Cook and Scale
German Quark Cheesecake (Käsekuchen)
6 servings · 65 min total
A classic German baked cheesecake made with creamy quark instead of cream cheese, lightly sweetened and brightened with lemon zest — tender, tangy, and irresistibly light.
Ingredients
- 500 g quark
- 130 g butter, softened, plus extra for the tin
- 150 g white sugar
- 3 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 40 g semolina
- 40 g cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- powdered sugar to taste
Contains: Gluten, Milk, Egg
Allergen info is best-effort — please verify yourself.
Method
- 1.
Prep the springform tin — Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease a 24 cm springform tin with butter.
- 2.
Cream butter and sugar — In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with the sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- 3.
Beat in eggs and vanilla — Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then stir in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
- 4.
Fold in the quark — Fold in the quark until smooth, then sift in the semolina, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt, mixing gently until just combined.
- 5.
Pour into the tin — Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top with a spatula.
- 6.
Bake until just set — Bake for 55–60 minutes, until the top is golden and the center is just set with a slight wobble.
- 7.
Cool and chill the cake — Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake cool inside with the door ajar for 1 hour to prevent cracking, then chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours before serving.
- 8.
Dust and slice to serve — Dust with powdered sugar to taste and slice to serve.