Baklava Cheesecake (No Bake)

This is a spin on my baklava cheesecake, a recipe that has become so beloved on the site I know that come holiday season it’s guaranteed to show up on several holiday tables. It’s a wonderful mix of creamy cheesecake with a crispy, nutty shell. 

The one question I would always get with that cheesecake was – how would one incorporate the simple syrup so that it would be dispersed into all the layers and more like real baklava? I couldn’t do it in the baked version (perhaps one day we’ll figure that out) because you need to pour it over the baklava after it bakes – except the filling and shell actually bake together. After pondering it seriously and not so seriously, an idea popped into my head: I could do it with a no-bake cheesecake. 

So – just to be upfront, this isn’t a fully “no bake” dessert as we will be baking the baklava! The part that isn’t baked is the cheesecake filling. 

Recipe Overview 

With a no-bake cheesecake, we’re able to fully bake the shell (our baklava), then pour the syrup over it, then add the filling. The filling rests on top of a fully baked and cooled shell so we kind of get the best of both: perfect baklava with a super creamy vanilla cheesecake on top. 

I wouldn’t say this recipe is more work than the original baklava cheesecake, it’s quite the same actually – the difference is that the stages of making it are staggered. You’ll make the shell, bake it, pour the syrup, then let it cool fully. Then we’ll make the filling and smooth it in. After a few hours in the fridge, it’s ready to be eaten. 

But who are we kidding, this isn’t the kind of dessert one simply eats. It’s the kind that’s so good you can’t help but inhale it. 

Recipe Ingredients 

Phyllo: thirty sheets, thawed overnight in the fridge. 

Nuts: I use a mix of walnuts and pistachios but you can also use pecans. Whatever nut you plan to use, toast it in the oven beforehand so it’s crispy and fresh tasting (350 F on a flat sheet pan, for 5 minutes if the nuts are already toasted and 10 if they are raw). Wait until the nuts are at a cool room temperature before you grind them (otherwise you’ll make a nut butter!) 

Sugar: I used brown sugar for the filling and the shell, I find it adds a warmer taste. You can use fine granulated sugar if you like. 

Salt: fine sea salt. If using table salt, use half the amount. 

Cream cheese: two full fat bricks. It’s very important they are at a slightly warm room temperature. 

Sour cream: full fat and preferably (but not strictly) at room temperature. 

Heavy whipping cream: or heavy cream. It should be cold, very cold. 

Powdered sugar: made with tapioca or cornstarch. It helps thicken the filling. 

Vanilla: pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. You can also scrape a vanilla bean to use in the filling. 

Lemon: we’ll use some drops of lemon juice in the syrup, to cut through the sweetness, and some in the cheesecake. 

How to make a No Bake Baklava Cheesecake 

Before you begin to make the shell, preheat the oven and prep your ingredients (nuts should be toasted and cooled if they are raw, phyllo should be thawed).

Grind the nuts into tiny bits, toss them with the sugar and pinch of salt. 

Lay out your phyllo sheets and cover them with a damp tea towel (I use a flour sack and spray it with water). You have two options: trim the phyllo now so that it has minimal overhang that you’ll have trim later and you can use it for something else (phyllo sheets are usually about 14 inches long, you’ll need trim it to about 11-12 inches) or you can lay it all out and trim it later. 

If my phyllo is already quite torn and broken, I don’t see the point in trying to reserve it so I trim mine later. 

If the ghee has solidified (usually the case when it’s cold or at a cool room temperature), melt it. 

Build the Crust 

Start by brushing a thin layer of ghee on a 9 inch springform pan. Over it, place a sheet of phyllo. Brush the phyllo with ghee. 

Repeat this process until you have 15 layers of phyllo brushed with ghee. 

Spread half of the nut mixture over the 15th layer. 

Place a sheet of phyllo over the nuts and brush it – it’s OK if it tears. Repeat the laying and brushing process seven more times. 

Spread the other half of the nuts over the phyllo and repeat laying the sheet and brushing it with ghee until you have another seven layers. Brush the top layer. 

Trimming & Scoring 

Any overhang of the phyllo that’s over the sides will need to be trimmed (otherwise the springform pan won’t be able to lift off of it – I learned this the hard way, lol). Trim further than you see me doing in the video (I had to trim it after baking as well which was rather messy) so that the sides just go up straight. 

Now, slice through the dough all the way down to the bottom of the pan – as if you were already serving pieces of the pie. These aren’t necessarily going to matter for actual serving, but creating those cracks will let the syrup get into the layers. 

Set the springform pan on a cookie sheet (some of the ghee will leak out, we don’t want it to hit the bottom of the oven which will set off the fire alarm!) and bake the shell until golden brown all over, about 30-35 minutes. 

Baking & Drizzling 

While the shell is baking, make the syrup by setting the water and sugar in a small pot and cooking until the sugar has dissolved. Off the heat add the lemon juice. Set aside to cool slightly. 

When the baklava is done baking, right when it comes out of the oven (keeping it on the larger cookie sheet), pour the syrup all over it. 

