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If you’re in the mood for a dessert that’s both stunning and delicious, you’ve got to try this baklava crinkle (aka muakacha)! This delightful treat takes all the flavors of traditional baklava—think crispy phyllo dough, crunchy nuts, and sweet syrup—and combines them into a fun, crinkly cake that’s sure to impress. I love how easy it is to make, especially since it uses store-bought phyllo dough, which saves so much time in the kitchen. With its beautiful golden layers and that irresistible sweet drizzle, this dessert is perfect for any occasion. Take a bite, you’ll be hooked on this delightful twist on a classic favorite!
Muakacha is an easy baklava crinkle dessert with delicious filo pastry and a luscious, silky custard.
Are you into puff pastry recipes? Try this cheesecake with a puff pastry base or a cream cheese berry Danish. Both are so easy.
Why You’ll Love It
Classic Middle Eastern dessert flavors: The combination of cinnamon, cardamon, phyllo, honey and pistachios just screams Greek island holiday or a trip to Turkey.
Perfect texture: Phyllo dough cooked well delivers the most incredible crunch. It’s so satisfying to eat.
An easy dessert: You don’t have to be a baker to make this dessert! Forget having to brush each sheet of phyllo with melted butter. This recipe skips that but still gives you a yummy result. It’s a popular TikTok recipe (thanks to Ramena) for a reason!
Simple ingredients: You’ll likely already have a bunch at home.
Baklava Crinkle Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Unsalted butter: To grease the pan and add buttery goodness.
Frozen pastry sheets: They should thawed to room temperature so they are easy to work with.
White granulated sugar: For the simple syrup.
Eggs: Use room temperature, fresh eggs for the custard mixture.
Whole milk: To make the custard with the fat in whole milk, it is best for a rich taste.
Vanilla: Use high-quality vanilla extract for that vanilla pop!
Spices: Use ground cinnamon and cardamom as classic baklava flavors.
Pistachios: Use bright green, fresh pistachios in this recipe. I recommend whole but chopped pistachios are great, too.
Honey: For that golden drizzle.
How to Make Crinkle Baklava Cake
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Melt the butter and prepare the baking sheet: Preheat the oven and center a rack in the oven. Pull out a baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, grease the pan.
Shape the phyllo sheets: Take two pieces of the phyllo dough and, leading with the shorter edge, crinkle the dough back and forth, like an accordion on the baking sheet that matches the width of the dough. Continue taking two pieces of dough at a time and following the exact directions as before. Continue in the same fashion with the remainder of the dough.
Bake the phyllo: Place the sheet pan in the oven until golden brown. Remove the sheet pan and pour the melted butter evenly over the phyllo dough. Place the sheet pan back into the oven.
Make the simple custard: To make the custard, start with a medium mixing bowl and add white sugar, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, and milk. Mix to thoroughly combine.
Assemble the dessert elements: After the sheet pan has finished baking, remove the pan and pour the creamy custard evenly over the top of the dough.
Bake again: Place the pan back into the oven and bake until golden brown.
Make the syrup: Combine the remaining sugar and water in a saucepan and boil until the sugar is dissolved. Add the honey and vanilla, turn the heat down to low, and simmer.
Finish off the baklava: Once the dessert is baked, remove it from the oven, sprinkle the crushed pistachios evenly, and pour the syrup evenly over the top. Cut into squares or triangles and enjoy with additional honey and pistachios.
Substitutions and Variations
Spice swaps: Leave out the cardamom and just use cinnamon, or try a little Chai spice.
Citrusy: Add grated fresh lemon, lime, or orange zest to the custard. A few drops of orange blossom water are lovely, too. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice in the honey is delicious.
Nut alternatives: Switch pistachios for toasted hazelnuts, walnuts, or skinned almonds.
Rose water: Flavor the custard with a little rosewater before baking it, or mix good-quality rosewater with the honey. Garnish the dessert with fresh rose petals.
Serving Suggestions
Appetizer: Start off with a bowl of slow cooker Greek lemon chicken soup or a garden veggie salad with creamy avocado dressing.
Main: Enjoy a plate of juicy Greek lemon baked pork chops with crispy stacked potatoes or this easy baked feta pasta recipe.
Dessert: Serve a wedge of baklava crinkle dessert warm or at room temperature with a scoop of silky vanilla ice cream.
