Phyllo-Wrapped White Chocolate Cheesecake
Submitted by Sweetheart
White chocolate cheesecake slices wrapped in buttery phyllo and baked crisp. A restaurant-style dessert with orange zest, finished with bright fruit purées.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
1 hrsREADY
1 hrsThis is a showstopper dessert straight out of a white-tablecloth kitchen. Instead of serving plain wedges, slices of water-bath-baked white chocolate cheesecake get wrapped three layers thick in buttered phyllo, then baked again until the pastry turns shatter-crisp and deep gold.
The filling is classic tight-crumbed cheesecake: full-fat cream cheese beaten smooth with sugar, orange zest, eggs, vanilla, and a splash of cream. Melted white chocolate folds through to add a honeyed sweetness and a denser, silkier set than a standard cheesecake. Orange zest is the smart counterweight, cutting through the sugar so it doesn’t taste one-note.
The water bath is what keeps this cake velvet. Surrounding the pan with hot water prevents the edges from overcooking while the center sets slowly and evenly, giving you that even, crack-free surface.
Chef Tips
- Never use low-fat cream cheese as the recipe explicitly warns. Full-fat is what gives this cake its dense, silky body. Reduced versions water out and split.
- Temper the white chocolate into the batter. Stir a spoonful of the cheese mixture into the warm chocolate first, then combine. Adding cold batter to hot chocolate seizes it into lumps.
- Keep phyllo covered with a damp towel while you work. It dries out and shatters in under a minute of exposure, which makes wrapping a nightmare.
Variations
- Swap orange zest for lemon or lime zest for a sharper, brighter citrus note.
- Serve with a raspberry or blackberry coulis pooled under each slice for restaurant presentation.
- Add a thin layer of chocolate ganache between the cheesecake and the phyllo for a tuxedo-style contrast.
Ingredients
Directions
While chocolate melts in double boiler, use a mixer on low smooth.
(Do not use low-fat cheese in this recipe)
Beat in eggs one at a time, followed by cream and vanilla.
Add a little of the cheese mixture to the warmed chocolate, then stir this mixture into remaining cheese mixture.
Spoon mixture into a buttered 9-inch layer cake pan, lined with parchment paper.
Set in a pan, and pour in hot water until it reaches halfway up the pan.
Bake ina 350℉ (180℃). oven, adding more water if needed, until set and lightly browned on top, about 1 hour.
Remove from oven, let cool, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
To serve, lightly brush each 8 - 12- inch square of phyllo pastry with melted butter.
Gently remove each slice of cheesecake from pan.
Wrap a sheet of prepared phyllo pastry around each piece, folding until cake is covered with three layers.
Trim excess pastry.
Brush each dessert with additional melted butter.
Place on a baking sheet and bake in a 350℉ (180℃) oven for 10 minutes, or until phyllo begins to brown.
Transfer to dessert plates and decorate with fruit purees.
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