Let the baklava cool completely before beginning to make the filling. 

Making the filling 

The cream cheese should be fully at room temperature before you begin.

Set it in a bowl and to the bowl add the salt, vanilla and lemon juice. Use a hand mixer to beat it until smooth. 

Add the sugars and beat very well. Add the sour cream and beat. 

As you do, scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure you’re incorporating all the bits and lumps that may have escaped to the sides. 

Add the heavy cream and beat the mixture until you have almost stiff peaks; you’ll notice this when the beaters form ripples that hold shape in the filling. 

→The bottom of the springform pan will probably be greasy; transfer the pan to a plate.  

Pour the filling into the completely cool baklava shell. Decorate with more chopped nuts if you like. 

Set the cheesecake in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or ideally overnight, before serving. 

How far ahead of  time can I make this recipe? 

Ideally you’ll make the whole pie in the morning and you’ll be able to serve it in the evening or for dinner. This gives enough time for the baklava to bake and cool, for the filling to be made and for it to ‘set’ in the fridge. 

That said, you can make it a day in advance. I wouldn’t make it two days in advance because after 36 hours the pie will be less fresh (still edible though!).

How best to store leftovers? 

On a plate and in the fridge. If you want to avoid any ‘fridge smells’ getting into the pie, keep it in an airtight container. It’ll keep for a few days. 

Baklava Cheesecake (No Bake Recipe)

Baklava Cheesecake (No Bake)

Creamy vanilla no bake cheesecake made with a baklava shell: endless layers of syrupy sweet crispy phyllo and two layers of sweet and salty ground nuts.

Prep Time: 1 hour hr

Cook Time: 24 minutes mins

Chill (: 4 hours hrs

Yields: 1 tall 9 inch cheesecake

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Baklava Shell

• 30 phyllo sheets thawed overnight in the fridge
• 230 g walnuts pecans, pistachios or a mix of two or all three
• 50 g or ¼ cup brown sugar light or dark
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• About 1 cup ghee or clarified butter for brushing between the layers (melted butter is an ok substitute)

Syrup

• 100 g or ½ cup fine granulated sugar
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon cool tap water
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

No Bake Cheesecake

• 452 g or 2 bricks full fat cream cheese at room temperature
• 65 g or ½ cup powdered sugar
• 50 g or ¼ cup sugar fine granulated or brown
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 120 g or ½ cup full fat sour cream at room temperature
• 240 g or 1 cup heavy whipping cream or heavy cream

Method

Make the crust

• In a food processor, process the nuts until they are finely ground. Toss them into a bowl with the sugar and salt.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• Trim the phyllo so it’s about 11-12 inches wide then cover it with a damp towel. Melt the ghee if it’s in a ‘creamy’ or solid state.
• Brush a deep 9" springform pan with a thin layer of ghee, then place a phyllo sheet over the bottom, it’s fine if it has some overhang - we’ll trim it later. Brush the sheet of phyllo with ghee and layer another sheet over it, turning it slightly, and brush. Keep doing this until you have 15 layers of phyllo, layering them so you’re getting coverage on all sides of the pan.
• After the 15th sheet, spread half of the nut mixture into an even layer. Brush one sheet of phyllo with ghee and layer it, ghee side down, on top of the nuts then brush the top with ghee. Layer and brush again, with another 8 sheets. Spread the other half of the nut mixture on top of the 8th layer and then brush and layer again, for another 7 phyllo sheets.
• Trim any excess phyllo that’s hanging over the edges (in the video you’ll see I trimmed it a bit but I also had to trim more after I baked it) and then use a sharp knife to slice through the baklava, cutting it like a pie into 16 thin wedges. Brush more ghee on top after slicing.
• →Note: these slices won’t necessarily be the slices for the cheesecake once it’s done, but the cuttings allow for the syrup to seep in to make this more of a true baklava crust.
• Set the springform pan on a cookie sheet and bake it until golden all over, for about 30 minutes. While it’s baking, make the syrup: cook the sugar and water together until the sugar dissolves then remove from heat and squeeze in the lemon juice. Let it cool.
• When the crust is done baking, remove it from the oven and drizzle the syrup all over - ensuring to get syrup into all the cracks. Let cool completely before making the filling.

Make the filling

• Set the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer and use the back of a spatula or wooden spoon to press it down. Affix the paddle attachment and add the sugars, vanilla and lemon and a pinch of salt. Beat until creamed and you can’t see any ‘lumps’. Add the sour cream and beat to combine.
• Pour in the heavy cream and beat until the mixture is thickened to medium/stiff peaks. Pour and smooth the filling into the cooled baklava shell. Decorate with more nuts, if desired. Set in the fridge to chill for at least 6 hours or overnight.
• To remove the cheesecake, you might have to trim the phyllo (if there was some overhang) before you open the belt of the springform pan. Use a sharp chef's knife to serve. Store leftovers in the fridge.

Did you make this recipe?

Share & tag me on instagram @buttermilkbysam

7 comments