How to Store Crinkle Cake
Store: Let the dessert cool to room temperature. Cover the dish so that its airtight and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Freezer: This recipe is not freezer-friendly.
Reheat: Pop slices or portions of the dessert in the microwave for a few seconds to warm it through.
Top Tips
Working with the phyllo dough: Make sure the pastry is completely thawed to prevent it from tearing. If the edges are dry and crispy, trim the sheets.
Use a metal baking dish: If you have one, use a metal dish to bake the dessert in. This will help crisp up the phyllo as opposed to a glass or ceramic dish which will give you soggy pastry.
Add spices to the sugar syrup: To avoid lumps, add the spices to the sugar before making the custard.
Syrup consistency: You want silky but slightly thick syrup.
Phyllo Crinkle Cake FAQs
Just skimming through this recipe post? Here’s what you might be looking for:
Yes! Add dried fruit like raisins, raspberries, or thinly sliced fresh apples between to the folded phyllo dough.
No, low fat milk could be too thin and result in a runny custard.
Yes, you can use cream or half cream, half milk for a richer custard.
Baklava Crinkle Dessert Recipe
Baklava Crinkle
Ingredients
- 1 Cup unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 Box Phyllo sheets, thawed
- 2 Cups granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 Cup whole milk
- 1 Cup water
- 2 Teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ⅛ Teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 Cup pistachios, crushed
- honey, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place a rack in the center.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, add the cubed butter and microwave until melted.
- Pull out a 12x16x1-inch baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, grease the pan with approximately 2 Tablespoons of the melted butter.
- Take 2 pieces of the phyllo dough and, leading with the shorter edge of the dough, crinkle the dough back and forth like an accordion on the baking sheet that matches the width of the dough.
- Continue taking 2 pieces of dough at a time and follow the exact directions as before.
- Continue in the same fashion with the remainder of the dough. When finished, the crinkled dough should take up the full pan. Shifting the dough around a little to make it fit the whole pan is fine.
- Place the sheet pan in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove the sheet pan from the oven and pour the remaining melted butter evenly over the phyllo dough.
- Place the sheet pan back into the oven for another 10 minutes.
- To make the custard, start with a medium mixing bowl and add 1 cup of white sugar, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, and milk. Mix to fully combine.
- After the sheet pan has finished baking for 10 minutes, remove the pan and pour the custard evenly over the top of the dough.
- Place the pan back into the oven. After 15 minutes, rotate the pan 180 degrees around and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.
- While the dessert is baking, make the syrup. In a saucepan, combine the remaining 1 cup of sugar and water and boil until the sugar is dissolved.
- Add the honey and vanilla, turn the heat down to low, and simmer for 20 more minutes.
- Once the dessert is baked, remove it from the oven, sprinkle the crushed pistachios evenly over the top, and pour the syrup evenly over the top as well.
- Cut into squares or triangles and enjoy with additional honey and pistachios.
Notes
Use a metal baking dish: If you have one, use a metal dish to bake the dessert in. This will help crisp up the phyllo as opposed to a glass or ceramic dish which will give you soggy pastry.
Add spices to the sugar syrup: To avoid lumps, add the spices to the sugar before making the custard.
Syrup consistency: You want silky but slightly thick syrup.
Nutrition
Make this viral and easy baklava crinkle cake for a contrast in tasty textures and typical Middle Eastern flavors. The recipe gets baked in phases for crunchy layers and is delicious served warm with pourable custard or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Other Recipes to Try
- Serve a platter of bomboloni, cute little Italian donuts.
- Everyone loves these tart lemon squares as a summer treat or dessert option.
- Something savory perhaps? This za’atar crusted chicken with farro is an unusual dish that’s so tasty.
- A chocolate chunk pecan pie is perfect for lovers of the classic recipe.
- Add this recipe for chocolate chip pumpkin bars to your must-try list of desserts.
- These Nutella Oreo mousse cups are outrageously good and party perfect.
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
I was blown away by how easy and tasty the baklava crinkle turned out! The crisp layers and sweet drizzle made it a hit at my dinner party.
Tried this baklava crinkle, and wow, it’s such a fun twist on a classic dessert!
I saw this one on TikTok! So easy to make. Will be making it again.