Kunefe (Kunafa) - Turkish Cheese Dessert

5 from 5 votes

Kunefe (or Kunafa/Knafeh) is a heavenly Turkish / Middle Eastern Cheese Dessert made with kadaif pastry filled with cheese and soaked in syrup.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Turkish

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: portions

Calories: 478kcal

For making the simple syrup, add the sugar and water to a pan.
Bring it to a boil and gently simmer it on low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Add a few drops of lemon juice and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool down to room temperature while cooking the kadaif pastry.

Roughly chop the kadaif pastry into small pieces and mix well with the melted butter.
If using molasses, mix it with 10 grams of soft butter and generously butter the bottom of the sahan pan with half of the mixture.
Scatter half of the kadaif pastry over butter and press it down with your palms until solid and firm.
Shred the cheese and spread it over the kadaif pastry evenly, leaving one cm around the edges.
Cover the cheese with the rest of the kadaif pastry and press it down until firm and even.
Place the sahan pan over medium heat and 30 seconds later, turn it down to the lowest.
Cook it until golden brown while pressing firmly with something flat. This would take 10 to 12 minutes.
Turn over the künefe on a flat plate. To do that, put the plate face down over the sahan pan and then flip it over the plate cooked side up.
Generously butter the sahan pan with the remaining soft butter and then slip the Künefe back into the pan.
Cook for another 8 to 10 minutes, until nicely browned, pressing firmly to keep the kunefe evenly flat.
Remove the sahan pan from the heat and add the syrup (at room temperature).
Garnish with chopped Pistachio nuts and serve immediately.

Kunefe (or Kunafa/Knafeh) is usually served hot while the cheese is still soft and stringy.
When pouring the syrup, the pastry should be hot, and the syrup should be at room temperature. If both syrup and the kunefe are hot, the dessert will lose its crispy texture.
Kunafa is a dessert originally from Hatay, so it’s best when you use the special cheese originally from this city.
The leftovers would keep refrigerated for up to three days. If you want to keep them longer, you can freeze kunafa and keep them for up to 3 months.
If you want to make this dessert ahead, prepare the pastry with the cheese and keep it refrigerated for up to five days. You can also prepare the syrup up to a month in advance and keep it at room temperature until you are ready to cook your pastry.