If you love creamy, layered desserts but dread spending hours working with complicated doughs, this recipe is your new best friend. Today, I am sharing a brilliant baking shortcut that transforms simple ingredients into a spectacular dessert right in your conventional oven!
This Orange & Vanilla Phyllo Pastry Hack is incredibly quick and easy to make. All you have to do is whip up two simple creams and assemble everything together. It is absolutely perfect for a family dessert, for hosting guests, or when you are invited to a dinner party and want to bring something delicious along. Get ready for the most satisfying crunch sound you’ve ever heard!
Why You Will Love This Hack? Slicing a roll of phyllo pastry sheets into thin ribbons creates a shredded texture that stays incredibly light and crispy when baked.
Super Fast Prep – No complicated pastry steps here! We use a quick custard base and a blender cream to get this dessert into the oven in minutes.
The Perfect Flavour Match – The combination of sweet vanilla custard with a zesty, refreshing orange cream cheese layer is pure heaven.
Ingredients: You’ll Need The Pastry Base & Toppings
1 pack of Phyllo Pastry (sliced into 1.5 to 2 cm ribbons)
Canola cooking oil spray
Flaked almonds (for that extra crunchy topping)
Icing sugar (for dusting at the end)
The Velvet Vanilla Custard: 1 packet of vanilla custard, mix 375ml Milk, 2 Eggs.
The Blender Orange Cream – 500g Cream cheese, 3 tbsp Sugar, 1 Large Orange (zest of the whole orange + all of its juice),1 Egg.
Step 1: Prep the Vanilla Custard – In a microwave-safe bowl, thoroughly whisk the custard powder with 375ml of milk until completely smooth.Microwave on high for 2 minutes, take it out, and give it a vigorous whisk to remove any lumps.Return it to the microwave for another 1 to 2 minutes until it thickens up beautifully. Important: Let the custard cool down until it is just warm. Once cooled slightly, vigorously whisk in 2 beaten eggs until smooth. Set aside.
Step 2: Blend the Orange Cream, Grab your blender and add your 500g of cream cheese, 3 tablespoons of sugar, the zest of a large orange, and all of its juice. Add 1 egg and blend on a medium speed for about 20 to 30 seconds until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy.
Step 3: Shred the Phyllo Pastry, Take your phyllo pastry roll straight from the packaging.Without unrolling the sheets, take a sharp knife and slice the entire roll into thin ribbons (between 1.5 to 2 cm thick).
Step 4: Preheat your conventional oven to 180°C (350°F).Lightly spray your ceramic baking dish with your canola cooking oil spray. Place a generous layer of your shredded phyllo pastry ribbons along the bottom of the dish. Pour your prepared Vanilla Custard Mixture evenly over the top of the pastry. Scatter a few more pastry ribbons over the custard, then pour your blended Orange Cream Cheese mixture on top. Cover everything with the remaining phyllo pastry ribbons.Take a fork and gently swirl the top layer just a little bit with the cream cheese mixture beneath it. Finish it off by scattering a handful of flaked almonds evenly across the top.
Step 5: Pop the dish into your preheated oven and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 15 to 20 minutes. Keep an eye on it! You want to pull it out exactly when the pastry ribbons and flaked almonds on top turn a beautiful, deep golden colour. Let the dessert cool down completely, dust generously with icing sugar, slice into squares, and serve!
If you try making this at home, leave a comment below and let me know how much your family loved it! Happy baking! 🧡
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