Something very German today: Käsekuchen, traditional German-style Cheesecake. It is made with Quark, which is nearly impossible to find around here, but I make my own (sort of like making yogurt). I am always a little nervous when making cheesecake, actually, because it can get quite dense or develop an unslightly crack through the middle, but this was light an fluffy and very was a great success. It was tart and lemony and yet still sweet and light. Pleased with the result.
Ingredients
for the crust
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup butter, cold
for the filling
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups Quark, see note
1 package instant pudding vanilla powder
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whipping cream
You will also need a 9-inch spring form pan
Directions
Make your dough, as it will need to chill before you fill and bake it. Add the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder into a medium-sized bowl and give everything a stir with a spoon. Cut up the cold butter into small cubes and add them into the bowl. Also, add the vanilla extract and the egg into the bowl. Mix everything with together with a stand mixer or your hands until the dough is well combined and forms a ball. Cover the bowl with cling film and place it in the fridge for 20 minutes, then line the bottom of your 9-inch spring form pan with parchment paper and grease the sides. Press in the dough in with your fingers or the back of a greased glass (no need to roll out). You should have a crust of approximately 2 inches going up the sides of the pan. Place back into the fridge for an hour.
In a separate large bowl, mix the eggs with the sugar using the normal beaters of your stand mixer until you have a creamy mixture. Add the pudding powder, vanilla extract and lemon zest, and mix again until everything is well combined. Add in the Quark and thoroughly combine. In another bowl, whip the cream using the whisk attachment. Fold the whipped cream into the quark/egg mixture little by little using a spatula or large spoon. Make sure everything is well combined and there are no lumps.
Preheat oven to 330F. Fill the filling into the chilled crust. Bake the cake in the oven for 70-75 minutes. Turn off the oven, crack the door open, but leave the cake in for a few more minutes. Then remove the cake from the oven and let it cool fully before removing the ring of the spring form pan. You can dust the cheesecake with powdered sugar before serving (optional).
Note: quark is a German dairy product akin to a very very thick yogurt. It is very difficult to find, but check your cheese deli case – sometimes you can find it where you find the imported cheese. I make my own. If you can’t find it, I would combine 1 cup cream cheese and 1 cup mascarpone or even greek yogurt. Whip these two ingredients before adding to the egg mixture.
