Bring a touch of elegance to your holiday table with this stunning Orange Blossom Phyllo Cheesecake. Inspired by the rich flavors of my Greek Cypriot roots, this dessert combines the delicate floral essence of orange blossom with the creamy decadence of cheesecake. Encased in crisp, golden phyllo layers and topped with a luxurious white chocolate pistachio cream, it’s a show-stopping treat that will delight your guests. Perfect for festive gatherings, this recipe is where Mediterranean tradition meets modern holiday indulgence. The labour of love is worth it and you will thank me. 😉

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Orange Blossom Phyllo Cheesecake with White Chocolate Pistachio Cream

Total Time3 hours hrs

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Cypriot, Greek

Keyword: cheesecake, phyllo, pistachio

Yield: 8 people

Materials

• 10 phyllo sheets thawed as per package directions
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
• 2- 250 g full fat cream cheese room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup smooth ricotta cheese
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• Zest of one medium lemon
• 2 tsps orange blossom water
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

White Chocolate Pistachio Cream

• 1 cup raw unshelled pistachios + extra finally chopped for garnish
• 2 tbsps icing sugar
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsps unsalted butter room temperature
• 150 g quality white chocolate + extra grated for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Brush the bottoms and side of an 8 x 3 inch springform pan with melted butter
• Place a lightly damp tea towel on top of the layers of phyllo (this will ensure it does not dry out).
• Lay sheet on a dry and clean work surface. Using a pastry brush, brush the top of a phyllo sheet with melted butter. Layer it in the pan with edges of phyllo draping over sides of pan. Repeat this process with the remaining phyllo sheets. Tuck the over hanging phyllo on top of the pan so they are not over hanging. Brush with remaining butter.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 mins until lightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool.
• In a stand up mixer with the whisk attachment on high speed, whip the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add in the ricotta and whip for an additional 2 minutes ensuring you scrape the sides of the bowl.
Beat in 1 egg at a time until completely mixed in.
• Stir in remaining ingredients and mix until combined.
• Pour cheese batter into cooled phyllo.
• Fill 1/3 of a baking dish with water and place it on the bottom rack in the oven. This is the water bath to help ensure the cheese cake doesn’t crack.
• Place the springform pan on the centre rack and bake for 1 hour and 15 mins. Then turn oven off and let the cheesecake sit, undisturbed, for 40 minutes, inside the oven with the door shut. The cheesecake should be still slightly wiggly.
• Place pan on cooling wrack and gently remove side of spring form pan. Let cool and place in refrigerator for a few hours to set.
• While cheese cake is baking, make the pistachio cream. Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil and add the shelled pistachios. Let them boil for 3 minutes then drain and place them on a clean kitchen towel.
• Fold the towel over and rub the pistachios in the towel to loosen the skins. Separate the pistachios for the skins and discard the skins.
• Add the pistachios to a high power blender with 1/4 cup of the heavy cream and the icing sugar. Pulse until the pistachios turn into crumbs.
• In a medium sauce pan over medium/low heat, add the remaining cream, butter and 150 g white chocolate. Stir until melted and smooth.
• Pour the white chocolate mixture into the blender with the pistachio crumbs and blend on high speed until extra smooth and creamy. Let it cool and then place in refrigerator.
• When cheese cake has set, spread pistachio cream on top and garnish with pistachio and white chocolate.
• Cheese cake can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days.