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Sweet Spot: Beesalt Balcony’s Baklava Cake

The delicate dessert has layers of phyllo dough, butter, spices, and vanilla ice cream

By Archana Ram September 13, 2017

Sweet Spot: Beesalt Balcony’s Baklava Cake — Photo by Brianne Cline

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Chef Costa Arabatzis was digging into the Hula Pie at Kimo’s restaurant in Maui a few years ago when he got the idea to give the dessert a Greek spin—the baklava ice cream cake now served at Del Mar’s Beesalt Balcony. Pulling inspiration from his family’s generations-old recipe, he starts the baklava base with phyllo dough brushed with clarified butter before adding ground walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar.

While that bakes and cools overnight, Arabatzis prepares his homemade honey cinnamon syrup, a concoction of star anise, cloves, and Grand Marnier. It’s all layered in a springform pan and paired with MooTime Creamery’s vanilla bean ice cream. Delicious any way you slice it.