Ingredients
For the syrup
1 cup caster sugar
1 cup water
½ cup honey
10 whole cloves
1 cinnamon quill
For the Baklava
250g walnuts
3 tsp ground cinnamon
8 sheets Antoniou Fillo Pastry
100g unsalted butter, melted
3 litres vanilla ice cream
Recipe Tips
To remove the ice cream cake more easily from the tin, run a sharp knife under hot water and run it along the edge of the cake, between the baking paper and the tin.
We used a loaf tin measuring 28cm by 13cm by 6cm. You can use any size or shape tin, simply cut the baklava stacks to the size of your tin. Alternatively, you can cut all of the baklava roughly and use that to layer amongst the ice cream layers, instead of neat layers of baklava.
Method
Before you begin this Fillo Pastry recipe, take your Filo Pastry out of the fridge to bring it up to room temperature in its packaging.
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius fan forced.
To make the syrup
Place all the syrup ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and allow the syrup to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
To make the Baklava
Grease a large baking tray with butter, 33cm by 38cm in size, or 3 individual trays.
Process the walnuts in a food processor or chop them with a knife until they are very fine. Place the walnuts in a bowl with the cinnamon and mix until well combined.
Lay one sheet of Fillo Pastry on a clean bench and brush with butter. Lay another sheet of Pastry on top and brush with butter. Sprinkle 5-6 tablespoons of the nut mixture evenly across the entire sheet of Filo Pastry. Repeat this process two more times, continuing to layer the Pastry and nuts onto the same stack. Finish off with two more layers of buttered Pastry (but no nuts), using 8 sheets of Filo Pastry in total. If you have any extra nut filling, set it aside to be used for decorating the cake.
Using a sharp knife, cut the Pastry and nut stack in thirds, parallel to the shortest side of the Pastry. Using a turner (or egg flipper) transfer each baklava stack to the greased baking tray. Using the point of a sharp knife pierce little slits all over the stacks. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden. Remove the tray from the oven and immediately pour the cooled syrup over the baklava. Allow to cool completely.
To assemble the Ice Cream Cake
Line a 28cm by 13cm by 6cm loaf tin with baking paper, one strip of baking paper running vertically along the tin and the other running horizontally along the tin, allowing an overhang of baking paper the height of the tin.
Scoop one litre of ice cream into a bowl, allow it to soften for 5 minutes and then using a spatula mix it until it is smooth. Spread evenly along the base of the tin. Place one of the baklava stacks onto the ice cream layer and press down slightly. If the baklava stack is too big to fit in your tin, simply cut it down using a knife, it doesn’t matter if the layer crumbles. Freeze for at least an hour or until the ice cream layer has set. Repeat this process with another layer of ice cream (one litre) and baklava and freeze until it sets. Finish the cake off with one more layer of ice cream (one litre). Wrap with cling film and freeze overnight.
Using a knife, cut the remaining baklava stack into chunky pieces and transfer to an airtight container. When you are ready to serve the ice cream cake, tip the cake onto a platter, remove the baking paper and decorate with the baklava pieces. Serve immediately.
Watch how to make a Baklava Ice Cream Cake