I’m so excited to share this Honey Baklava Tart with you as it’s one of those recipes that was floating in my mind for a really long time before it came to fruition. Once it did, I wondered what took me so long. We’re talking the flavours of baklava, in tart form.

birdseye view of a baklava tart cut into 8 slices

Updated 18th November 2019

Let me take your tastebuds on a little trip around the world. This tart combines a little of Turkey, a little of Italy and a little of Greece with a handful of bold flavours perfectly balanced in a sticky, crunchy tart.

Pistachios, hazelnuts, cinnamon, honey, orange and each flavour shines through while not overpowering the next. I love, love, love this tart and it turns out perfect every time I make it. It’s elegant, exotic and totally delectable.

A closeup of a forkful of baklava tart with the rest of the slice on a white plate in the background

What is baklava?

So if you haven’t heard of or maybe haven’t tried baklava, it is traditionally a sweet pastry that is made of layer upon layer of super-thin crispy pastry (aka filo or phyllo) and nuts. Once baked, it is soaked with a very sweet sugar syrup and this sugar syrup is normally infused with things like rosewater, honey, orange blossom or lemon. Phew! It’s pretty amazing stuff.

The origin of baklava is disputed but safe to say we either have the Greeks or the Turkish to thank for this treat. Just so no one is confused, this tart is not baklava but is inspired by it.

While traditional baklava is served as little diamond-shaped crisp pastries, I love the softness of the frangipane topping on this one. The base is a crips sweet shortcrust topped with a layer of hazelnuts and pistachios and it’s all spiked with a sweet orange and honey syrup. It truly does taste like baklava in tart form.

What is frangipane?

Only one of my favourite tart fillings ever. Frangipane is an Italian tart filling made from just a few ingredients but the main one being almond meal / finely ground almonds. I’ve used it in things like my Lemon Blueberry Frangipane Shortbread Bars, Apple Frangipane Tart and my Strawberry Almond Tart. Have you ever heard of a Bakewell Tart? That’s frangipane. Soft, tender and very moreish.

Baklava is often made using nuts like pistachio, walnuts and hazelnuts. I’ve swapped out the walnuts and instead used the frangipane filling (almonds) as a third nutty flavour.

A slice of baklava tart on a white plate with syrup drizzling down the side

And that Honey Orange Syrup

Just like a regular baklava, this baklava tart has a sweet, sticky syrup made of honey and citrus. There is enough leftover to drizzle over the top of the baked tart or over individual slices to yours or your guests liking. Honey, orange juice and zest and a little water is simmered until thick and then used straight away on the nuts.

But it all starts with the crust

  1. Use a food processor to make an easy and quick pastry for the crust.
  2. You only need to process until the dough clumps together when pressed.
  3. Roll out the pastry dough and transfer it to a tart pan.
  4. Trim off the excess dough by rolling your rolling pin over the edges.
Collage of 2 photos showing how to make pastry dough in a food processor
Collage of 2 photos showing pastry dough being place into a tart tin

Some quick tips for the pastry

  • Docking – docking a pastry crust refers to make tiny little holes, usually with a fork, all over the base. The reason for docking a pastry case is to allow steam to escape so that the pastry doesn’t puff up on baking.
  • Blind Baking – if you’re new to blind baking, it just means to bake a tart case, without the filling, for a short time to dry it out a little so that it remains crispy even when filled with a moist filling. To blind bake you will need to line the tart case with baking paper then fill it with pie weights and bake. Don’t have pie weights, don’t worry. Just use dried lentils or rice to fill the baking paper and you can reuse them next time too.

How To Serve Honey Baklava Tart

One of the really lovely things about this tart is the fact that it can be served warm, room temperature or cold and it’s just as delicious. Serve the slices with the leftover syrup so your guests can adjust the sweetness to their own liking. To make it ultra-decadent you could serve some ice cream on the side.

This tart can be made a day ahead and will keep well stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.

PIN IT:
Click to Pin this recipe for later!

