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Recipe for Baked German Cheesecake, a total feast for you to enjoy
A light and creamy with an ever-so-slight hint of lemon. Yes, I know the authentic German Cheesecake should be made with quark, but to make it easier for all to enjoy, today we have substituted quark with cottage cheese.
What is Cheesecake?
Cheesecake is a sweet dessert consisting of one or more layers. The main, and thickest layer, consists of a mixture of soft, fresh cheese, eggs, and sugar. If there is a bottom layer, it often consists of a crust or base made from crushed cookies, graham crackers, pastry, or sometimes sponge cake.
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Baked German Cheesecake
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Rest Time: 6 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Total Time: 9 hours
- Yield: 1 Cheesecake 1x
- Category: Cake, Cookies and Tarts, Cupcakes
Description
Cheesecake is technically a Pie and not a Cake, but let’s not get into that debate. I am sure you will enjoy this delicious baked German Cheesecake.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup cake flour
- 4 tbs castor sugar
- 150 g butter
- 1 egg yolk
Filling
- 750 g cottage cheese (3 tubs)
- 1/2 cup of castor sugar in this one I added a bit more sugar to sweeten
- 4 large eggs separated
- 2 tbs fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbs finely grated lemon zest
- 2 tsp vanilla essence
Instructions
- Crust Method:
- In a mixing bowl add flour, sugar, and butter and mix to form breadcrumbs then add in the egg yolk and a little water to combine the dough. About 2 tbs of water if needed!
- Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
- Once the dough is ready place it into the adjustable pan (springform pan) and bake the base at 180C / 350F for 15 -20 minutes.
- Remove it and allow it to cool, or you can use it as is. I baked the crust then crushed it down and added some butter and pressed it into my adjustable pan, as it tastes so much better than normal crushed biscuits.
- Once your base is ready, you will start preparing the filling! For this German cheesecake, I substituted quark and used cottage cheese instead!
Filling Method:
- Mix in a bowl using a beater, the cottage cheese, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla essence, and egg yolks until all combined and smooth, then add in the zest.
- Now whip up the egg white until you reach a soft peak, then fold into the egg yolk and mix.
- Lightly coat the sides of the adjustable ring with a pan release and pour in the batter over the biscuit crust.
Bake method:
- Place in the oven and bake for 60-70 minutes at 180C / 350F, or until the top is golden and slightly wobbly in the center.
- Do not remove it from the oven once baked. Leave the cheesecake in the oven to cool for about 30 minutes then open the oven further and leave another 15 minutes only then take it out and leave it to cool for 1 hour before you remove the adjustable ring and place the Cheesecake in the fridge to set.
- This cheesecake is best enjoyed after 4 hours or overnight!
Notes
Optional:
I did foil the base of the pan and added a bit of water in my base pan under the adjustable pan. This is not necessary, but I preferred this way.
Prepared, tried and tested by Quraisha Aboobaker
What is German quark?
Quark is a traditional, creamy, unripened cheese tracing its origin to German-speaking and Eastern European countries. Quark is said to be a cross between yogurt and cottage cheese. This fresh, soft, white cheese is prepared from pasteurized cow’s milk with a small amount of acid added to achieve a good, firm curd
How do you eat quark?
Quark can be eaten as it is. It’s a substitute for other spreads and an excellent base for dips or sandwich fillings, with herbs or with puréed or chopped vegetables, nuts, or fish; by adding a little sugar or cream it makes a delicious accompaniment to fruit.
Can you use Quark instead of cream cheese in cheesecake?
When: I substitute Quark for cream cheese in baking, dips, and spreads.
Why: Quark is higher in moisture so this makes a cheesecake lighter and fluffier, and pastry fillings smoother.
Substitutes for quark cheese
- Sour cream – use instead of quark to top baked potatoes.
- Natural or Greek yogurt – which has a similar consistency.
- Ricotta cheese – try quark in place of ricotta in a lasagna.
- Cream cheese – great as a sandwich spread.
Looking for more Cheesecake recipes? Well, we have plenty, check these out here and let us know which you like and tried at home.
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Thanks for dropping in and checking out the recipes and what’s on offer.
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Oooo this looks good! I love cheesecake, but I never think of it as pie. Then again, I don’t think of it as cake either, I guess I think of it as its own food category and the stuff of magic. I had no idea how German cheesecake was different or what the heck quark was, so I’ve learned something new today. Yum yum!
Caz xx
Caz, I love cheesecake as you do, and I am with you, never knew about quark. This is the beauty of this blogging business, you still get to learn new things daily, and never ever too old to learn. Thanks for popping in and enjoy this German cheesecake
Another terrific recipe, Esme! I retweeted and pinned for others to enjoy!
thanks so much John for visiting, commenting and sharing
This is very similar to the Jewish/German cheesecake we used to make many years ago. It is delicious. When our lads were young, they didn’t last long! x
I can imagine that the one you made must have been awesome as well.
This is a good recipe. Will share it with others.
Hi Javier. Thanks for popping in and sharing. Much appreciated.
I’m not a huge baked cheesecake fan but you had me at quark, which I love. Will save this to try on my return home. Thanks for sharing.
Justine, it’s always nice to enjoy something that’s tried and tested and we know its a good one. I usually go for the easy and quick ones, but our daughter is the guru with baked cheesecake so I will send this one to her to try out for us for our next get together. Hope you will get to try this at some point in time.
I have pinned this for when I can finally have someone around to dinner. It looks good and sounds as if it will be delicious.
Thanks or pinning ELlen – I truly hope you and your friends will enjoy this one