Orange-Scented Cheesecake Baked in Crispy Filo

It is hard to believe that the month of April is over, that May is here, and that Mother’s Day is just a week away.  Even though our circumstances are different this year, baking an easy and delicious dessert, like this orange-scented cheesecake, is the perfect way to lift our mood, as the air around us fills with this wonderful aroma.

I know that many people think cheesecakes are tricky to make, while others often find them too rich or too overly-sweet.  This orange-scented cheesecake is different in so many ways:  a lighter, crispy filo base replaces the traditional graham cracker crust, and, a delicious, aromatic and less-sweet filling takes the place of the usual heavy, sugar-laden cream cheese version of other recipes.

Ingredients for the orange-scented cheesecake

I always keep a couple of packages of good quality filo pastry in my freezer.  To me, filo is an essential ingredient, one that I use almost every week in some form of savory or sweet baking.  In addition to the filo, this recipe calls for just a handful of other ingredients that most of us usually keep on hand:  cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and an orange.

The easy steps

To make the easy filo crust:  simply layer a few filo sheets on a clean surface, brush some butter on each one and then stack them up one on top of the other to form a shell.  No need to make a perfectly even crust–this is a rustic dish after all!

1. Brush filo with butter. Repeat with two more layers of filo and cut in half.

2. Layer one stack of filo pastry on a buttered spring-form pan:

3. Repeat with a second stack of filo pastry:

4. Fill the crust with the orange-scented cream cheese mixture and bake!

The best thing about this cheesecake is that you do not have to bake the base separately and also, you don’t have to worry about baking it in a water bath either. 

When it comes out of the oven, let the cheesecake cool before removing the ring.  When ready to serve, top with your favorite fresh berries, some candied orange peel, and, if you have it, pearl sugar.  If you don’t have fresh berries, you can even top it with your favorite canned fruit.  Serve at room temperature or refrigerate and enjoy later.

I hope you give this easy orange-scented cheesecake a try, friends.  It is the perfect dessert for Mother’s Day and a special treat to enjoy at the end of your Sunday meal!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Orange-Scented Cheesecake Baked in Crispy Filo

 

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Prep time

40 mins

Cook time

1 hour 15 mins

Total time

1 hour 55 mins

 

A delicious cheesecake made with crispy filo pastry and an aromatic orange-scented cream cheese filling.

Author: Marilena Leavitt

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• 4 TBSP. butter, melted
• 6 sheets frozen filo dough, thawed (I used Fillo Factory brand)
• 16 oz. cream cheese (2 packages), softened
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1½ TBSP. whole milk
• 1½ TBSP. cornstarch
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 TBSP. orange zest
• [b]Toppings:[/b]
• Candied orange peel, chopped
• Fresh berries
• Pearl sugar

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the softened cream cheese at medium speed for about two minutes. Slowly add the sugar and beat until very smooth. Taste and adjust the sugar if necessary (note: this is not an overly-sweet dessert).
2. Dissolve the cornstarch in the milk then add it to the bowl with the cream cheese mixture. At low speed, beat in the eggs and the orange zest. Process the mixture until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl a couple of times, but be careful not to over mix.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
4. Butter well a 9-inch spring form pan. Wrap the outside of the pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil and set aside (this will prevent any butter from leaking out during the baking stage).
5. Place one sheet of filo dough on a clean surface and brush with some melted butter. Place a second filo sheet on top of the first and brush with some more melted butter. Repeat with a third layer. Cut the stack of three layers of filo in half. Lift half of the sheets of filo dough and place them on top of the other half. Place this stack of six layers of filo inside the prepared pan, gently pressing the filo to fit inside the pan; the long ends of your filo will slightly come up the sides of the pan (see photo). Repeat, the same with three more layers of filo, cut them in half, stack them on top each other and place them in the pan the opposite way (see photo), so that you have completely covered the bottom and sides of the pan. Your crust now has a total of 12 layers of filo (six sheets of filo in total, cut in half). Trim excess filo from around the pan, butter the edges lightly and tuck them in. Do not fuss too much about having even sides all around.
6. Pour the mixture of cream cheese into the filo crust and smooth the top.
7. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 45 minutes. At this point the cheesecake is almost done. Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake sit in the oven another 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool on a rack. As the cheesecake cools, it might shrink slightly from the filo crust.
8. Once the cheesecake is completely cool, carefully, release it from the mold. Just before serving, top the cheesecake with chopped candied orange, fresh berries, and pearl sugar (or a topping of your choice). Serve at room temperature for the optimal filo crunch. Refrigerate the rest to enjoy later. If you do refrigerate the cheesecake, the filo will likely soften a bit, but the taste will still be amazing.

Notes

There are several reasons that cause a cheesecake to crack. One is incorporating too much air into the mixture while overbeating the eggs. A second reason is over-baking the cheesecake itself. The third reason is removing the cheesecake from the hot oven when it is done according to the timer. To avoid this slightly under bake the cheesecake, turn off the oven, and let it sit in for thirty more minutes to finish cooking.

3.5.3240

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