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This Baklava Brie Cake with Honey Butter Phyllo Crisps is exactly what you need if you love baklava but hate waiting until after dinner. Turning it into a savory cheese appetizer was the only logical solution.
We take a classic stuffed brie and layer it with sweet dates, sticky honey, and toasted nuts mixed right into the whipped cheese. We top it with crispy phyllo strands and serve it with homemade honey butter phyllo crisps so you can scoop it all up.
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What Does Baklava Brie Cake Taste Like?
Classic baklava is thin layers of pastry soaked in butter and honey with crushed pistachios in between the layers, then baked until golden. It leaves you with a delicate crunch and a nutty, buttery sweetness with every bite. When you combine that with creamy, savory brie, it’s on another level.
The cold, firm wheel gets stuffed with a whipped center packed with dates, walnuts, and pistachios – sweet and earthy where the brie is rich and savory. Top it with baked phyllo strands and a heavy honey drizzle and you get that baklava crunch landing on top of something it had no business being this good with.
Working with Phyllo Dough
Phyllo dough looks intimidating until you realize it’s mostly just asking for patience and butter. Once you understand what it wants, it behaves. Here’s everything you need to know to get it right for this recipe specifically.
Thaw it in the Fridge, Not the Counter: Phyllo lives in the freezer aisle. Move it to the fridge the night before and let it thaw slowly — you’ll get more pliable, cooperative dough that’s easier to work with.
If you Forgot to Thaw it Overnight: Leave it on the counter still sealed in its packaging for one to two hours. It won’t be quite as cooperative as a slow fridge thaw, but it works. Avoid the microwave – it thaws unevenly and makes the dough harder to handle.
Keep Unused Dough Covered While You Work: Lay a slightly damp kitchen towel over whatever you’re not actively using. Phyllo does dry out, and dry phyllo cracks — but a towel solves it completely.
A Torn Sheet Isn’t a Ruined Sheet: Phyllo is built to be layered. A small tear disappears entirely once sheets are pressed together and heat does its job. Don’t stop. Don’t start over. Keep going.
Phyllo Dough: Two Ways
Crispy Topping Strands: Keep the phyllo rolled and cut straight across — about ⅛ inch thick. This is the move that gets you distinct strands instead of a tangled mess of strings. Lay them out on a baking sheet, drizzle with melted butter, and toss until every strand is coated. They go into a 375°F oven for about 20 minutes, but start checking at 15. Phyllo moves fast in the last few minutes and doesn’t announce itself before it burns. You want deep golden, not dark brown.
Honey Butter Phyllo Crisps: Unroll the remaining sheets and work in layers — butter brushed between each one, a drizzle of honey every three or four sheets. Stack, press firmly, slice into rectangles, and then do something that feels counterintuitive: refrigerate the whole thing for 30 minutes before it goes anywhere near the oven. The chill sets the layers so they bake up crisp and flat instead of separating and puffing. When they do go in, you’ll press a second baking sheet directly on top of them. That weight is what gives them their even, satisfying crunch.
Getting the Brie Right
The brie is more forgiving than the phyllo, but a few things make a real difference.
Keep the wheel cold when you slice it. Brie straight from the fridge is firm enough to cut cleanly in half. Let it warm up too much and you’re fighting it. Oil your knife before you slice – it keeps things clean.
Remove the rind while the brie is still cold. This is for the portions going into the food processor only – not the wheel. Cold brie holds its shape and the rind comes off much cleaner.
Let it come to room temperature before it goes into the food processor. Cold brie won’t whip – it’ll stay dense and clumpy no matter how long you run it. Give it 30 to 45 minutes on the counter after the rind is off. That’s the step most people skip and then wonder why their texture is off.
Don’t rush the food processor. Stop and scrape down the sides a few times as you go. The cheese will clump before it smooths out – that’s normal. Keep going until it’s completely smooth with no lumps.
Chill it after you assemble. Once you stuff the cake and coat the sides in nuts, wrap it and put it back in the fridge for 15 minutes. It firms back up, which makes spreading the plain whipped brie on top much cleaner.
Brie Cake Variations
If this is your kind of appetizer, you’re in the right place. Each version starts with the same stuffed brie cake base and takes it somewhere completely different – different flavor profiles, different occasions, same level of effort. Browse the full collection below and find your next one.
Appetizers
Fig and Pistachio Brie Cake
Appetizers
Brie Cake with Whipped Orange Fig Brie
Appetizers
Truffle Brie Cake with Whipped Brie
Appetizers
Whipped Bada Bing Cherry Brie Cake
Dips and Butters
Brie Cake with Classic French Radish Butter
Storage and Make-Ahead Guide
This recipe has a few moving parts, but most of the work can be done well before anyone rings the doorbell.
