This pistachio cardamom phyllo cake is my ode to gulab jamun—a delicious Indian dessert. It’s a milkfat doughnut soaked in a saffron, cinnamon, cardamom and rose water syrup. For this delicious dessert, I made a creamy cardamom custard to bring it all together. Then I soaked crisp layers of phyllo with the saffron, cinnamon and rose syrup echoing the floral, spiced notes of gulab jamun. —Hetal Vasavada, San Francisco, California
Ingredients
- 1 package (16 ounces, 2 rolls) frozen phyllo dough, thawed
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
- custard:
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- simple syrup:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 1-inch cinnamon stick
- Pinch saffron threads
- 1/2 teaspoon rose water
Directions
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1Preheat oven to 350°. Fold two sheets of phyllo at a time, accordion-style; place into a 13x9-in. baking pan. Repeat until all phyllo dough is used, gently fanning out the dough until the pan is filled. Bake phyllo 10 minutes. Remove; sprinkle chopped pistachios within the folds of the phyllo dough. Drizzle melted butter evenly on top. Bake an additional 10 minutes.
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2Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cardamom and salt until combined. Pour the custard mixture over the phyllo. Bake until the phyllo is browned and crisp, about 25-30 minutes.
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3In a microwave-safe bowl, combine water, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and saffron. Microwave until mixture just begins to boil, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in rose water. Drizzle simple syrup over warm cake. Let cool at room temperature before serving. Store in the refrigerator.
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