Ekmek Kataifi - Greek Dessert Recipe

I've never heard of Ekmek Kataifi before, but I saw a video for this Greek dessert, and I really liked it, so I wanted to try making it!

I made this DELICIOUS Ekmek Kataifi dessert from strands of kataifi dough, soaked in sugar syrup and topped with heavy custard and whipped cream! YUM!

Ekmek Kataifi

My secret to making your kataifi pastry crispy is to rub the pastry with butter until the pastry is fully covered with the butter. This step is so important to achieve crispy pastry.

I also like to make the custard layer a bit firmer so it doesn't ooze out of the pastry.

I also liked to top this dessert with crushed pistachio just to give it a pop of green (you may skip that if you want).

You'll Need

• Kataifi dough: You'll be able to find this at any Greek, Turkish or Middle Eastern store, it looks like vermicelli or shredded wheat.
• For the custard layer: I used butter, egg yolks, corn starch, sugar and milk.
• For the sugar syrup: I used sugar, water, few drops of lemon juice and a cinnamon stick.
• For the topping layer: I used heavy cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract. I also sprinkled crushed Pistachios on top.

“See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.”

How To make Ekmek Kataifi Recipe?

Making the this recipe is a process of four different preparations that make for each of the layers in the dessert. Let's start with the bottom layer and work our way up.

First Step - Prepare The Syrup

Add sugar, water, the cinnamon stick, lemon juice and its peel into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for about 3 minutes until slightly thickened, then turn off the heat. Allow it to cool.

Second Step - Make The Base

First thing's first, grease a 25cm baking pan with butter. And preheat the oven to 170C.

Using your hands, tear apart the kataifi dough spreading the strands out so they can get nice and feathery. 

Now spread the kataifi dough to the bottom of the pan that we had greased earlier and pour melted butter over it.

Plop it in the oven and let it bake for 30-40 minutes until crispy and golden brown.

Take it out of the oven and pour the syrup over it while hot and allow the dough to absorb it.

Third Step - Prepare The Custard

In a large mixing bowl, add the egg yolks and half the sugar, whisk until fluffy. Add corn starch and 4 tablespoons of milk, and whisk again until it's all well combined. Go ahead and set this aside for later.

Now, pour the rest of the milk into a large saucepan over high-medium heat and add the sugar and the vanilla extract, bringing it to a boil.

Then, remove the saucepan from the heat and pour about ¼ cup of milk from the saucepan into the egg mixture. Don't forget to actively whisk while doing this.

Then add the remaining milk and whisk again. The trick here is to add the milk slowly into the egg mixture so it merges well. 

Finally, place this final mixture back on the stove and lower the heat to medium, whisking continuously until the mixture has thickened.

Remove the pan from the heat, add the butter and stir until it's all nice and consistent. Let it cool.

Forth Step - Prepare The Whipped Cream

In a mixing bowl, whisk the cold heavy cream, vanilla extract and sugar until soft peaks form.

Fifth Step - Assemble The Ekmek Kataifi

Top the kataifi base with the thick custard, and use a spatula to even it out.

Spread the whipped cream evenly on top of custard, then sprinkle some chopped pistachios for the final touch.

Store in the fridge or serve immediately.

The classic Ekmek Kataifi is ready to add dazzle to your dinner table.

Top Tips!

• If you refrigerate this Kataifi for about 3-4 hours before your serve, it'll beautifully set all the layers together. And add the whipped cream just before you serve.
• The trickiest part of this recipe is the custard which should be firm enough to sit on top of the pastry, almost like a custard slice. So whisk the mixture until it's a nice dumpy consistency.
• Chill the mixing bowl and whisk attachment you'll use for the whipped cream for 15 minutes before you start.

More Mediterranean Recipes

• Basbousa ( Semolina Cake )
• Sweet Kunafa Recipe
• Greek Custard Pie With Syrup (Galaktoboureko)
• Kunafa with cream
• Qatayef (Atayef).

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Recipe Card