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Phyllo Crinkle Cake (VIRAL Filo Crinkle Pie Recipe)

Crispy golden filo pastry edges baked in a rich egg custard, topped with a simple sugar syrup, flavored with rose water and orange blossom. Garnish with pistachio powder and dried rose petals, this dessert is the easiest and tastiest to whip up in no time. 

Taking this post back to 2023 when everyone was making it on TikTok. I didn’t get the hype when I saw the videos and thought it was pretty but nothing worth trying to make. Cut to today, I cannot believe I have been missing out all this time!!! This recipe is so simple to prepare and so delicious. I am sure you must have seen it online or eaten it at some point, maybe it wasn’t referred to as a flio crinkle pie as it has various names, such as phyllo milk pie, crinkle pie, filo pie, filo cake, filo crinkle cake, filo crinkle pie, phyllo crinkle cake, muakacha and many more. It doesn’t matter what you call it as long as you try this recipe and enjoy it – cause trust me, you will enjoy it!

I mean cannot get over how fancy and elegant it looks and how yummy it turns out every time. The beauty is you can customize to your liking based on what you prefer. The flavors can be changed in the custard. I used orange, cinnamon and vanilla in the custard but you could add lemon, mint, chocolate or anything you prefer. 

There are a few points to keep in mind when making this recipe to ensure you get a perfect outcome every single time. Starting with the melted butter, you need melted and cooled butter if you aren’t allowing it to cool a little the filo pastry can get soggy instantly. I like to brown my butter to add more flavor to the pie once baked. The dough must be crinkled and should fit the pan when baking. This helps the custard get soaked into those creases, making for those crispy golden edges on top and a custard like bottom once baked. The syrup you make whether you use honey or sugar to make it must be pour over the pie once it is hot out of the oven so it soak up the syrup and doesn’t get soggy. 

You most likely have most of the ingredients you need to make this recipe in your kitchen pantry. I have used a whole box of phyllo pastry and honestly it was perfect. The ratio of custard to pastry was spot on, so if you are going to half the pastry because your baking tray is smaller, make sure to half the custard as well. Let us get to it. 

What is filo pie?

A filo pie can be sweet or savory with feather like thin filo pastry dough that is layered with melted butter or oil, filled with a filling, sealed and baked until golden. This can be cut and served on its own with some sauce or a salad, depending on the recipe. In this case we are making a set filo pie that is basically filo pastry dough that is crinkled together to create these creases, it is drowned in a sweet egg custard and baked until golden. We then pour a a warm simply syrup on the top, slice and serve it as it is or with ice cream as well. 

Is filo the same as puff pastry?

Filo pastry is not the same as puff pastry. Filo pastry is a thin layer of dough that is layered over each other when baking. Puff pastry is layers of dough and fat laminated during the folding process of kneading. You cannot use puff pastry to make this recipe, it need filo pastry. 

What ingredients do you need to make this Filo Crinkle Pie?

To make this filo crinkle pie we need filo pastry, duh. You cannot make this recipe without it, we also need melted butter – I have used browned butter instead but you can use any melted butter you prefer. To make the egg custard we need milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, orange zest, milk powder (optional), salt and cinnamon. You can add orange blossom water into the custard but I add it in the syrup any way. To make the syrup you need water, honey, orange juice, orange blossom water, rose water. I have used a saffron cardamom honey but you can use regular honey and add cardamon pods with saffron strands into the syrup – alternatively leave them out completely. Top the pie with crushed/powdered pistachios and dried rose petals. 

What equipment do you need to make this Filo Crinkle Pie?

We need a large baking tray to layer the filo pastry, I have used a half sheet pan tray but you can use any tray you have, if the filo pastry is larger than the tray cut the dough to fit the pan before baking. The butter is browned in a sauce pot, we need a mixing bowl and whisk to beat the custard together which is baked in the oven. To make the simple syrup we need sauce pot and rubber spatula. 

How to make this Filo Crinkle Pie?

Preheat the oven to 180℃. Brown the butter and set it aside. In a another sauce pot add the water, orange juice, honey and boil for 5 -10 minutes until it has reduced. Add the orange blossom water, rose water as set aside. Start by crinkling the filo dough together to create folds, transfer this to a half sheet pan tray and layer them close to each other. Bake the pastry for 10 minutes. In the mean time, brown the butter and set aside. Once the flow pastry has little color, pour over the filo dough. Bake again for 10 minutes. In this time make the custard but whisk together all the ingredients. Pour it over the toasted filo pastry dough and bake for 10-15 minutes until the top is golden and the custard is set in the pastry. Pour over the simple syrup and cut into squares. 

Serving and storing this Filo Crinkle Pie?

Top each square with pistachios and dried rose petals. You could use any nuts you prefer or leave out the dried rose petals if you don’t have them. Serve it warm with tea, ice cream or whipped cream. I love having it with pistachio ice cream. Store the leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. When ready to eat, heat it in the oven so the pastry gets crispy on the top. If you microwave it, the pastry will get soggy and hot have that crispy crunch you want. The top must have a crunch and the bottom should be soft and custard like. 

Looking for more desserts to make this ramadan?

Now that we have covered how to make this Filo crinkle pie, you can have a look at the video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more baking recipe inspiration. 

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.  

Phyllo Crinkle Cake (VIRAL Filo Crinkle Pie Recipe)

Crispy golden filo pastry edges baked in a rich egg custard, topped with a simple sugar syrup, flavored with rose water and orange blossom. Garnish with pistachio powder and dried rose petals, this dessert is the easiest and tastiest to whip up in no time.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Cake, Dessert, Iftar, Pie, Suhoor, Sweet tooth
Cuisine Greek, Middle Eastern
Servings 10 people

Equipment

  • Half sheet pan tray
  • Sauce pots
  • Whisk
  • Rubber spatula

Ingredients
  

  • 1 box phyllo/filo pastry
  • 3/4 cup butter melted & browned

Custard -

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup milk
  • Zest of an orange
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Simple syrup -

  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup honey *check notes
  • 1/2 tsp rose water
  • 1 tsp oranger blossom water

Garnish -

  • Pistachios & Dried rose petals

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 180℃. Brown the butter and set it aside.
  • In a another sauce pot add the water, orange juice, honey and boil for 5 -10 minutes until it has reduced. Add the orange blossom water, rose water as set aside.
  • Start by crinkling the filo dough together to create folds, transfer this to a half sheet pan tray and layer them close to each other. Bake the pastry for 10 minutes.
  • Once the flow pastry has little color, pour over the filo dough. Bake again for 10 minutes.
  • In this time make the custard but whisk together all the ingredients. Pour it over the toasted filo pastry dough and bake for 10-15 minutes until the top is golden and the custard is set in the pastry.
  • Pour over the simple syrup and cut into squares. Top each square with pistachios and dried rose petals.
  • Serve it warm with tea, ice cream or whipped cream. I love having it with pistachio ice cream.

Notes

  • *I used a cardamom saffron honey can use a regular honey and add cardamom pods with saffron strands, alternatively leave it out and make a simple syrup with honey and water.
  • You don’t have to brown the butter I just prefer the flavor
  • The better the crinkled dough the more creases to hold that custard mixture
  • Do not over bake this pie, it will continue to cook/set once removed from the oven, if the center is a little jiggly you are in good territory

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