German Cheesecake
German cheesecake is built on quark rather than cream cheese, and that changes everything: the flavour is cleaner and slightly tart, the texture lighter — closer to a baked curd pudding than to a dense New York slice. The whites are whipped separately and folded in last, so the cake rises well in the oven, then settles and cracks a little on top. That is how it should be; a perfectly flat Käsekuchen looks suspicious.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 1 h 10 min
- Rest
- 3 h
- Total
- 4 h 40 min
- Servings
- 16
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 360 kcal
Ingredients
For the base
For the filling
-
What to use instead
400 g of sour cream can stand in for the double cream. The cake comes out denser and sharper, closer to a home-style bake.
Makes: One 26 cm cake, 16 slices
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
-
Step 1: Make the base
Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, add the cold diced butter and rub to crumbs. Beat in the egg and bring the dough together quickly. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
-
Step 2: Line the tin
Heat the oven to 165 °C. Press the pastry over the base of a 26 cm springform and up the sides to a rim 3 cm high. Prick the base and return the tin to the fridge while you make the filling.
-
Step 3: Mix the filling
Push the quark through a sieve — this single step decides how smooth the filling is. Add the yolks, both sugars, cornflour, lemon juice and zest, pour in the cream and beat until even.
-
Step 4: Fold in the whites
Whip the whites to stiff peaks and fold them into the quark in three goes, working from the bottom up. The mixture should stay airy and pour slowly rather than run.
-
Step 5: Bake
Pour the filling into the tin and level it. Bake for 60–70 minutes: the edges should be set while a patch in the middle the size of your palm still wobbles when you nudge the tin.
-
Step 6: Cool in the oven
Switch the oven off, prop the door open on a wooden spoon and leave the cake inside for an hour. A sudden change of temperature is the main cause of deep cracks.
-
Step 7: Chill before serving
Run a knife between the cake and the rim, cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Cut warm, the filling has not set enough to hold.
Tips & variations
-
Tip
The quark must be dry. If it is wet, drain it in muslin for an hour, or the filling never thickens and stays damp in the middle.
-
Swap
400 g of sour cream can stand in for the double cream. The cake comes out denser and sharper, closer to a home-style bake.
-
Variation
The classic German variation is 100 g of raisins folded into the filling, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes first.
-
Storage
Covered in the fridge it keeps four days. It freezes in slices, though the filling turns grainier once thawed.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 16 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 360 kcal | 5,760 kcal |
| Protein | 14 g | 224 g |
| Fat | 19 g | 304 g |
| Carbohydrates | 33 g | 528 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
Cooked it? Rate the recipe
No ratings yet — yours will be the first.
