How to make baklava cheesecake recipe with this easy and flavorful recipe. This delicious cheesecake is ultra creamy and rich on a traditional baklava crust made with pistachios, almonds and walnuts and a very crispy filo dough.
This Baklava cheesecake recipe is a combination of two classic desserts that give this wonderful dessert with oriental flavors.
We find in this very original dessert all the crispness and flavor of this oriental pastry from Turkey, also very popular in Greece, a classic baklava made with pistachios, almonds and walnuts.
As in the Turkish baklava recipe, this cheesecake is made with a puff pastry crust called phyllo pastry or filo pastry, brushed with melted butter which after baking gives a very crispy texture.
All this on a rich and creamy cheesecake layer that perfectly matches the flavor of the roasted nuts and orange blossom.
This baklava cheesecake recipe is a perfect dessert for any occasion, or like oriental pastries, to be enjoyed with the family to celebrate the Aid celebration, served with a drizzle of honey and a glass of mint tea.
>> See all cheesecake recipes from the blog

Composition and ingredients
Here is the composition with the necessary ingredients and possible substitutions to make this delicious baklava cheesecake recipe at home, scroll down the page to see the quantities in the recipe card.
Baklava
- Phyllo crust: For the crust of the baked cheesecake and as in the baklava recipe, use phyllo dough sheet that you can easily find in the shops or in Turkish grocery stores, preferably in a round format to simplify the assembly.
- Clarified butter: as in the original recipe use smen which is a clarified butter known as ghee, you can also use melted butter.
- Nuts: A mixture of chopped nuts with pistachios, almonds and walnut kernels, you can roast them in the oven for more flavor and especially unsalted.
- Sugar: Preferably use honey syrup to sweeten the nuts or a flavored sugar like brown sugar.
- Cinnamon: Optional to flavor the nut mixture.
- Orange blossom water: To wet the nuts, you can replace it with water, rose water or lemon juice.
Cheesecake filling
- Fresh cheese: Preferably use softened cream cheese like Philadelphia brand.
- Sugar: Use granulated sugar preferably.
- Eggs: Large eggs at room temperature.
- Vanilla extract: Optional to flavor the cheesecake batter.
- Sour cream: Indispensable for the sour flavor and texture of the cheesecake, you can replace it with plain yogurt, cottage cheese or Greek yogurt.
- Lemon: Use fresh lemon juice preferably.
⚠️ You will find the quantities and complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of the page.

How to make Baklava Cheesecake recipe
1 - Chopped nuts
- Place the chopped nuts, pistachios, almonds and walnut kernels in a medium bowl.
- Add the other ingredients, ground cinnamon, orange blossom water and honey.
- Mix with a tablespoon until you have a smooth and moist mixture.
Tip: You can roast the nuts in the oven at 300°F / 150°C for 15 minutes before blending them into small pieces in a food processor.


2 - Cheesecake batter
- Beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer or in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until creamy.
- Add room-temperature eggs and vanilla extract and mix again with a mixer to incorporate.
- Finish with sour cream and lemon juice and mix again until creamy and smooth.
Tip: Mix at medium-low speed to avoid incorporating too much air into the mixture, which could escape during baking and cause cracks.


3 - Assembly
- Prepare a springform pan or a cake pan with a removable bottom of 7 - 8 inches / 18 - 20 cm.
- Grease the bottom and sides of the prepared pan with melted butter (ghee) using a pastry brush.
- Place the first sheet of phyllo dough, starting by adhering the bottom and then the edges, avoiding folding the dough too much.
- Brush the entire sheet with melted butter using the pastry brush.
- Repeat this step for all remaining filo sheets.
- Pour in ¾ of the nut mixture and press down with an angled spatula to get a smooth layer of nuts.
- Fill the remaining space with the cream cheese filling.
- Use scissors to cut out the falling dough to make a straight edge.


4 - Baking
- Preheat the oven to 300 °F / 150°C and bring a saucepan of water to a boil to make a water bath (steam).
- Pour the boiling water over the oven drip pan, which should be positioned just below the rack.
- Place the cheesecake on the rack and bake for 90 minutes until golden brown on top.
- At the end of the baking time, leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door half open for about 1 hour.
- Then let it cool completely at room temperature before covering it with plastic wrap and placing it in the refrigerator overnight (at least 6 hours).
- Unmold the baklava cheesecake when it is cold and decorate it with the remaining nuts, dried rose petals and a bit of honey syrup.


