The PHYLL0 PASTRY CHEESECAKE is a delicious dessert with a crispy shell and a creamy center that I am sure will make you fall in love with it, as it did with me. It’s ideal for countless occasions, from an after-dinner dessert to a birthday party, always perfect for its deliciousness and, not to be overlooked, its beauty—always important in pastry making.
This particular cheesecake combines American tradition with Middle Eastern tradition, which uses phyllo pastry in many ways, especially in the wonderful baklava that highlights its characteristics. This dessert wonderfully brings together the best of both: the cheesecake is soft, creamy and fragrant thanks to the excellent lemon aroma, while the phyllo pastry guarantees a flaky and crunchy shell that creates a perfect contrast.
Follow the step-by-step photo recipe and in very little time and with minimal effort you can make this wonderful cake too.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Rest time: 6 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 8 servings
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 406.27 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 43.56 (g) of which sugars 27.17 (g)
- Proteins 11.00 (g)
- Fat 21.41 (g) of which saturated 8.34 (g)of which unsaturated 5.88 (g)
- Fibers 0.64 (g)
- Sodium 277.70 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 150 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2 cups cow's ricotta (well drained)
- 7 oz cream cheese (spreadable)
- 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch (or potato starch)
- lemon zest
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 3 eggs (medium, at room temperature)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 8 sheets phyllo pastry
- 3.5 tbsp butter (melted)
- 3 tbsp + 1 tsp water
- 3 tbsp + 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp chopped pistachios
TOOLS FOR THE PHYLL0 CHEESECAKE
- 1 Pan 8 in
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Whisk
- Electric beaters
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Pastry brush
PREPARATION: PHYLL0 CHEESECAKE
Melt the butter in a bain-marie or in the microwave without letting it fry.
Lay out 4 sheets of phyllo pastry and brush each one individually with the melted butter. Then stack them on top of each other and press lightly with your hands so they adhere.
Do the same with the other 4 sheets. Keep some butter aside that you will need later.
Butter the base of an 8-inch springform pan and line the bottom with a disk of parchment paper.
Cover with the first 4 phyllo sheets, gently pressing them to adhere to the base and the sides.
Then add the other sheets arranging them in the opposite direction. Cover with a damp cloth so the pastry does not dry out, and set aside.
In a bowl place the ricotta, the cream cheese and the sugar. The ricotta must be very dry, so to be safe I recommend placing it in a strainer over a bowl and putting it in the fridge for at least 1 hour so that it releases some of its whey.
Mix everything gently with a hand whisk until creamy.
Add the cornstarch (or potato starch), the lemon zest and the lemon juice. Then mix everything well and transfer to the fridge.
In a bowl put the eggs and the vanilla extract. Beat them with electric beaters until pale and frothy.
Add them to the cheese mixture and fold them in gently with a hand whisk or a spatula.
Pour the cream into the phyllo shell and level the surface.
Fold the phyllo pastry inward and brush it with the remaining butter.
Bake in a preheated conventional (static) oven at 356°F for 45-50 minutes.
When it is cooked, leave it in the oven with the door slightly ajar for 1 hour. Then unmold and let it cool for at least 5 hours. The best option would be to prepare it the night before.
Put the water, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and place it over the heat. Bring to a boil and let it cook for 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and let it cool.
Unmold the phyllo cheesecake, remove the parchment paper from the base and place it on a serving plate. Brush the surface with the sugar syrup, decorate with the chopped pistachios and let it cool.
STORAGE
The dessert keeps in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If kept longer it would lose one of its main characteristics, namely the crispiness of the phyllo pastry.
