Orange-Scented Cheesecake Baked in Crispy Filo
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
A delicious cheesecake made with crispy filo pastry and an aromatic orange-scented cream cheese filling.
Author:
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.
Recipe by Marilena's Kitchen at https://marilenaskitchen.com/orange-scented-cheesecake/