We will start with preparing the sugar syrup. Add the water, sugar and lemon juice to a deep saucepan and bring to a boil.

Do not stir, let it boil till all the sugar dissolves.

Reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the vanilla essence and transfer the syrup to a mug to cool completely.

Now we will prepare the custard. In a saucepan, whisk together the cream and cornstarch until well combined and without any visible lumps.

Bring to a boil over medium heat while whisking constantly to prevent the cream from sticking to the bottom and burning.

Whisk while starting to thicken, about 5 minutes, remove from the heat and add the Biscoff spread. Stir till you have a smooth texture.

Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to cool till needed.

And finally we create the Kunafa crust. Crush the dough using your hands but make sure it is not super fine. You need texture.

Pour ¼ cup of melted ghee and use a long fork or by using your hands to rub the dough with ghee. Add the remaining ghee and make sure every strand of the dough is coated with ghee. You can switch to a rubber spatula and do the folding method to ensure an even coating. Take time for this step as this is what makes a baked kunafa soft and crispy.

Grease a 28 cm pan with ghee all over and on the sides.

Transfer ⅔ of the prepared dough onto the greased pan and spread it to cover the bottom. Use the back of a spoon to help you with flattening the crust evenly. Spread the crust to the sides of the pan to make a wall around the pan. This will encase the cream filling that you will add. Make sure there are no cracks in the bottom and that it is even throughout.

Pour the prepared cream Biscoff filling into the crust. Spread the filling evenly across the crust using the back of a spoon.

Spread the remaining kunafa dough carefully and lightly all over the cream filling. Make sure no cream is visible.

Use the spoon to lightly press down around the edge to seal the crust.

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Bake the kunafa for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top and sides of the kunafa are deep golden brown in colour and have pulled away from the sides of the pan. If you notice the sides brown and released much earlier, then reduce the temperature to 180°C for the remaining time.

Remove from the oven and immediately pour the cooled sugar syrup into a thin stream making sure to cover the entire surface. (Reserve the remaining syrup for later.)

Let it rest in the pan itself for 10 minutes.

Flip onto a serving platter. Keep the serving platter on the cake pan, hold with both hands and flip so that the cake pan is on top now. Remove the pan to reveal the beautifully baked kunafa.

Garnish with Biscoff spread and Biscoff cookies.