A beautifully moist and delicate eggless pistachio sponge is topped with filo baklava roses to make this Baklava Cake. It’s finished with a drizzle of rose scented honey syrup and is sure to impress.
Baklava is a classic dessert made with delicate, flaky filo pastry layered with a mixture of assorted nuts, then soaked in a light, aromatic syrup.
I’ve shared a delicious recipe for Air Fryer Salted Caramel Baklava – a fusion twist on the traditional treat, made quicker using the air fryer.
Now, for this Eggless Baklava Cake!
The base is a fragrant rose and pistachio sponge, delicately spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. I’ve topped the cake with filo pastry roses, then baked it in the oven. While the cake is still hot, I pour over a rosewater, sugar and honey syrup, then finish with a garnish of chopped toasted pistachios and dried rose petals.
It’s a beautifully eye-catching dessert, perfect for special occasions – and despite its showstopping appearance, it’s surprisingly simple to make!
Ingredients
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
Pistachio and Rose Cake
Wet ingredients: any flavourless oil (I used vegetable oil), whole milk, plain yogurt, rose essence, apple cider vinegar.
Dry ingredients:
- All purpose flour – alternatively use cake flour as it is more finely milled leading to a softer and delicate crumb.
- Sugar – white or brown sugar work.
- Pistachios – do not use salted pistachios.
- Baking powder and baking soda – try to use freshly opened for better results.
- Ground cinnamon and nutmeg – optional but adds extra flavour.
Baklava roses
- Filo pastry
- Melted butter
- Ground pistachios
- Rose petals
Rosewater syrup
- Sugar – regular white granulated sugar
- Honey – I like to use a mild honey so the flavours are not overpowering.
- Lemon juice – prevents the syrup from crystallising
- Rose water or rose essence
- Water
Tips & Tricks
- For best results, use an 8- or 9-inch springform tin—ideally 9 inch like I have used. Using a smaller tin can make the cake too tall, which may prevent it from cooking through properly and could cause the filo topping to overcook.
- You may need to cover the cake loosely with foil whilst baking to prevent the filo from over-browning.
- To check if the cake is fully baked, insert a skewer into the centre—if it comes out clean, the cake is done.
- Pour the syrup over the cake whilst it is still hot to allow the syrup to be absorbed by the sponge.
- Wait until the cake has fully cooled before slicing.
Serving Suggestion
Serve it alongside a strong karak chai .
Storage
Store baklava cake in a cake tin or airtight container and keep at room temperature for up to 2 days. You may notice a change in the texture of the filo pastry though.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
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Rose and Pistachio Eggless Baklava Cake
Equipment
- 1 Kitchen scale optional
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Sieve
- 1 Springform round cake tin 8" or 20cm
- 1 kitchen aluminium foil
- 1 Pastry brush
- 1 oven
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients for Baklava Cake (1 cup = 250ml)
- 2 cup all purpose flour or cake flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar white
- ½ cup pistachio nuts raw unsalted
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder two and a half teaspoon
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder
- 1 teaspoon rose essence
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients for Baklava Cake (1 cup = 250ml)
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup oil neutral or flavourless
- ¼ cup full fat plain yogurt or sour cream
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
Filo Roses (1 cup = 250ml)
- 7-8 sheets filo pastry
- ½ cup melted butter
Rose Syrup (1 cup = 250ml)
- 1 cup regular white granulated sugar
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon rose water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Decoration
- ½ cup pistachio nuts lightly toasted and chopped
- 4 tablespoon edible rose petals
Instructions
Prepare the Baklava Cake Batter
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) or gas mark 4.
- Lightly grease the baking tin with butter and flour.
- In a food processor, pulse the pistachios into fine crumbs.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the oil, milk, vinegar, yogurt (or sour cream), rose essence and stir until just combined.
- Then sieve together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg powder.
- Whisk everything, gently fold in the pistachio crumbs.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Make Filo Pastry Roses
- Take one piece of filo pastry and lay carefully on a clean working surface or chopping board.
- Brush the top of the sheet with melted butter using a pastry brush.
