Turkish · Dessert
Turkish Stretchy Cheese Dessert Cake (Tel Kadayif Peynirli Tatli)
A Turkish specialty dessert built around stretchy, mozzarella-like cheese cooked down with semolina and milk into a glossy, elastic filling, layered between crisp buttered shredded pastry and finished with a light sugar syrup. It bridges the line between a cheesecake and a milk pudding, with the stretch of the cheese as its defining party trick.
$1
20 minsPrep
25 minsCook
120 minsTotal
MediumLevel
Nutrition per serving
414Calories
7.6gProtein
28.5gFat
33.1gCarbs
20.2gSugar
1.1gFiber
100mgSodium
74mgChol
17gSat Fat
185mgPotassium
110mgCalcium
0.5mgIron
0.2mcgVitamin B12
1.4mgVitamin C
0gPolyol
0gAllulose
0gAlcohol
vegetarian
sweet-spot
hidden-gems
Instructions
1
Preheat the oven to 180C and lightly butter the base of a 10cm springform tin.
2
Gently pull apart a small handful of shredded kadayif-style pastry threads (if unavailable, substitute very fine shredded phyllo) and toss with the melted butter until evenly coated.
3
Press half the buttered strands into the base of the tin to form an even layer, reserving the rest for the top.
4
In a saucepan over low heat, melt the mascarpone and ricotta together with the semolina and whole milk, stirring constantly until the mixture turns glossy and visibly stretches when lifted with a spoon, about 5-6 minutes.
5
Off the heat, stir in the sugar and lemon juice until fully dissolved into the warm cheese mixture.
6
Pour the stretchy cheese filling over the pastry base in the tin and smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
7
Scatter the reserved buttered kadayif strands over the filling, pressing down gently so they adhere.
8
Bake for 22-25 minutes until the top strands are golden and crisp and the filling has set with a slight wobble at the centre.
9
Meanwhile, simmer the water and remaining sugar together for 3-4 minutes until syrupy, then let cool slightly.
10
Remove the cake from the oven and spoon the warm syrup evenly over the top while both are still warm.
11
Let the cheesecake rest at room temperature for 15 minutes, then chill for at least 1 hour before unmoulding.
12
Scatter the crushed pistachio over the top just before slicing and serving.
Serves
2 portions ·
2 adults, 0 over 10, 0 under 10
Ingredients
- 2.5 oz70g crumbled with mozzarella-style cheese for stretch mascarpone
- 1.4 oz40g drained ricotta
- 1.1 oz30g semolina
- 1.6 oz45g whole milk
- 1.2 oz35g sugar white
- 0.6 oz18g melted, for soaking the kadayif strands butter
- 0.2 oz6g lemon juice
- 0.7 oz20g simmered with sugar into a light syrup water
- 0.4 oz10g crushed pistachio
