Tikvenik (Bulgarian pumpkin strudel)

5 from 3 votes

Tikvenik (Bulgarian pumpkin strudel)

This delicious pastry combines a tender, warmly spiced pumpkin filling with light and crisp pastry in a pretty coiled design.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Bulgarian

Servings: approx (or less if larger portions)

Calories: 221kcal

Author: Caroline's Cooking

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Ingredients

For the filling

8 oz pumpkin (peeled and de-seeded weight)
1 ½ tablespoon butter
3 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoon chopped walnuts or more to taste

For the pastry

1 ½ tablespoon butter
4 sheets filo pastry

To finish

½ tablespoon confectioner's sugar icing sugar, approx

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Lightly butter a small, 8in/20cm skillet/frying pan (7in/18cm also fine).
Coarsely grate the peeled and de-seeded pumpkin. Warm the butter in a large skillet over a medium heat and add the pumpkin. Cook for a minute or two to soften, then add the sugar and cinnamon. Cook a minute or two more, stirring and spreading slightly so excess moisture can evaporate but the pumpkin keeps its form. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
Melt the butter for the pastry in the microwave or over a gentle heat in a small pan. Place one sheet of pastry on a clean, dry work surface and brush it with butter. Place a second piece of pastry on top, matching the edges as best you can.
Divide the pumpkin filling and the walnuts in two. Put one half of the pumpkin filling along one long edge of the pastry in a line, then put half of the walnuts either right next to the pumpkin or on top. Lightly brush the rest of the pastry that doesn't have filling on it with a little butter.
Carefully roll the pastry from the edge near the filling to make a long, even log with the filling in the middle. Don't roll too tightly, a little space in there is fine to make it easier to coil. Then carefully pick up the roll and coil it from one end around itself inside the buttered skillet (see photos above).
Repeat with the remaining pastry and fillings - brush one piece of pastry with butter, top with the other piece, put the pumpkin filling and walnuts along one edge and roll up. When you put this roll in the skillet, try to join the end of the previous coil with the end of this one so it makes one large coil.
Brush the top of the coiled up pastry with butter then place in the oven for approximately 40 minutes until the top is golden brown and the pastry is crisp.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a couple minutes before dusting with powdered sugar/icing sugar. Serve warm or room temperature, cut in slices through the coils.

Notes

If you prefer more nuts, you could easily double the walnuts in the filling. Also, if you want to completely fill an 8in/20cm skillet then use approx ½ again of everything, ie 12oz total pumpkin, 6 sheets of filo pastry etc. and adding a third roll with filling to the coil. Cook time will remain the same.

Nutrition