- Bring the two opposite corners together in the middle and twist until you form a filo “rose”. Repeat for the remaining filo sheets.
- Place the roses on the cake batter, and loosely cover the pan with kitchen foil.
Bake the Cake
- Bake the cake covered for approximately 40 minutes then take away the foil. Continue to bake for a total of 50 minutes to 1 hour or until the cake has risen and a skewer comes out clean. The filo roses should be crisp.
Rosewater Syrup
- Prepare the rose syrup whilst the cake is baking.
- Combine all the ingredients except rose water in a heavy based pan over a medium heat.
- Bring it to boil, lower the heat and simmer until slightly thickened, it will take about 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and leave it aside to cool.
- Stir rose water little by little to taste.
- The flavour will mellow out after it sits it for a while .
Soak the cake in sugar syrup
- Remove the cake tin from the oven.
- Leave the cake in the springform tin. Pierce the cake a few times with a skewer and pour the syrup over it while the cake is still warm. Sprinkle with lightly toasted pistachio nuts and rose petals.
- Leave the syrup to sink into the cake and allow the cake to fully cool before releasing from the pan and slicing.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Note – This recipe has been updated from our recipe archives with a new, improved recipe, new images and content. First published in February 2014.
Rose and Pistachio Eggless Baklava Cake
Equipment
- 1 Kitchen scale optional
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Sieve
- 1 Springform round cake tin 8" or 20cm
- 1 kitchen aluminium foil
- 1 Pastry brush
- 1 oven
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients for Baklava Cake (1 cup = 250ml)
- 2 cup all purpose flour or cake flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar white
- ½ cup pistachio nuts raw unsalted
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder two and a half teaspoon
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder
- 1 teaspoon rose essence
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients for Baklava Cake (1 cup = 250ml)
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup oil neutral or flavourless
- ¼ cup full fat plain yogurt or sour cream
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
Filo Roses (1 cup = 250ml)
- 7-8 sheets filo pastry
- ½ cup melted butter
Rose Syrup (1 cup = 250ml)
- 1 cup regular white granulated sugar
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon rose water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Decoration
- ½ cup pistachio nuts lightly toasted and chopped
- 4 tablespoon edible rose petals
Instructions
Prepare the Baklava Cake Batter
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) or gas mark 4.
- Lightly grease the baking tin with butter and flour.
- In a food processor, pulse the pistachios into fine crumbs.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the oil, milk, vinegar, yogurt (or sour cream), rose essence and stir until just combined.
- Then sieve together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg powder.
- Whisk everything, gently fold in the pistachio crumbs.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Make Filo Pastry Roses
- Take one piece of filo pastry and lay carefully on a clean working surface or chopping board.
- Brush the top of the sheet with melted butter using a pastry brush.
- Bring the two opposite corners together in the middle and twist until you form a filo “rose”. Repeat for the remaining filo sheets.
- Place the roses on the cake batter, and loosely cover the pan with kitchen foil.
Bake the Cake
- Bake the cake covered for approximately 40 minutes then take away the foil. Continue to bake for a total of 50 minutes to 1 hour or until the cake has risen and a skewer comes out clean. The filo roses should be crisp.
Rosewater Syrup
- Prepare the rose syrup whilst the cake is baking.
- Combine all the ingredients except rose water in a heavy based pan over a medium heat.
- Bring it to boil, lower the heat and simmer until slightly thickened, it will take about 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and leave it aside to cool.
- Stir rose water little by little to taste.
- The flavour will mellow out after it sits it for a while .
Soak the cake in sugar syrup
- Remove the cake tin from the oven.
- Leave the cake in the springform tin. Pierce the cake a few times with a skewer and pour the syrup over it while the cake is still warm. Sprinkle with lightly toasted pistachio nuts and rose petals.
- Leave the syrup to sink into the cake and allow the cake to fully cool before releasing from the pan and slicing.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
A cup of Karak Chai is just what you need in the morning. Strong, spiced and mildly sweet, this easy Karak chai recipe takes less than 10 minutes to make. Make this strong tea using loose black tea, sugar, whole spices and milk.
