I’m sharing a recipe for classic German cheesecake without a crust (or with a simple shortcrust pastry base), as it’s known for its light, airy, and lemony-fresh quark filling.
🍰 Classic German Cheesecake (Quark Cake)
This cheesecake uses quark for a lighter texture compared to American cream cheese.
📋 Ingredients
Ingredient Amount Notes
Low-fat quark (or full-fat quark) 1000 g (1 kg) Well drained (ideally overnight in a cloth).
Eggs (medium) 4 Separated into whites and yolks.
Sugar 150 g
Vanilla sugar 1 packet
Lemon juice 2 tbsp. Freshly squeezed.
Zest of 1 untreated lemon.
Vanilla pudding powder 1 packet. For thickening.
Butter (softened) 100 g
Optional: Raisins 50 g
🛠️ Preparation
I. Preparation
Prepare: Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Line a 26 cm (10-inch) springform pan with parchment paper.
Beat the egg whites: Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until very stiff. Set aside.
II. The quark mixture
Beat the cream: In a large bowl, cream the softened butter with the sugar and vanilla sugar until light and fluffy.
Stir in the egg yolks: Stir the 4 egg yolks one at a time into the butter-sugar mixture.
Add the flavorings: Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest.
Curd and pudding powder: Stir in the drained quark (it should be as dry as possible) and the pudding powder (unmixed) until a homogeneous mixture forms.
Fold in the egg whites: Finally, carefully fold the stiffly beaten egg whites into the quark mixture with a spatula or whisk to keep the mixture light. Optionally, add the raisins.
III. Baking
Filling: Pour the quark mixture into the prepared springform pan and smooth the surface.
Bake: Bake the cheesecake in a preheated oven on the middle rack for 60 to 75 minutes.
Test: The cake is done when it is golden brown around the edges and just slightly wobbly in the center.
Cooling (Very important!): Turn off the oven and let the cake cool in the oven for 30 minutes with the door slightly ajar. This prevents it from collapsing too much. Then remove it and let it cool completely to room temperature before refrigerating it.
The cheesecake tastes best when it is completely chilled.
Would you prefer a recipe for American New York cheesecake (with cream cheese and a cookie crust)?