Ingredients
For the syrup
¾ cup water
¾ cup sugar
Juice of one lemon
Strip of lemon rind
For the Baklava
100g macadamia nuts, chopped
50g desiccated coconut
½ cup caster sugar
4 sheets Antoniou Fillo Pastry
100g unsalted butter, melted
3 litres vanilla ice cream
250g passionfruit pulp (fresh or tin)
Mangos & raspberries (or other fresh fruit), to decorate
4 large frozen strawberries
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.
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 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
To make the Baklava
Grease a large baking tray with butter.
Combine the macadamia nuts, coconut and sugar in a bowl and mix well.
Cut the sheets of Fillo Pastry in half, parallel to the short edge of the Pastry. 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 3-4 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). If you have any extra nut filling, set it aside to be used for decorating the cake.
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 20 minutes or until golden. Remove the tray from the oven and immediately pour the cooled syrup over the baklava. Allow to cool completely. Using a knife or your hands, break up the baklava into small pieces.
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. Add one third of the passionfruit pulp and using a spatula mix it until it is smooth. Spread evenly along the base of the tin. Place a layer of the chopped baklava onto the ice cream layer and press down slightly. 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. Any leftover baklava can be used to decorate the cake.
When you are ready to serve the ice cream cake, tip the cake onto a platter, remove the baking paper and decorate with fresh fruit and shaved strawberries. Serve immediately.
Watch how to make a Tropical Baklava Ice Cream Cake