Pistachio Baklava Cake
This pistachio baklava cake is a unique and decadent dessert that combined the flavors and textures of a baklava with a rich and moist pistachio cake. layers of buttery phyllo dough are filled with a sweet and nutty pistachio mixture then drizzled with plenty of syrup and carefully placed on top of a moist and fluffy pistachio cake. It is all filled with a luscious cream cheese layer that makes this entire cake a delicious and indulgent treat for any special occasion or as a unique twist to a classic dessert that we all love.
One thing you need to know about me is how much I love pistachio so I waste no occasion of using it in my sweet creations. Combined with cinnamon and honey, pistachio shines even more. So each slice of this baklava pistachio cake it a feast for both the eyes and the taste buds! Each spoonful is an explosion of oriental flavors and crunchy, as well as creamy texture. This cake has it all!
The elements of this cake are:
- Pistachio spiced sponge cake
- Spiced sugar syrup
- Pistachio baklava
- Whipped vanilla and mascarpone cream cheese filling
Pistachio Baklava Cake
This pistachio baklava cake packs a lot of oriental flavors into each slice. But what is even better is the texture. The cake has it all: crunchy from the baklava, creamy from the filling and fluffy from the pistachio sponge.
Servings :1 20cm diameter cake
Ingredients
Pistachio spiced sponge cake
- 110 g butter (softened)
- 40 g vegetable oil (sunflower or grape seed)
- 140 g white granulated sugar
- 40 g brown sugar
- 160 g eggs
- 170 g all-purpose flour
- 20 g cornstarch
- 60 g pistachio (powdered)
- 6 g baking powder
- 2 g baking soda
- 2 g salt
- 1 g cinnamon powder
- 0.5 g cardamom powder
- 100 g buttermilk
- 5 g vanilla extract
Spiced sugar syrup
- 150 g white granulated sugar
- 200 g water
- 50 g honey
- 2 lemon slices
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6 cardamom pods (slightly crushed)
- 2 teaspoons rose petals (optional)
Baklava
- Phyllo dough
- 50 g pistachio (ground)
- 50 g hazelnut (ground)
- 100 g walnuts (ground)
- 1 g salt
- 100 g butter (melted)
Vanilla mascarpone whipped cream
- 150 g cream cheese (cold)
- 120 g mascarpone cheese (cold)
- 80 g heavy cream (cold)
- 30 g icing sugar
- 5 g vanilla extract
Instructions
Pistachio sponge cake
- Mix together the dry ingredients: flour, cornstarch, pistachio flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cardamom powder.
- In the bowl of your mixer, combine the butter, oil and two types of sugar. Mix for 4-6 minutes until you get a light, pale and fluffy mix.
- Gradually add in the eggs, mixing well after each addition.
- Fold in the dry ingredients, alternating them with buttermilk mixed with vanilla extract. Start with the dry and end with the dry.
- Transfer the batter into a cake ring or tray of 20cm diameter. Level with a spatula.
- Bake at 160C for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and if pressed lightly on top, it springs back.
- Let it cool completely then level the cake if needed.
- Keep in wrapped in plastic wrap to prevent drying.
Spiced sugar syrup
- Combine all the ingredients in a pot and place over medium heat.
- Boil for 1 minute.
- Take off the heat and cover with plastic wrap or a lid to allow the flavors to infuse for 10 minutes.
- Strain and cool completely before use.
Baklava
- Mix the pistachio, hazelnuts, nuts and salt. Split into 3 equal portions.
- Cut out discs of phyllo dough of 20 cm diameter. You will need around 15 discs. You can actually use more or less, depending on preference.
- Prepare a baking tray or cake ring (20cm diameter). Place baking paper in the tray.
- Carefully arrange one disc of phyllo dough into the tray then brush it with melted butter. Place another disc of phyllo on top and again brush it with butter. Keep doing the exact same thing until you add 9 more discs and butter between each of them.
- Evenly spread one third of the pistachio mix on top.
- Cover the pistachio mix with 2 discs of phyllo dough. Don’t forget the melted butter between them.
- Spread another third of nuts on top and then again 2 more discs of phyllo and butter between them.
- Using a sharp knife, but the baklava into triangles, taking into consideration the portions of cake you would want to have at the end (the baklava is not that easy to cut into once baked; this why we cut it now).
- Bake at 175C for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
- Take out of the oven and carefully pour on top the sugar syrup, preserving 3-4 tablespoons of syrup for the sponge cake.
- Let it cool down completely.
Whipped vanilla mascarpone cream
- Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of you mixer.
- Whip until firm.
- Place the cream in a piping bag equipped with a round nozzle.
Finishing the cake
- Place the pistachio sponge cake on a cake board.
- Brush the sponge with the remaining sugar syrup.
- Pipe the vanilla whipped cream over the sponge cake.
- Carefully arrange the baklava triangles over the cream.
- Decorate with pistachio and rose petals.
- Let the cake rest in the fridge at least 2 hours before serving.
Equipment
- Mixer
- Fridge
- Kitchen scale
- 1 20cm baking tray or cake ring
- Silicone spatulas
- Bowls
- Cooking pot
- Baking oven
- Spoons
- Strainer
- Baking paper
- Plastic wrap
- Cooking stove
- Cake board
