• Pre-heat oven to 180°c.
• Place sugar, 200ml water and lemon juice in a heavy bottomed saucepan.
• Bring to the boil and simmer on a low light for approximately 10 minutes or until the liquid has become a syrup. Remove from heat and leave to cool.
• When the syrup has cooled add the rose water then set aside to be used later.
• Melt the butter and use a little to grease a 28cm spring form tin
• In a large bowl break apart the kunafa pastry until all the shreds are loose.
• Mix the butter in, using your hands, so all the pastry is well coated.
• Beat together the ricotta cheese, mascarpone cheese, egg yolks and caster sugar until smooth.
• Take the greased 28cm springform tin and sprinkle the blanched almonds over the bottom. Press half of the kunafa dough down over the almonds.
• Spread the cheese mixture over the kunafa, using a palette knife so you have an even layer.
• Take the other half of the kunafa dough and press over the top. 
• Bake for approximately 40 minutes until golden.
• Remove from the oven and sprinkle ground pistachios on the top.
• Pour the rosewater syrup evenly over the cake and leave to cool before removing  from the tin.

Recipe adapted from: The Modern Jewish Pantry, Skyhorse Publishing 
Food styled by Mandy Thompson