that you & Greg enjoyed them!
Hilda Sterner says
We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!