Top Reasons to Make Walnut Crinkle Cake at Home
Comfort food – A warm, creamy, and crispy dessert is the perfect indulgence.
Great dessert for sharing – Easy to cut into pieces and serve at gatherings, holidays, or with tea.
Fun and easy process – Scrunching and arranging the phyllo sheets is surprisingly fun and beginner-friendly.
Customizable – You can adjust the sweetness, fillings (Nutella, custard, cream cheese), and toppings (pistachios, cinnamon, fruit). You can use homemade or store-bought phyllo dough.
Portion control – Cut the cake into small squares or larger servings depending on your preference.
What is Crinkle Cake?
Crinkle cake is believed to have roots in Turkish cuisine where it's also known as yufka tatlısı or baklava cake, where similar desserts are made with yufka pastry. The unique texture comes from scrunching sheets of filo into an accordion shape, baking them briefly, then soaking them in a rich milk-and-egg mixture before baking again.
Crinkle Cake – The Ultimate Guide to the Flakiest, Creamiest Dessert
- Use fresh dough – Always fully thaw frozen phyllo dough before use.
Butter for crispiness – Don’t skimp on butter in this recipe, as it gives the pastry a golden crust.
Add flavors – Cardamom, cinnamon, or grated lemon zest enhance the taste. You can also optionally add rose water to the sugar syrup.
How do I prevent the crinkle cake from becoming soggy?
Pre-bake the phyllo dough alone to keep it crispy, even after adding the custard.
Is crinkle cake the same as baklava?
No, crinkle cake contains a creamy custard, while baklava is soaked in honey syrup.
Can I prepare crinkle cake in advance?
Yes. You can prepare it up to the custard step, store it in the fridge, and bake it just before serving.
Storing and freezing
Transfer the cake to a storage container, or cover the cooled cake in the baking pan with plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, place the pastry in the oven at 150 °C / 300 °F for 10 minutes to crisp up the crust again. It can also be served cold.
Optionally, it can be frozen for up to 2 months. Before serving, let the pie thaw and reheat it.
How to make Crinkle Cake at home (video)
Check out this short video for an easy way to make crinkle cake at home.
Next, prepare these desserts using phyllo dough
Made in collaboration with Lidl Slovenija d.o.o. k.d.
METHOD
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preparation
Place the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 200 °C / 390°F. Grease a 20 × 30 cm (8-inch x 12-inch) baking pan with a little softened butter.
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bake the phyllo
Cut the phyllo dough in half to fit the shorter baking dish side. Take two sheets at a time, scrunch them up like an accordion, and place them in the baking pan. Repeat the process until the pan is filled. Bake the crinkled phyllo dough for 10 minutes on the middle rack. This helps prevent the dough from becoming soggy when the custard is added later.
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cream filling
In a bowl, mix together the melted butter and olive oil. In a plate or bowl, combine the ground walnuts, sesame seeds, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice. Stir to combine. Remove the phyllo dough from the oven and evenly sprinkle the walnut mixture between the layers. Pour over the melted butter and return to the oven, baking on the middle rack for 10 minutes at 180 °C / 350 °F.
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cream mixture
While the cake is baking, prepare the custard. In a bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla sugar, and spices. Pour over the pie after removing it from the oven. Return it to the oven and bake for another 40 minutes at 180 °C / 350 °F.
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sugar syrup
Place the sugar, water, cinnamon, and lemon zest in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, and once the syrup starts boiling, cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard the cinnamon stick and pour over the hot pie, allowing it to soak through and spread evenly inside.
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serve
Set the Walnut Crinkle Cake aside to cool, then cut and serve.
