For the cake

• 2 sheets of phyllo dough
• 1 cup melted unsalted butter
• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

For the syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp. lemon juice

Step 1
Start by holding 2 sheets of phyllo dough by the corners, like you’re shaking out a bedsheet. Scrunch the sheets up into a fluffy accordion about 1″ thick. Lay it into a parchment lined 13×9″ baking pan—folds facing upward—and repeat until the baking pan is full. Then bake the phyllo on its own for 10 minutes at 350°.

Step 2
After the first bake, drizzle 1 cup melted unsalted butter evenly over the phyllo. Bake for another 10 minutes. During this bake, whisk together 1 cup milk, 2 eggs, 1 cup sugar, and 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract in a medium bowl until combined. Remove the phylo from the oven and pour the custard evenly over the phyllo before returning to the oven until the top is golden and crispy, 30–40 minutes.

Step 3
Last, you’ll want to prepare the syrup by simmering 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, and 1 tsp. lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. The sugar syrup won’t go back into the oven, so you should aim to reduce the liquid until the texture is slightly thicker than simple syrup to avoid a soggy cake. Remove the cake from the oven and drizzle syrup on top. Then allow the cake to cool before cutting and serving.