I tried making a Dubai Chocolate Cheesecake and Brownie Cheescake version for the first time and I was super happy with the results. The original Dubai Chocolate uses Kataifi or Kunafa, Pistachio paste, Tahini & Chocolate.

What is Kataifi?

Kataifi is a type of pastry made from very thin, thread-like dough, similar to shredded phyllo dough. It is often used in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines to make various sweet and savory dishes. The dough itself is made from flour and water, and when cooked, it becomes crispy and golden brown.

In sweet dishes, kataifi is typically combined with nuts, such as pistachios, walnuts, or almonds, and sweetened with sugar or honey syrup, similar to baklava. The dough is usually wrapped around the nut filling and then baked or fried. Once cooked, the pastry is soaked in a sugar or honey syrup, which gives it a rich, sweet flavor.

In savory dishes, kataifi dough can be used to wrap around cheeses, meats, or seafood before baking or frying, creating a crunchy outer layer with a soft, flavorful filling inside.

Kataifi is popular in Greek, Turkish, and Middle Eastern cuisines and is known for its unique texture and versatile use in various recipes.

Kunafa, also spelled “Knafeh” or “Kanafeh,” is a traditional Middle Eastern dessert that is particularly popular in countries like Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, and Turkey. It’s a sweet and rich pastry, often made with layers of shredded phyllo dough (sometimes called kataifi) or semolina dough, soaked in sweet syrup, and typically filled with a cheese mixture.

The pastry is available frozen and it can be used to make sweet and savory desserts. The Dubai Chocolate trend started in Dubai by Sarah Hamouda, founder of Fix. This has inspired many versions of this recipe world wide. I tried making the chocolates and it’s so popular, that I decided to make a Cheesecake & Cheesecake Brownie version.

Dubai Chocolate Cheesecake & Brownie

5 from 5 votes
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Ingredients
  

Cake base

  • Cake mix 375 gms

Pastry dough

  • Kataifi or Kunafa 350 gms
  • 3 – 4 tbsps Butter

Cheesecake

  • Cream Cheese 50 gms
  • 3/4 cup Sugar
  • 3 Eggs
  • 1 tbsp Vanilla essence
  • Juice of 1/2 Lemon
  • 1 tbsp Flour

Pistachio filling

  • 2 cups Pistachio cream
  • 1/2 cup Tahini
  • 4 cups roasted prepared Katifi
  • Crushed Pistachios

Chocolate

  • 300 gms 70% Dark Chocolate melted

Instructions
 

  • Prepare the cake batter mix according to the package instructions.
  • I used two pans -Springform pan – 10 inches & Brownie pan I- 11 x 7
  • Add 2 cups of the batter in the larger pan and 1 cup in the brownie pan
  • Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 – 30 mins
  • Remove and call
  • To make the filling, I’m going to prepare it in batches start with half of the Pistachio paste – I warmed this up in the microwave to make it easy to mix
  • Add half Tahini or Sesame paste and mix
  • I’m going to add in about half of the roasted dough
  • Mix this to coat
  • Add a thin layer of dark melted chocolate over the base on both cakes
  • For the Cheesecake, add a thin layer of the Pistachio filling and reserve one cup for later
  • Add about 2 cups of the cheesecake filling and tap to remove air bubbles
  • For the brownie version, since it’s not very high, add what’s left of the cheesecake batter and spread it. This is roughly a cup
  • Tap this as well to remove any air bubbles
  • For best results with cheesecake, it’s always best to cook it in a Bain Marie aka a water bath.
  • Elevate the cake pans (or you could wrap in foil to prevent water from seeping in)
  • Pour in hot water and put it to the oven
  • Bake for 35 – 45 mins
  • Make the batch of the filling
  • Once the cheesecakes are baked and cooled down, add another layer of melted chocolate
  • Top with the Pistachio filling and this time use the whole batch of the filling to top the cheesecake
  • Sprinkle with some reserved crispy Kataifi or Kunafa dough and some crushed Pistachios
  • For the Brownie version, scrape in all of the reserved filling from the first batch
  • Spread this out and add some more pistachios
  • Chill both cakes for at least 6 hours