Easy genuine German cheesecake

No crust and ultimate rich soft goodness – an easy original recipe for ‘Käsekuchen’ handed down 3 generations!

You won’t find anything more traditional and genuine than this cheesecake recipe! This recipe is kind of a family secret and has been handed down for 3 generations. It is easy to make and has a rich, soft and creamy texture. In Germany we use ‘Quark’ for this recipe which has a creamy and slightly crumbly texture. In other countries this is often known as soft curd or cottage cheese. If you can’t find it, use farmer cheese or cottage cheese (wiki on availability and alternatives). This recipe skips the crunchy crust you come across in most cheesecakes. It not only saves you time but also lets you enjoy even more of the smooth velvety filling with a nicely browned and caramelized edge.

Little troubleshooting: The batter should turn out smooth, but if you for some reason end up with lumps, put the batter through a strainer, pushing the lumps through with the back of a spoon.

Give it a try and enjoy a nice creamy slice of German tradition!

(For 1 springform tin – this will give you easily 16 slices)

Ingredients

• 1000g ‘Quark’, I prefer the skimmed variety ‘Magerquark’ for this recipe; you can use a soft cottage cheese
• 6 eggs
• 250g sugar
• 200g butter or margarine, at room temperature (otherwise you will get bad results!)
• 100g flour
• 4ml lemon aroma or fresh zest of half a lemon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar

Mix all ingredients well and bake!

Preheat an oven to 180°c (fan works best). Line the bottom of a springform tin with parchment paper and butter the sides of the tin. This will help the cake to loosen from the sides once baked.

In a large kitchen bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well with a handheld mixer until you have a completely smooth batter. The butter needs to be at room temperature, otherwise you will get a lumpy result.

Pour your batter into the lined springform and bake in the oven for 60 minutes. If your cake gets too brown, cover with aluminum foil.

Take a knife and cut around the side of the cake to separate it from the tin.

Turn off the heat, and let the cake rest in the oven for another 10 minutes.

Let the cake cool overnight in the fridge and serve the next day with a smile!

You can serve the cheesecake with a topping of fruit if you want to, but it is good to go on its own! My mum puts tangerines on top of the baked and cooled cheesecake, sealing them in with ‘Tortenguss’ – a clear glaze which is often used on fruit-topped pies in Germany. She sometimes also adds raisins or tangerines to the filling, which gives the cake a fruity twist as well.

Let me know in the comments what you think of the recipe! Did you enjoy the rich creamy texture of it? Think that the recipe is missing a crunchy crust? Have a family recipe that beats this one? I want to know it all!