This Ginger and Cardamom Baklava takes everything you love about this classic dessert—its crisp pastry, rich nutty filling, and sticky syrup—and adds a spiced twist. The warmth of ginger and floral notes of cardamom pair beautifully with nutty brown butter, bringing depth and balance to each layer. Perfect for celebrations or sharing with loved ones, this recipe is a guaranteed showstopper.`
Table of Contents
- Why Ginger and Cardamom Work in Baklava
- Brown Butter Makes Baklava Better
- Why Brushing Every Sheet with Butter Matters in Baklava
- Cold Syrup, Hot Pastry: Nailing your Ginger and Cardamom Baklava
- Your Ginger and Cardamom Baklava Needs to Rest
- Final Thoughts
- More Dessert Recipes
Why Ginger and Cardamom Work in Baklava
Cardamom and ginger aren’t just for chai or Christmas biscuits. They bring something really special to this baklava, balancing its inherent sweetness. Ginger, with its slight heat and freshness, lifts the richness of the dessert. Cardamom, on the other hand, adds floral, citrusy undertones that marry beautifully with the roasted nuts. Together, they create a harmony of flavours that feels both luxurious and grounded.
Cardamom, in particular, works wonders with pistachios and walnuts, which are the backbone of this recipe’s filling. Its fragrant profile enhances the earthy, buttery quality of the nuts. Meanwhile, ginger shines in the syrup, where its spicy warmth cuts through the sweetness, making the baklava feel lighter and more complex.
If you’re in the UK, ground cardamom can be tricky to find in supermarkets (though it is available at Ocado). However, is widely stocked in South Asian shops or online.
Brown Butter Makes Baklava Better
Brown butter is one of those simple techniques that can really transform a dish. By cooking butter just past its melting point, the milk solids caramelise, creating a nutty aroma and deep golden hue. This process unlocks flavours that plain melted butter simply can’t deliver. In the context of this Ginger and Cardamom Baklava, brown butter adds richness and depth to every filo layer, enhancing the dessert’s overall complexity.
For best results, strain the brown butter to remove the milk solids before brushing. This ensures an even application without the risk of burnt bits, allowing the filo to shine in both texture and taste.
Why Brushing Every Sheet with Butter Matters in Baklava
Brushing butter on every single sheet might feel like a painstaking task, but it’s non-negotiable. Each sheet, when brushed thoroughly, crisps up beautifully in the oven, creating those shatteringly thin, golden layers that define great baklava. The brown butter acts as a separator, preventing the sheets from fusing into a dense mass. This separation is what gives baklava its signature flakiness.
Layering also impacts how the baklava absorbs the syrup. Properly buttered filo layers create pockets that soak up just the right amount of syrup, ensuring a moist yet crisp dessert. If you leave some layers dry, they won’t absorb the syrup evenly, leading to an inconsistent texture.
Cold Syrup, Hot Pastry: Nailing your Ginger and Cardamom Baklava
The interplay between hot baklava and cold syrup is a step that can’t be overlooked. Pouring cold syrup onto freshly baked, piping-hot pastry is what ensures the syrup is absorbed evenly throughout the layers. If both the pastry and syrup are hot, the syrup will simply sit on the surface, leading to soggy spots and an underwhelming bite.
Cooling the syrup beforehand also allows the flavours of ginger, lemon, and orange blossom water to develop fully. As the baklava rests, the cold syrup penetrates each layer, bringing both sweetness and moisture without compromising the crispness of the filo. This balance is what elevates a good baklava to a truly exceptional one.
Your Ginger and Cardamom Baklava Needs to Rest
Resisting the urge to dive in immediately is perhaps the hardest part of making Ginger and Cardamom Baklava. But resting the baklava for at least five to six hours—or better yet, overnight—is crucial. This allows the syrup to fully infuse the layers, softening the nuts just enough while preserving the crisp filo. Skipping this step means sacrificing texture and flavour.
Resting time also lets the flavours meld. The warm spices in the syrup, the nuttiness of the brown butter, and the richness of the nuts come together, creating a dessert that’s more balanced and cohesive with each passing hour. If possible, make the baklava the day before serving—it’s worth the wait.