The word Karak or Kadak means ‘strong’ and Chai means ‘tea’. This aromatic tea is also known as Chai Karak, kadak chai or Qatari Tea. It is a hugely popular drink in India and Pakistan, but I have learned that it is enjoyed in Arab countries such as Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.
Karak Chai is prepared with strong black tea, evaporated milk or regular milk, cardamom, ginger and sugar. It differs from an authentic Indian Masala Chai (traditional Indian tea) by using fewer spices.
Indian chai is typically flavoured with different types of spices: cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, ginger and clove such as Indian ginger chai and cardamom chai .
Karak Tea is thick and caramel coloured, and has a stronger flavour compared with a regular cup of tea you get in the western world.
Ingredients
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
Tea – a good tea is the main ingredient for delicious karak tea. The original karak tea, is made with black tea leaves . You can use strong black loose leaf such as PG TIPS or the Indian strong tea WAGH BAKRI which is commonly used to make Indian Masala Tea.
Milk – Use fresh milk or evaporated milk. I like to use evaporated milk as it is thick and slightly sweet. For a milky tea, you can add more milk to the recipe.
Ginger – Fresh ginger is a key ingredient in karak chai. You can use ginger powder also but fresh is best!
Aromatic spices – the chai spices used here are cardamom and cinnamon. I have used crushed green cardamom pod and cinnamon stick .
Sugar – use normal granulated sugar or brown sugar. Optionally, use condensed milk which has a high sugar content and reduce the amount of milk added.
Water – regulat tap water.
Vegan
For a vegan version, swap for a dairy free or plant based alternatives. Oat milk is great as it can be boiled without splitting.
Method
- First, boil water in a kettle or in a saucepan over the stove. Use 1 cup of water for each person so increase the cups of water depending on your guests. Meanwhile, you can use a pestle and mortar to crush the spices or bash with a rolling pin.
- Add strong loose black tea (1.5 tsp for a cup), crushed ginger, cardamom pods and cinnamon bark.
- Bring the mixture to the boil on medium-high heat, add milk and let it boil for at least five minutes (make sure it doesn’t boil over the pan) until you see a beautiful caramel colour and the tea thickens. Switch to low heat if the tea keeps boiling over.
Add sugar (if using) and once again bring it to boil.
Using a tea strainer, pour tea into cups and enjoy.
Serving Suggestion
Karak Tea can be served for breakfast, at brunch or as afternoon tea.
It is best enjoyed the Indian way with Indian snacks such as samosa or pakora.
Tea and biscuits are also the perfect marriage enjoyed this way in both South Asia and all regions of the world.
Whether it’s a Eggless Linzer Cookies or an Indian variety, such as Nankhatai , Coconut and Cardamom Wholewheat Cookies you need to serve the tea with biscuits.
In our house, we often serve handvo , thepla , masala lachha paratha , masala bhakhri or bajri na vada as well.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat on the stove the next day.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
- YouTube
Karak Chai Recipe (Karak Tea)
Equipment
- 1 Sauce pan
- 1 tea strainer
Ingredients
- 1 cup evaporated milk or whole milk
- 2 cup water
- 3 teaspoon tea black loose
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 5 cardamom pods crushed
- ½ inch cinnamon bark
- 1 tablespoon ginger grated
Instructions
- Boil water in a kettle and pour in the saucepan or directly boil the 2 cup water in a saucepan over the stovetop. 2 cup water
- Crush the spices 5 cardamom pods , 1/2 inch cinnamon bark , 1 tablespoon ginger
- Add cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and 3 teaspoon tea . 3 teaspoon tea, 5 cardamom pods, 1/2 inch cinnamon bark, 1 tablespoon ginger
- Bring it to a boil, then add 1 cup evaporated milk milk 1 cup evaporated milk, 2 teaspoon sugar
- Then add 2 teaspoon sugar
- Let the mixture come to a rolling boil and let the tea boil for at least 3-4 minutes.
- Once you see the tea has a dark caramel colour and thickens, turn off the heat.
- Using a tea strainer , pour the tea into cups and enjoy.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Note – This recipe has been updated from our recipe archives with new images and content, but the recipe remains the same. First published in May 2019.
