Description
A delicious twist on two classic desserts – baklava and carrot cake! Layers of flaky phyllo are filled with carrot cake-inspired ingredients like shredded carrots and chopped nuts, then topped with maple syrup. Recipe and photo by Bernice Baran of Baran Bakery blog.
Ingredients
- 1 package Athens Phyllo® Dough (9” x 14”), thawed
- 1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 1 cup shredded carrots (about 2 large carrots)
- 1 1/2 cups pecans
- 1 1/2 cups walnuts
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
Directions
Thaw phyllo, following thawing instructions on package. Preheat oven to 350°F.
To make the maple syrup, combine 1 cup sugar, water and maple syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the syrup from the heat and allow it to cool completely to room temperature.
To make the carrot cake filling, use a small size grater to grate 2 large carrots, set aside. Place the pecans, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a food processor and pulse until they’re ground. Add the nut mixture and the remaining 1/3 cup sugar to the bowl with the carrots and toss until they’re evenly distributed.
Butter a 9″x13″x2″ pan. Unroll phyllo sheets on a flat work surface. Trim them to be the exact size of your pan. Cover phyllo sheets with plastic wrap, then a slightly damp towel to prevent drying out.
Take one sheet of phyllo dough and place it in the prepared pan, pressing it against the edge of the pan. Lightly brush the sheet with melted butter and repeat with 11 more sheets of phyllo dough, creating a total of 12 sheets.
Evenly spread 1/3 of the carrot cake filling on top of the phyllo dough sheets and then repeat the process, this time only using only 6 phyllo dough sheets.
Top with another 1/3 of the carrot cake filling and repeat the layering of 6 phyllo dough sheets on top.
Top with the last 1/3 of the carrot cake filling and repeat the layering of 12 phyllo dough sheets. Make sure to butter the top layer too.
Use a large serrated knife to slice the baklava into 24 diagonal slices and bake for 45 minutes, until the phyllo dough looks golden brown.
Remove the baklava from the oven and while it’s still hot, pour the cooled syrup on top, making sure to evenly coat each slice. Top with some extra chopped nuts.
Allow the baklava to cool for 3-4 hours, or overnight, at room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
Serving size: 1 Slice (75g), Amount per serving: Calories 290, Total Fat – 17g, Saturated fat -5g, Trans Fat – 0.5g, Cholesterol – 20mg, Sodium – 80mg, Dietary Fiber – 2g, Total Carbohydrate – 47g, Sugars – 19g, Protein – 3g, Vitamin D – 0%, Calcium 4%, Iron – 6%, Potassium – 2%
