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German
Cheesecake - Kaesekuchen
Here’s Antje’s cheesecake recipe, and the note that
accompanied it: "I would love to share my cheesecake
recipe with you; feel free to ‘experiment’ with it,
I even might use your recipe afterwards... The main
difference between an American and a German
cheesecake, as I see it, is the texture, because in
a German cheesecake the egg whites get whipped and
folded into the cheese mixture before baking. Also,
Germans use Quark for the filling, a dairy product
which translates to curds or cottage cheese, but
actually has a smooth texture, and some ‘tang.’ I
have sometimes used drained yogurt instead of Quark,
but like it better with a mixture of cream cheese
and drained yogurt. So here it is."
Antje’s recipe was written in the European style-all
metric weights. We’ve translated it to American
volume measurements but, as always, have included
the (American) weight measurements, too. Baking is
so much easier when you use a scale!
No one should ever give us permission to play with
his or her recipe-because we undoubtedly will. We
made it just as she said, and it really was very
good; but then we amended it slightly, mostly to
make it easier to put together, and to eliminate
little bits of leftover ingredients (1/2 cup plain
yogurt, for example).
Draining the yogurt is an important step-you’ll lose
almost 50 percent of the volume in liquid. You may,
if you like, use this drained-off liquid (whey) in
baking. It does have a tang and slightly bitter
taste, so we suggest substituting half of the liquid
called for in a recipe with whey, and then
increasing the amount of whey if you like the
results.
Crust
1 1/2 cups (6 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached
All-Purpose Flour or Mellow Pastry Blend
3 tablespoons (1 3/4 ounces) sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter
1 egg
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind, from 1/2 lemon
(optional)
1/8 teaspoon lemon oil (optional)
*Antje’s recipe didn’t call for salt or lemon rind
or oil. But we thought it tasted a bit flat without
the salt. We added the lemon rind because it was
left over from the filling.
Filling
2 pounds (one large container, about 4 cups) plain
yogurt (low-fat is fine, non-fat won’t work),
drained
8-ounce package cream cheese
3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) sugar
2 tablespoons (5/8 ounce) cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup (6 ounces) sour cream
juice and grated rind of 1/2 lemon (1 tablespoon
lemon rind and 2 tablespoons lemon juice)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Crust: This crust is very easy to put together. Just
use a mixer to combine all of the ingredients till
they become cohesive. Press the dough into a 10- or
11-inch springform pan, working it up the sides of
the pan about 1 inch. Prick the dough every inch or
so with a fork, and bake it in a preheated 400°F
oven for 10 minutes. If it’s puffed up, prick it
gently with a fork; it’ll flatten out. Set the crust
aside to cool while you’re putting together the
filling.
Filling: Drain the yogurt through several layers of
cheesecloth (or use a yogurt cheese maker) for at
least 6 hours, and up to 36 hours. Save the drained
liquid (whey) to use in baking (particularly yeast
bread-baking), if you like.
In a medium-sized bowl, beat the cream cheese until
it’s soft, and no lumps remain. Add the sugar,
cornstarch, salt, baking powder, and two of the egg
yolks to the cream cheese and beat until fluffy.
Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and add the
remaining egg yolks, beating till fluffy.
Stir in the drained yogurt, the sour cream, and the
flavorings. Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl,
just until they’re glossy and hold a soft peak.
Gently but thoroughly fold them into the cheese
mixture, and pour the batter into the crust.
Bake the cake in a preheated 400°F for 25 minutes.
Check it and tent it lightly with aluminum foil if
it’s starting to brown. Reduce the oven heat to
350°F and continue baking for an additional 15 to 20
minutes; the finished cake should be firm at the
edges, but wobble slightly in the center. An
instant-read thermometer inserted into the middle
will read 165°F or above. Turn the oven off, and let
the cake rest in the oven for 15 minutes; then
remove it from the oven, cool for an hour or so at
room temperature, and refrigerate for several hours
before serving. This cake is very nice served with
sliced strawberries, or a raspberry sauce. Yield: 12
servings.
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