Conservation and tips
In the fridge: Baklava cheesecake can only be stored in the fridge, under plastic wrap, for about 5 days.
In the freezer: You can freeze this baklava cheesecake when it is completely cooled for up to 3 months. Allow it to return to the refrigerator overnight.
Tips for Success
- Do not overmix the cheesecake batter as this may cause it to incorporate too much air and crack during baking.
- Allow the cheesecake to rest in the oven after baking to avoid thermal shock and the cheesecake shrinking too quickly and cracking.
- Do not remove the cheesecake from the pan immediately after baking, but when it is cold after a night in the refrigerator.
- Use a serrated knife to cut it more easily.

More oriental pastry
- Moroccan Chebakia Cookies
- Morrocan Semolina pancake
- Gazelle horns
- Makrout dates cookies
- Montecaos (Ghribia)

More cheesecake recipes
- No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake
- No-Bake Biscoff Cheesecake
- No-Bake Oreo Cheesecake
- Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake
- Oreo Cheesecake bites
- Triple Chocolate Cheesecake
- Baklava cheesecake

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Baklava Cheesecake
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 slices
Description
Recipe for baklava cheesecake, a Turkish baklava flavored cheesecake with almonds, walnuts and pistachios and a crispy filo pastry crust (for a 7-8 inches / 18-20 cm pan, about 8-10 slices)
Ingredients
Baklawa
- 100 g (1 cup) Pistachios - crushed
- 100 g (1 cup) Almonds and walnuts - crushed
- ½ tsp Ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp Honey - or maple syrup or cane sugar
- 1-2 tbsp. Orange blossom water
- 10-12 Sheets of phyllo dough
- 100g (½ cup) Smen (Ghee - clarified butter) - or melted butter
Cheesecake filling
- 450 g (2 cups) Cream cheese - Philadelphia
- 165 g (¾ cup) Sugar - granulated
- 3 Eggs - room temperature
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
- 150 g (⅔ cup) Sour cream
- 1 ½ tbsp Lemon juice - fresh
Instructions
Baklava
- In a medium bowl, mix together the crushed pistachios, almonds and walnuts and add the honey, ground cinnamon and orange blossom water and mix until you get a homogeneous and moist preparation.
- Set aside until ready to assemble.
Cheesecake
- In a large bowl, place the cream cheese with the sugar and mix with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes until creamy and smooth.
- Add the eggs and liquid vanilla extract and beat again for 1 minute to incorporate.
- Finish with sour cream and fresh lemon juice and mix again with an electric mixer or a spatula just until incorporated, avoiding incorporating air.
Assembly
- Prepare an 7 - 8 inches (18-20 cm) springform pan and grease the bottom and edges with a brush and melted clarified butter (smen) or simply melted butter.
- Place a first sheet of phyllo and gently adhere the bottom of the pan first, then the edges, trying to fold the phyllo sheet as less as possible and without leaving too many air bubbles.
- Then apply a layer of melted butter with the brush on the bottom and on the edges to moisten the whole filo sheet.
- Repeat this last step for the remaining filo sheets, making sure to brush them with melted butter all over.
- Add the nut mixture, leaving a small amount to decorate the top of the cheesecake and spread with an angled spatula or the bottom of a tablespoon.
- Pour the cheesecake batter into the pan over the nut layer until the pan is completely filled.
- Using a scissor, cut off the edges of the dough until you have an even, straight edge.
- Gently tap the pan on the work surface to release any air bubbles.
Baking
- Preheat the oven to 300°F/ 150°C and bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil.
- Pour the boiling water onto the oven drip pan positioned just below the rack.
- Place the cheesecake on the rack and bake for 90 minutes without opening the oven door until golden brown.
- Once the cheesecake is done, turn off the oven and open the oven door slightly and let the cheesecake cool for about 1 hour.
- Then remove the cheesecake from the oven and cover it with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for at least 6 hours (overnight) without unmolding it.
- When the baklava cheesecake is cold, carefully remove the cheesecake from the pan and place it on a large plate or serving dish.
- Add the remaining walnuts on top and drizzle with a little extra honey.
Serve cold.
Notes
Storage: Up to 5 days in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Category: Cheesecake
- Cuisine: Turkish
Keywords: baklava cheesecake, Baklava style cheesecake
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