Final Thoughts
Ginger and Cardamom Baklava is more than just a dessert; it’s an experience. From the rich aroma of browning butter to the satisfying crackle of golden filo, every step of this recipe teaches you something about the art of balance. The spiced syrup, the meticulous layering, and the interplay of textures all work together to create something truly memorable.
For those willing to take their time and embrace the process, this baklava delivers in every way. It’s the kind of dish that makes you proud to serve it—a testament to the beauty of small details and thoughtful techniques. Once you’ve mastered it, you’ll find it’s a recipe worth returning to, time and time again.
More Dessert Recipes
If you love these Ginger and Cardamom Baklava and would like to try some of my other dessert recipes, why not start here?
- Classic Tiramisu: You can’t go wrong with a classic and this tiramisu is made in the traditional way.
- Strawberry Galette With Elderflower: This stunning strawberry galette is an easy dessert that combines the natural sweetness of strawberries with the floral notes of elderflower. The result is a dessert that’s as beautiful as it is delicious.
- Strawberry Tiramisu: In this fresh and fruity take on the Italian classic, coffee and chocolate are swapped for fresh strawberries, layered with a delicious homemade vanilla cream and strawberry-infused sponge fingers.
- Coconut Mochi Cake: If you’re a fan of mochi, you’ll love this coconut mochi cake. It’s crispy on the outside and soft and squidgy in the middle.
Ginger and Cardamom Baklava
Baklava is one of my all-time favourite desserts! You really can’t go wrong with crispy, buttery filo, roasty toasty nuts and a sweet, infused syrup. Using brown butter adds huge depth of flavour and the ginger and cardamom add a lovely spiced twist. It’s the perfect dessert to make for a crowd – they’ll be very impressed!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 8 hours
- Yield: 32 pieces 1x
Ingredients
- 600g granulated sugar
- 400ml water
- 200g fresh ginger, thinly sliced
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 1 tbsp orange blossom water
- 300g shelled unsalted pistachios
- 300g unsalted walnuts
- 3 tbsp ground cardamom
- 350g salted butter
- 14 sheets of filo pastry
Instructions
- Place the sugar and water in a saucepan. Stir to dissolve over medium heat, then add the ginger and lemon slices. Cook until the sugar syrup reaches 106°C. If you don’t have a food thermometer, cook until the syrup reduces to the consistency of running honey. This should take around 15 mins.
- Stir in the orange blossom water, then let the syrup cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate until cold, for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- Heat your oven to 170°C / 150°C fan. Blitz the pistachios and walnuts in a food processor until finely chopped, then add the ground cardamom and blitz again to combine.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. It will bubble for a few minutes. As the bubbles die down, the milk solids will sink to the bottom and turn brown as they caramelise. Once the butter smells nice and nutty and has changed from pale yellow to brown, take the pan off the heat, add a generous pinch of salt and whisk to dissolve.
- Pass the brown butter through a sieve, season with salt (I promise it works! It helps balance the sweetness) and mix to dissolve. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Trim the filo to fit a 35cm x 25cm baking tin. Brush the interior with some of the brown butter.
- Place 1 sheet of filo on the base of the tin. Brush with butter. Repeat with 4 more filo sheets, for a total of 5 buttered sheets.
- Spread half of the nut mixture over the filo. Top with 4 buttered filo sheets.
- Spread the remaining nuts over the filo. Top with 5 buttered filo sheets.
- Use a sharp knife to cut deep lines into the pastry to create triangles, diamonds or squares.
- Bake the baklava on the middle rack of your oven, rotating the tin baking tin halfway through, for 1 hour, or until deeply golden.
- Pour the cold syrup over the hot baklava and leave to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, you can tuck in and enjoy.
- The baklava is best served after resting for 5 to 6 hours to allow the syrup to fully absorb. It can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature, or up to 5 days ahead if refrigerated. For the best results, I recommend making it the day before serving.
Equipment
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