Syrnyky and Cheese Bakes

Flourless Cheese Bake

Without flour, only the eggs hold this bake together, and egg protein hates fierce heat: above 160 °C it tightens and squeezes water out. So the tin goes into a water bath, which stops the mixture climbing past boiling point. Instead of a grainy sponge you get a dense, silky cream.

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Flourless Cheese Bake — the finished dish
Prep
15 min
Cook
50 min
Rest
2 h
Total
3 h 5 min
Servings
6
Level
Medium
Per serving
285 kcal

Ingredients

  • What to use instead

    Thick Greek yogurt can replace the sour cream, but drain that too — a runny yogurt wrecks the texture.

Makes: one 20 cm round tin, 6 portions

Method

  1. Step 1: Drain the curd

    This is the single most important step in the recipe: there is nothing here to bind loose water. Drain wet cheese in a cloth for 30 minutes and squeeze it gently.

  2. Step 2: Blitz it smooth

    Blend the cheese with the sour cream for a minute or two until completely uniform. With no flour in the mix, every grain shows in the finished bake.

  3. Step 3: Add the eggs

    Stir in the sugar, vanilla sugar, salt and zest, then the eggs one at a time, on low speed or by hand. Do not whip — air in this mixture turns into holes.

  4. Step 4: Prepare the tin

    Butter a springform tin and wrap the base and sides tightly in two layers of foil so no water can seep in.

  5. Step 5: Set up the water bath

    Pour the mixture into the tin, stand the tin in a deep roasting dish and pour boiling water into the dish to halfway up the sides of the tin.

  6. Step 6: Bake gently

    Bake at 160 °C for 50 minutes. The edges should be set while a circle about 5 cm across in the centre still wobbles loosely.

  7. Step 7: Cool it in stages

    Turn the oven off and leave the bake in the water with the door propped open for 30 minutes, then lift it out.

  8. Step 8: Chill

    An hour and a half in the fridge turns the texture dense and creamy. Warm, this bake slumps on the plate. Serve with berries.

Tips & variations

  • Tip

    Use wide foil with no seam underneath: the smallest gap and the base of the bake takes on water.

  • Swap

    Thick Greek yogurt can replace the sour cream, but drain that too — a runny yogurt wrecks the texture.

  • Variation

    Fold in 100 g of raspberries or blueberries just before baking; add them frozen so they do not sink.

  • Storage

    Four days in the fridge, covered. It tastes best on day two, once the zest has fully perfumed the curd.

Nutrition

Approximate nutrition per serving and for the whole dish
1 serving Whole dish 6 servings
Energy285 kcal1,710 kcal
Protein20 g120 g
Fat14 g84 g
Carbohydrates19 g114 g

Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.

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