Baklava Nutella Cheesecake
Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 70 min
Yield: 9″ cheesecake
What could be better than two luscious desserts combined into one? Make this for the holidays — or any time of year — and you’ll have every sweet tooth in the room falling at your feet.
At a Greek party, this dessert will be received as ambrosia, the food of the gods. The first bite is heaven, the second makes you want more, and by the end you won’t care that you had to undo the top button of your pants to breathe.
Truth be told, I’m not a fan of cheesecake or baklava on their own, but this combo is amazing.
Ingredients
Baklava Filling
- 1 box phyllo (fillo) dough (Athens 9″x14″ sheets, 2 rolls, 20 sheets each)
- 1 stick butter
- 1⅓ cups slivered almonds
- 1½ cups walnuts
- 2 cups chopped hazelnuts
- 1 tbsp roasted Saigon cinnamon (McCormick)
- 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Drizzle Syrup
- 1 cup honey
- 2 cups sugar (raw or white)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1½ cups water
- 1 orange (quartered, juice strained, then add orange to pot)
- 2 cinnamon sticks, broken
- 1 cup Nutella
Cheesecake Filling
- 20 oz cream cheese (2½ packages, 8 oz each)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 16 oz plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup Nutella
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
Directions
1. Make the syrup.
For best results, make the Nutella drizzle honey syrup a day ahead so it thickens. Combine all syrup ingredients except the Nutella in a pot. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring often. Cool, remove cinnamon sticks, then whisk in Nutella.
2. Toast and prepare nuts.
Toast all nuts in a 350°F oven for 8–10 minutes. Let cool, then pulse in a food processor until roughly chopped. Toss with cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. Prepare cheesecake filling.
In a mixer or food processor, blend cream cheese, sugar, and salt until smooth. Add yogurt and mix well. Blend in vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Remove two-thirds of the mixture. Add Nutella to the remaining batter and pulse until smooth.
4. Prepare phyllo crust.
Melt butter. Butter your pan, then layer phyllo sheets one at a time, lightly buttering each and folding in half. Overlap 10 sheets so the bottom is covered and there is overhang.
5. Assemble layers.
Mix enough syrup into the nut mixture to coat. Spread half of the nuts over the phyllo base. Add 2–3 more buttered sheets on top. Pour in the plain cheesecake mixture. Drop spoonfuls of Nutella cheesecake batter on top and swirl gently with a knife. Add 2 more buttered phyllo sheets, then the remaining nuts. Fold the overhanging phyllo over the top. Finish with 2 more buttered sheets.
6. Bake.
Score the top like a pie. Bake at 325°F for 60 minutes. Increase to 350°F for another 70 minutes. Turn off oven and let sit for 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
7. Garnish.
Sprinkle with ½ cup toasted chopped hazelnuts and drizzle with Nutella syrup.
Enjoy!