The brie cake can be fully assembled and refrigerated up to a day in advance. Hold off on the toppings – the whipped brie layer, nuts, phyllo strands, chives, and honey all go on right before serving. Wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, it’ll keep its shape and be ready when you are. The whipped brie itself can also be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in a sealed container in the fridge.
The phyllo crisps are the easiest part to prep ahead. Assemble them – layered, sliced, and pressed – wrap the baking sheet tightly and refrigerate overnight. When guests are on their way, unwrap and bake. That’s it.
The phyllo strands are the one thing you can’t get ahead of. Baked phyllo loses its crunch quickly. Bake these the same day, as close to serving as you can manage.
Leftovers – this cake is best the day it’s made. The brie will keep in the fridge but the phyllo won’t survive it. We recommend finishing it at the table.
How to Serve
This Baklava Brie Cake is best served straight from the fridge onto the table. Let your guests scoop it onto the honey butter phyllo crisps while everything is still cold and the toppings are fresh. If you’re building a full dinner around it, start with a Grapefruit Elderflower Sour while guests arrive, move into Lamb Loin Chops in Herb Butter alongside a crisp Fennel Apple Salad, and finish with the Pistachio Crème Brûlée – the pistachios bring it full circle.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Triple cream gives you the richest, smoothest whipped filling. A standard brie will work but the filling will be less creamy. We’d stick with triple cream if you can find it.
Yes, the rind on brie is completely edible and safe. It’s a natural bloomy rind, not a wax coating. Whether you enjoy it is a matter of taste. In this recipe the rind stays on the wheel to hold the cake together, so you’ll get some with every slice.
You can. Camembert is similar in texture but has a stronger, earthier flavor – so the cake will taste noticeably different. Not wrong, just different.
Yes, see the make-ahead guide above.
Equipment
- 2 baking sheets
- plastic wrap
- parchment paper
- pastry brush
Ingredients
- 1 roll phyllo dough, thawed
- 1/4 tsp butter, melted, divided
- 2 tbsp honey, plus more for topping
- 6 oz triple cream brie, rind removed, room-temperature
- 2 oz cream cheese, room-temperature
- 1/4 cup toasted walnuts, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup toasted pistachios, finely chopped
- 3-4 dates, finely chopped
- 1 brie wheel
- chives, chopped, to taste
Instructions
- Crispy Phyllo Topping: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Cut off about 1/2 of an inch from the end of the phyllo roll and cut it into small strands. Lay them evenly on a baking sheet and drizzle them with about 1 tsp melted butter. Mix it around until each strand is coated. Place in and oven for 20 minutes until golden. Keep an eye on these at around 15 minutes to make sure they don't burn.1 roll phyllo dough
- Honey Butter Phyllo Crisps: Unroll the remaining phyllo sheets. Brush the remaining butter between each sheet, drizzling honey instead every 3 to 4 sheets. Press the stacked sheets firmly together and cut into small rectangles. Line them up on a baking sheet and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.1/4 tsp butter, 2 tbsp honey
- Whipped Brie: Remove the rind and allow your triple cream brie and cream cheese to come to room temperature. Add them to a food processor and whip until smooth. Divide the mixture evenly into two bowls.6 oz triple cream brie, 2 oz cream cheese
- Mix the Stuffing: To one of the whipped brie bowls, mix in 1/8 cup chopped walnuts, 1/8 cup chopped pistachios and dates.⅛ cup toasted walnuts, ⅛ cup Toasted pistachios, 3-4 dates
- Assemble the Cake: Oil your knife and make sure your brie wheel is cold. Slice the wheel in half crosswise. Spread the nut and date whipped brie mixture evenly onto the bottom half of the wheel. Place the top half of the brie wheel over the filling and gently press it down. Clean off the sides of the wheel. Spread your remaining nuts on a plate and roll the sides of the brie cake till lightly coated. This shouldn't use all of the chopped nuts, you will be using some for topping. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.1 brie wheel
- Bake the Phyllo Crisps: Increase the oven temperature to 400°F (200°C). Remove the plastic wrap from the chilled phyllo rectangles. Place a sheet of parchment paper over the phyllo, then place a second baking sheet directly on top to press them down. Bake for 10 minutes, flip, and bake uncovered for an additional 6 to 10 minutes until golden.
- Top and Serve: Remove the brie cake from the refrigerator. Spread the plain whipped brie evenly over the top of the cake. Top with the remaining chopped nuts, baked phyllo strands, and chopped chives. Drizzle generously with honey before serving.⅛ cup toasted walnuts, ⅛ cup Toasted pistachios, chives
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
