Cakes & Bread
Kunafa Bil Ashta (Palestinian-Lebanese Cream-Filled Kunafa)
Prep
40 min
Cook
35 min
Servings
8
Level
Medium
Kunafa bil ashta, a premium version of kanafeh filled with soft, creamy milk custard from Palestinian-Lebanese cuisine! Crispy layers of kataifi pastry wrap around the smooth, rich ashta (clotted cream) filling, drizzled with rose water sugar syrup. A dessert of true Levantine elegance.
🧂 Ingredients
🍽️ Servings: 8
Adjust the servings and the ingredient amounts & nutrition below update automatically.
- 250g kataifi noodles (shredded phyllo pastry)
- 120g unsalted butter, melted
- 500ml For the ashta filling: whole milk
- 100ml heavy cream
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp rose water
- 1 tbsp orange blossom water (mazaher)
- 180g For the syrup: granulated sugar
- 130ml water
- 1 tbsp rose water
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Chopped green pistachios and dried rose petals for garnish
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👩🍳 Instructions
- 1 Make the ashta: dissolve the cornstarch in a little cold milk
- 2 Cook the remaining milk and cream with the sugar until it's almost boiling
- 3 Pour in the cornstarch mixture while stirring constantly
- 4 Cook until it thickens into a soft, pudding-like consistency
- 5 Add the rose water and orange blossom water, stir, then cool with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface
- 6 Make the syrup: cook the sugar and water until dissolved, add the rose water and lemon juice, then let cool
- 7 Loosen and mix the kataifi with the melted butter
- 8 Press half of the kataifi into a buttered baking pan
- 9 Spread the cooled ashta filling on top
- 10 Cover with the remaining kataifi and press down
- 11 Bake in the oven at 190°C (375°F) for 25-30 minutes until golden
- 12 Flip onto a serving plate and drizzle with the cold syrup
- 13 Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and garnish with dried rose petals
- 14 Serve warm
💡 Tips
• The ashta filling must be completely cold and set before adding it to the kunafa, so it doesn't melt while baking
• Orange blossom water (mazaher) is the key to the distinctive aroma of Levantine kunafa that sets it apart from regular kanafeh
• Kunafa is best eaten the same day it's made — the kataifi texture won't be the same the next day
📊 Nutrition Facts / serving
340
Calories (kcal)
7g
Protein
16g
Fat
44g
Carbs
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