🍰 Kunafa cheesecake
Kunafa cheesecake is a modern fusion dessert that sets a rich, creamy cream-cheese layer under a crown of crisp, golden kunafa strands toasted in butter. Sugar syrup scented with orange blossom is drizzled over the top, and chopped pistachios add colour and crunch. It is served chilled in slices, the crunchy top contrasting with the smooth filling.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 200 g kunafa (kataifi) pastry
- 80 g butter, melted
- 400 g cream cheese
- 80 g sugar
- 150 ml sugar syrup (sugar and water, with a drop of orange blossom water)
- 30 g pistachios, chopped
Method
- Pull the kunafa strands apart, toss with the melted butter and toast in a pan or at 190 °C for 10–15 minutes until golden and crisp.
- Press half of the strands into the base of a 22 cm springform tin.
- Beat the cream cheese with the sugar until smooth and spread it over the base. Chill for at least 3 hours until firm.
- Scatter the rest of the toasted kunafa on top, drizzle with syrup and sprinkle with pistachios just before serving.
How to make it lighter
- Cut 12 thin slices instead of 8 — the dessert is very rich.
- Use a light cream cheese and half the syrup.
- Toast the kunafa with half the butter; it still crisps well in the oven.
History
Kunafa cheesecake is a recent creation that combines the Levantine kunafa with the cheesecake. It has become a popular café and home dessert across the Gulf and the wider Middle East.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →