Baklava ice cream cups
This recipe is from episode 7 of Bakeology with the queen of food and travel, Hoda Alzubaidi.
These cups are a scrumptious, crunchy revelation. They look complicated, but they’re deceptively straight forward, outrageously delicious and are guaranteed to impress anyone you’re sharing them with.
Like a traditional baklava, these cups are layers of flaky filo pastry, crushed nuts and cinnamon, soaked in a fragrant sugar syrup. By using a muffin tin, I’ve created cups that are calling out to be filled with ice cream, making them the perfect individual dessert.
You can fill them with any ice cream you like, but I recommend you try my Burnt Honey and Rose No-Churn Ice Cream. This ice cream is the work of minutes and needs no special equipment.
They’re also really versatile! I’ve used pistachios and almonds, but you could any nut (or mix of) you like. You can also change the flavours in the syrup. And if you want to make this a vegan bake, substitute the melted butter for olive oil.
I’ve included the quantities for 6 or 12 cups below. If you’re making 6 you’ll just need one muffin tray. If you’re making 12, use two trays so you can space the cups out.
Watch my how-to video on Instagram (coming soon)
INGREDIENTS
-
Honey, Cardamom and Lemon Syrup
50g caster sugar
40g honey
35ml water
5 cardamom pods, cracked
1 peels of lemon rind
Baklava Cups
40g almonds (blanched or natural)
40g pistachios
¼ tsp cinnamon
6 sheets of filo pastry, thawed
50g unsalted butter, melted
Ice cream
Ice cream of your choice - though i would recommend making my Burnt Honey and Rose No-Churn Ice Cream
-
Honey, Cardamom and Lemon Syrup
100g caster sugar
80g honey
65ml water
10 cardamom pods, cracked
3 peels of lemon rind
Baklava Cups
75g almonds (blanched or natural)
75g pistachios
½ tsp cinnamon
12 sheets of filo pastry, thawed
100g unsalted butter, melted
Ice cream
Ice cream of your choice - though i would recommend making my Burnt Honey and Rose No-Churn Ice Cream
Equipment
Two 12-hole muffin trays
Pastry brush
Small food processor or mortar and pestle
METHOD
Honey, Cardamom and Lemon Syrup
Place the sugar, honey and water in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved and then bring to the boil.
Once boiling, turn the heat down so the syrup is simmering and add the peeled lemon rind and cardamom pods and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
Turn the heat off, cover, and leave to cool while you get on with the baklava cups.
Balkava cups
Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Place the pistachios, almonds and cinnamon in a small food processor and pulse to create a consistency similar to small gravel. Set aside
Melt your butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Brush six of the twelve muffin holes in each muffin tray and set aside.
For your cups, you want the following layers - pastry, nuts, pastry, nuts, pastry.
Layer 1 - Lay one sheet of filo on your bench and brush with melted butter, ensuring the entire surface is covered. Lay another sheet of filo on top and brush with melted butter.
Using a pair of scissors, cut the pastry sheets in half horizontally (the long edge), and then into thirds vertically so you have six rectangles. Press each rectangle into a buttered muffin tin hole.
Layer 2 - Place a teaspoon or two of the nut mix into the pastry lined holes, and gently spread and smooth with a spoon.
Layer 3 & 4 - Layer another two pieces of pasty and butter, cut into another six rectangles, and place on top of the nuts, using a spoon if you need to ensure the pastry is pressed into the muffin hole. Don’t be too neat with the overhanging pastry – the messier it is, the better it looks!
Layer 5 - Place another teaspoon or two of the nut mix into the pastry lined holes and gently spread.
Layer 6 - Layer the final two pieces of pastry and butter, cut, and place on top of the nuts, pressing down with a spoon to ensure the top layer is touching the nuts. You’ll finish with
If making 12 cups, repeat the layering steps for the second batch.
Bake the cups for 20 minutes, or until the pastry is a deep golden colour.
A couple of minutes before the cups are fully baked, reheat the cooled syrup to boiling point. Take off the heat and strain the syrup into a heat-proof jug or bowl.
When the cups are out of the oven, place approximately a dessertspoon of syrup into each cup to soak the nuts. If the syrup isn’t soaking through the crunchy top layer of pastry, you can pierce the pastry with a skewer or fork to encourage the syrup to soak through.
Leave the cups to cool to room temperature in the muffin trays, before removing to serving tray or air tight container.
To assemble
When you’re ready to assemble, place each cup in a bowl or on a plate.
Place a generous scoop of the ice cream in the cup and sprinkle with a teaspoon of the leftover nuts. Enjoy!
The ice cream keeps in the freezer, with the plastic wrap covering the top, for up to a week. The baklava cups are best eaten in the first 2-3 days, but will keep in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