3 slices of baklava tart on a marble cake plate with a pot of syrup behind

Ready to treat your friends and family to an exotic treat. They won’t be disappointed with this stunning sweet and nutty tart.

If you try this honey baklava tart recipe, please take a moment to leave a rating and comment below. I love hearing from you and it helps other readers too! You can also take a photo and tag @sugarsaltmagic on Instagram.

More amazing tart recipes

A slice of baklava tart on a white plate with syrup drizzling down the side

Baklava Tart

Yield: 12 serves
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
4.6 from 32 ratings
This Honey Baklava Tart is a merging of cuisines. Italian Frangipane and Turkish Baklava combine to make a tender, luscious honey, pistachio and hazelnut tart. A truly special treat.
Print Rate Pin

Ingredients

For the Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

  • 195 g plain (all-purp) flour (1 ½ cups / 7oz)
  • 43 g icing (confectioners / powdered) sugar (⅓cup / 1.5oz)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 113 g unsalted butter, chilled, cut into cubes (1 stick / ½ cup)
  • 2 egg yolks, from large eggs

For the nut filling

  • ¾ cup pistachios (85g / 3oz)
  • ¾ cup hazelnuts (85g / 3oz)
  • 2 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
  • 50 g caster (superfine) sugar (¼ cup / 1.8oz)

For the orange syrup

  • ¼ cup water (60ml)
  • ½ cup honey (125ml / 170g)
  • 100 g white granulated sugar (½ cup / 3.50z)
  • zest of one orange
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice (notes)

For the frangipane filling

  • ½ cup white granulated sugar
  • 113 g unsalted butter, softened (½ cup / 1 stick)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon plain (all-purp) flour (notes)
  • 1 cup almond meal (ground almonds) (90g / 3oz)

For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided

Equipment

Instructions
 

For the tart shell.

  • Add the flour, sugar and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to mix well. Add the cold butter and blitz for about 20 seconds until it starts to look like breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks and blitz for another 10 seconds or so until well distributed (notes if you have no food processor).
  • Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in a piece of baking paper and sit in the fridge for ½ hour to chill.
  • Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / 160C fan forced. Line the base of a 22.5cm (9 inch) fluted tart tin with baking paper.
  • Once chilled, roll out the pastry between 2 sheets of baking paper to about 3-4mm thick. Remove the top sheet of paper and use the bottom sheet to help you flip the pastry over into the prepared tin, then remove the paper. Gently press the dough into all the corners and make sure the top edges are even. Prick the base all over with a fork.
  • Line the tart case with the same piece of baking paper and fill with baking beads (or rice). Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the baking paper with pie weights and return to the oven for another 10 minutes.

For the nut filling

  • Place the pistachios and hazelnuts into the bowl of a food processor and blitz until finely chopped. Alternatively, if you don't have a food processor, you can chop them by hand.
  • Add the cinnamon and sugar and mix well. Set aside.

For the orange honey syrup

  • Heat all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil and boil for about 8 minutes stirring every so often until thickened, and reduced by half.
  • Mix ⅓ cup of the syrup through the nut mixture, then spread the nut mixture over the pastry case base.

For the frangipane filling

  • Beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well. Finally, mix in the flour and almond meal.
  • Carefully spread the mixture over the top of the nut filling. Bake for 40-45 minutes, turning the tray half way through, until golden and springy on top.
  • Can be served warm, room temperature or cold. Serve with the leftover syrup on the side.

Notes

  1. I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (4 teaspooons worldwide)
  2. To make the pastry, if you have no food processor, mix the flour, sugar and salt well then add the cold butter. Use a knife or even your fingertips to gently cut the butter into the flour mix until the largest piece is no larger than a pea. Add the egg yolks and use a fork mix through well.
  3. For best results you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).
Looking for more frangipane recipes? Click here
Calories: 493kcal
Author: Marie Roffey
Course: Afternoon Tea, Desserts, High Tea, Snack, Sweets
Cuisine: Greek, Italian, Middle Eastern, Turkish
Have you tried this recipe?Don’t forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.