Ingredients
For the Baklava layers and shards
375g Antoniou Fillo Pastry
200g butter, melted and clarified
250g hazelnuts, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
For the chocolate cake layers
2 chocolate cake mixes & required packet ingredients
For the syrup
1 cup caster sugar
1 cup water
½ cup honey
10 whole cloves
1 cinnamon quill
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
100g dark chocolate
1 and 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
To assemble
6 tablespoons Nutella
1 tablespoon hazelnuts, finely chopped
Recipe notes
Each component can be made ahead, a day before assembling the cake. Store the cake layers in an air tight container, cover the baklava layers and store the frosting in the fridge.
Store leftover baklava shards in an air tight container for up to a week in the fridge.
Method
For this Fillo Pastry recipe, take your chilled Filo Pastry out of the fridge at least 2 hours before you begin, to bring it up to room temperature.
Pre heat your oven to 180 deg C fan forced. Grease and line three 20cm round cake tins with butter and baking paper.
Mix the hazelnuts and cinnamon together in a small bowl and set aside.
To make the chocolate cake layers
Prepare the two chocolate cake mix batters according to packet instructions, and combine the batter into one bowl. Evenly distribute the batter between the three cake tins and cook until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely in their tins. Remove the cakes from their tins and using a large serrated knife cut the tops of the cake off to create a flat cake layer.
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 layers and shards
Separate your Fillo Pastry into two even stacks. Cover with a dry tea towel. Starting with one stack of Pastry, lay one sheet of Filo Pastry on a clean bench. Brush with melted butter. Lay another sheet of Pastry and brush with butter. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the nuts evenly over the Pastry. Repeat this process with 6 more sheets of Pastry. Place two final sheets of Fillo Pastry on top of the stack.
Place a 20cm round cake tin onto the Fillo Pastry and use it as a template to cut a round circle. Ensure you use a sharp knife so that you can cut all the way through the stack.
Cut the surrounding Fillo Pastry into rough triangular shapes, these will be used to create Pastry shards. Transfer the circle and shards to large baking trays. Brush with butter and use a sharp knife to poke holes all over the Pastry.
Repeat with remaining Pastry stack and nuts to create another circle and more shards.
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Pour the syrup over the baklava and allow it to cool completely.
To make the chocolate fudge frosting
Melt the chocolate over a double boiler and stir until it is smooth. Set aside to cool. Cut the butter into pieces. Using an electric mixer, beat butter for 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl occasionally. Add the icing sugar and cocoa powder to the butter. Pour in the melted chocolate and beat on slow speed until incorporated. Then, increase speed to medium high and beat for another 2 minutes.
To assemble the cake
Place one cake layer on your serving dish. Spread 2 tablespoons of Nutella over the layer. Add a layer of baklava. Repeat again to create the second layer. Lay the third cake layer on top and spread with remaining Nutella. Place the frosting in a piping bag and pipe it all over the top of the cake. Position baklava shards on the top and sprinkle with hazelnuts.
Watch how to make a Chocolate Hazelnut Baklava Cake