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Baklava Cheesecake (Dairy-Free & Vegan-Friendly)


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  • Author: Gönül
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 7" Pan (8 Servings) 1x
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

This baklava cheesecake recipe offers the best of both worlds: syrupy sweet pistachio baklava AND refreshing tangy cheesecake filling. Dairy-free and completely vegan thanks to a few easy tweaks. I can't wait for you to try this one!


Ingredients

Scale

*The recipe is for a 7-inch pan. If you have a 9-inch pan instead, double the filling and syrup ingredients. 

Filling (all at room-temp):

  • 16 oz (450 grams; 2 8-oz packages) vegan cream cheese 
  • ¾ cup (75 grams) granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons (23 grams) cornstarch
  • ½ cup (120 ml) coconut milk, full-fat
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice

Pastry:

  • 12 sheets (about 350g) of phyllo pastry (frozen or room-temp)
  • 4 tablespoons (60 grams) vegan butter, melted
  • 1 cup (100 grams) pistachio meat, minced (can swap pistachio for walnuts, pecans, hazelnut, or a mixture!)
  • ⅔ cup (50 grams) pistachio meat, whole or roughly chopped

Syrup:

  • ½ cup (120 ml) water
  • 1 ¼ cup (125 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice
  • optional: ½ teaspoon rosewater

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Make the filling by placing the vegan cream cheese and sugar into a large bowl and mix with an electric or stand mixer for 1-2 minutes, until fluffy. Add in the cornstarch, coconut milk, and lemon juice then mix until just combined. Set aside.

3. Start making the base by brushing the pan generously with vegan butter and place one layer of phyllo pastry, making sure the pastry sticks to the bottom edges. Brush with melted vegan butter, and repeat until half the phyllo sheets are gone. At this halfway point, place the minced pistachio in one layer and gently press to pack it down. Place the rest of phyllo sheets with butter in between, then pour over the cream cheese filling. Trim the sides with scissors and save the leftover bits for future tarts, baklavas, or boreks.

4. Bake the cake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Cover with aluminum foil if the phyllo is browning too quickly.

5. Meanwhile, mix water, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat and bring the syrup to 225-230F (should drip down in a loose thin thread from the spoon, about 15 minutes). Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. If you wish, mix in rosewater.

6. When the cheesecake is done baking, let it cool for at least one hour. When both the cheesecake and the syrup are somewhat cooled (they can still be warm to the touch)—pour the syrup down the edges of the springform, covering the entire perimeter of the cheesecake. Set aside to bring down to room temperature, then cover in cling wrap & refrigerate for at least 8 hours, ideally overnight.

7. When the cheesecake is cooled and set, remove the springform and place roughly chopped pistachios to decorate.

Notes

If you're worried about syrup oozing out of the pan as the cheesecake cools overnight, you can wrap the bottom with aluminum foil.

The brand of vegan cream cheese you use makes a huge difference for this recipe! I like to stock up on Kite Hill and Tofutti when they go on sale as I've had the most luck with these brands, but Trader Joe's and Simple Truth work as well.

I made this recipe once in a water bath and once without—water bath didn't change the texture at all. Neither top cracked.

  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: Turkish