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Knafeh with ashta cream, with crisp golden brown pastry layer and pistachio garnish
Sweet spun pastry filled with luscious clotted cream pudding

Knafeh with ashta cream (Middle Eastern pastry)

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Vegetarian & Vegan Cakes and Desserts
Knafeh is the dessert queen of the Middle East. It has two main elements: hair-thin 'kataifi' pastry baked until crisp in butter, and a soft, milky filling. This version is made with 'ashta', a thick, creamy pudding which is a simplified version of expensive buffalo milk cream. But remember: the soul of knafeh is cold sugar syrup poured over hot pastry, making it simultaneously crunchy and deliciously soaked.
🕒 Prep Time 30 mins
🍳 Cook Time 35 mins
⌛ Total Time 1 hr 20 mins
🍽️ Servings 8 servings
🔥 Calories 680 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Middle Eastern

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • 20-24 cm round cake tin or baking tray
  • Saucepan for cream and syrup
  • Brush for buttering

Allergen Information

⚠️ Milk
⚠️ Gluten
⚠️ Tree nuts

Instructions

1 ✓

STEP ONE: The syrup. Boil the 200g sugar with 150ml water. When boiling, add lemon juice, cook for 5-8 minutes until slightly thickened, then set aside to cool completely.

Tip: Lemon juice prevents sugar from recrystallising.
2 ✓

Separate the kataifi pastry strands, ensure no clumps remain. Pour over the melted butter and mix by hand to coat every strand in fat.

Tip: Butter aids heat conduction, making it golden brown and crisp everywhere.
3 ✓

Press half the pastry (approx. 2/3) tightly into the bottom of a buttered tin. Use the bottom of a glass to compress.

Tip: The solid base holds the cream.
4 ✓

Cream preparation: Mix milk, cream, 100g sugar, and cornflour until smooth while cold in a saucepan. Put on heat, and cook into a thick pudding stirring constantly.

Tip: Mix cornflour while cold, otherwise it will be lumpy if put into hot liquid.
5 ✓

Remove from heat, stir in rose and orange blossom water. Let cool 5-10 minutes, then pour into the tin over the pastry sheet. Leave 1 cm empty at edges!

Tip: If it flows to the edges, it can burn and leak during baking.
6 ✓

Sprinkle the remaining buttered pastry loosely on top of the cream, then gently (don't press hard!) smooth it over to cover.

Tip: The top layer should be looser for crispness.
7 ✓

Bake at 180°C for 30-35 minutes until deep golden brown. Remove, and IMMEDIATELY drizzle with the cold syrup.

Tip: You should hear hissing – this indicates the pastry is absorbing the syrup.
8 ✓

Let stand for 15 minutes, sprinkle with pistachios, and serve warm.

Tip: Knafeh is best fresh and warm, when the cream is still soft.

Recipe FAQ

Why did the pastry get soggy?
You likely poured the syrup while hot. The rule: HOT cake + COLD syrup (or vice versa), otherwise steam forms and it gets soggy.
Where can I get kataifi pastry?
In larger supermarkets or Middle Eastern grocers, usually found in the freezer.

Ingredients

  • 300 g Kataifi pastry (frozen, defrosted)
  • 150 g Melted butter
  • 500 ml Milk
  • 250 ml Double cream
  • 100 g Sugar (for cream)
  • 40 g Cornflour
  • 1 tbsp Orange blossom water
  • 1 tbsp Rose water
  • 3 g Ground pistachios (for garnish)
  • 200 g Sugar (for syrup)
  • 150 ml Water (for syrup)
  • 1 tsp Lemon juice (for syrup)