🍰 Guava & Cream Cheese Crinkle Cake

This Guava & Cream Cheese Crinkle Cake is a stunning twist on the viral TikTok crinkle dessert. With layers of crisp, buttery phyllo, sweet guava jelly, tangy cream cheese, and a silky custard, it’s baked until golden and finished with a light lemon syrup. A tropical-inspired dessert that’s as impressive as it is easy to make!

Serves: 10–12
Prep Time: 25 mins
Cook Time: 40–50 mins
Total Time: ~1 hour 15 mins

🧾 Ingredients

For the Crinkle Cake:

1 (16 oz.) package phyllo dough (2 rolls inside)
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
⅓ cup guava jelly

For the Cream Cheese Filling:

8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tbsp granulated sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp heavy cream

For the Custard:

1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
½ tbsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp kosher salt

For the Syrup:

1 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

👩‍🍳 Instructions

1. Prepare the Crinkle Base

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
Take 2 sheets of phyllo dough, stacked, and hold them by the short edge. Crinkle them like an accordion (about 1-inch folds) and place them vertically into the pan.
Repeat until all dough is used and the pan is filled. Gently fluff any tight areas for even spacing.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and drizzle the melted butter evenly across the top.
Return to oven and bake for another 10 minutes (20 minutes total).
Let cool slightly. Meanwhile, transfer the guava jelly to a piping bag. Set aside.

2. Make the Cream Cheese Filling

In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream until smooth.
Transfer to a separate piping bag and set aside.

3. Make the Custard

In a large bowl, whisk together all custard ingredients until smooth and fully combined.

4. Fill & Bake the Cake

After 20 minutes of baking, remove the crinkle base from the oven.
Snip the ends of both piping bags.
Pipe guava jelly into some of the phyllo folds, spacing them out.
Pipe cream cheese filling into the remaining folds.
Pour the custard evenly over the entire cake.
Return to the oven and bake for 30–40 minutes, until the top is golden and crisp and the custard is set.

5. Make the Syrup

While the cake bakes, combine water, sugar, and lemon juice in a small saucepan.
Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes until slightly thickened.
Remove from heat and set aside.

6. Finish & Serve

Once the crinkle cake is baked, pour the warm syrup evenly over the top.
Allow to cool to room temperature so the syrup can soak in.
Slice and enjoy!

🍮 Pro Tips

Use room-temperature cream cheese for the smoothest filling.
Guava jelly can be swapped with apricot, raspberry, or mango preserves if desired.
Letting the cake cool before slicing ensures the custard sets fully and cuts cleanly.

🌺 Perfect For:

Holidays & special occasions
Brunch parties
Tropical dessert cravings

Guava and Cheese Crinkle Cake