• Before you begin all ingredients must be at room temperature.

Syrup

• Place a small saucepan over a medium heat and add in the water, sugar, honey, lemon juice and cinnamon stick. Bring to a simmer and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside with the cinnamon stick still in the syrup so that it continues to infuse.

Cheesecake

• First prepare your nuts. In a food processor add in your pistachios and walnuts and pulse until crushed, but you still have little chunks. You don't want the nuts to be too fine as you want some 'crunch' in your cheesecake. See video for visual demonstration.
• Measure out 1/2 cup (60g) of the crushed nuts and set aside for decorating at the end. To the remaining nuts, add in the cinnamon powder and 1 tsp of white sugar. Mix and set aside.
• At this stage, preheat your oven to 140°C (284°F), with the fan on (see note 1 if you don't have a fan function).
• In a large bowl add in your cream cheese and mix with a hand or stand mixer on a medium speed until smooth (should take no more than 1 minute).
• Next add in the all purpose flour and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
• Next add in the white sugar (1 cup), sour cream, vanilla, lemon juice and salt. Mix until just combined (see note 2).
• Next add in the eggs one at a time, and mix only until each egg is just combined. This should take no more than 10 seconds between each egg. Once done set the cheesecake filling aside.
• Line the bottom of a 23cm (9inch) springform cake tin with baking paper so only the base is covered (see video demonstration on how to do this).
• Using a pastry brush, coat the bottom and sides with melted butter.
• Place a sheet of filo pastry in the cake tin (with some hanging over the edge). Then place another sheet of filo in the opposite direction so that the entire cake tin is covered and none of it is exposed.
• Coat the filo pastry in melted butter (make sure to get the sides as well), and place a thin layer of the crushed nuts (that we mixed the cinnamon and sugar in from earlier) evenly onto the filo. Then repeat the same steps. So 2 layers of filo pastry, brush with melted butter and then place a thin layer of crushed nuts. Again, 2 layers of filo pastry, brush with butter and then a thin layer of crushed nuts. One last time, 2 layers of filo pastry, brush with melted butter and then spread out a thin layer of the remaining nuts. This is what the order should be:

  1) 2 layers of filo, butter, crushed nuts

  2) 2 layers of filo, butter, crushed nuts

  3) 2 layers of filo, butter, crushed nuts

  4) 2 layers of filo, butter, crushed nuts
• Once done, place two more sheets of filo pastry on top and brush with the melted butter. So in total you should have used 10 sheets of filo.
• Pour your cheesecake batter into the cake tin. Using some scissors, cut the excess filo around the edges of the cake tin off. I also like to brush extra butter around the top edges of filo pastry.
• Drop your cake tin lightly onto your countertop to remove any large air bubbles. I also like to run a toothpick through the cheesecake batter.
• Place your cheesecake into the oven for 1 hour. At the 1 hour mark, carefully remove the sides of the springform pan, turn up the temperature to 160°C (320°F) (see note 3 if you don't have a fan function), and bake for a further 30 minutes, or until the filo pasty has a light golden colour. Check the cheesecake every 15 minutes to make sure it's not overbrowning.
• Once done, turn off the over and let the cheesecake cool in the oven with the oven door slightly open for 20 minutes. While cooling, reheat your sugar syrup from earlier and discard the cinnamon stick.
• Place a tray under the cheesecake and pour the hot syrup onto the filo pastry around the edges of the cheesecake. It's okay if some it gets onto the top of the cheesecake but try and get most of it onto the filo pastry. I also like to use a pastry brush and brush the sides of the cheesecake to make sure all the filo is coated in the syrup.
• Decorate the top with the 1/2 cup of crushed nuts we set aside from earlier and the dried edible roses.
• Allow the cheesecake to cool at room temperature for 2 hours, and then place it in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours before serving (best to leave overnight).