Authentic German Cheesecake Food

AUTHENTIC GERMAN CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Combine sifted flour, baking powder, salt, lemon zest, sugar, and vanilla sugar or extract.
• Cut in the cold butter. Add the beaten egg and then use your hands to form into a dough.
• Wrap dough in plastic and chill in the fridge for an hour.
• After the dough has chilled, form it into a disc and then roll it out on a floured surface. Shape dough into a disc again, and roll it out once or twice more. I found the dough very crumbly and hard to work with at first, but after I rolled it out twice, it became much easier to work with.
• Roll dough out once more and then transfer to a prepared 9-inch springform pan. (See photos above for how to fold and transfer the dough to the springform pan.) Use your fingers to press the dough so that it evenly covers the bottom and all the way up the sides of the pan.
• Beat the egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla sugar until pale. Add softened butter and continue beating until well combined. Add the heavy cream and beat again. Add quark (or Greek yogurt or pureed cottage cheese) and beat one more time until everything is thoroughly combined.
• Beat egg whites and salt to stiff peaks in a separate bowl. Fold egg whites and sifted cornstarch into cheesecake batter.
• Pour cheesecake batter into a 9-inch springform pan and bake on 300F for about 60 minutes. (My cheesecake needed 70 minutes.) The cheesecake is done when the edges are browned and a toothpick comes out clean. The center of the cheesecake will be a bit wiggly and it will fall as it cools - that's normal.
• Let the cheesecake cool on the counter for an hour and then several hours in the fridge. It's best to make this cheesecake the day before you want to serve it. Enjoy!

AUTHENTIC GERMAN CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Mix together the sugar, cornstarch, and flour and set aside.
• Combine the cream cheese and cottage cheese; beat with an electric mixer at high speed until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the softened butter. Gradually add the sugar mixture, beating until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, blending well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla and mix just until smooth.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake rest in the oven with the door closed for 2 hours. Remove and cool on a wire rack. Chill for 4 hours or overnight.

GERMAN CHEESECAKE (KäSEKUCHEN)

Steps:

• Add the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder into a medium-sized bowl and give everything a stir with a spoon.
• Cut up the cold butter into small cubes and add them into the bowl. Also, add the vanilla extract and the egg into the bowl.
• Mix everything with the spiral dough hooks of your electric mixer or your clean hands until the dough is well combined and forms a ball. Cover the bowl with cling film and place it in the fridge.
• In a separate large bowl, mix the eggs with the sugar using the normal beaters of your electric mixer until you have a creamy mixture. Add the pudding powder and vanilla extract and mix again until everything is well combined. Then add the oil and the lemon zest and mix again.
• In another bowl, whip the cream using clean (!) beaters of your electric mixer.
• Fold the whipped cream and quark into the mixture in the large bowl little by little using a spatula or large spoon. Make sure everything is well combined and there are no lumps. Set the mixture aside.
• Line the bottom of your 9 1/2 inch springform pan with parchment paper and grease the sides. Also preheat the oven to 330 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Take out the dough from the fridge and sprinkle your countertop with a little bit of flour. Roll out your dough using a rolling pin until it is just a bit larger than your springform pan. Place the rolled out dough into the pan and press it into place. You should have a crust of approx. 1 inch going up the sides of the pan.
• Once your crust is fitted well, pour the filling into the pan and make sure it is evenly distributed using a spatula or spoon.
• Bake the cake in the lower third of your oven for 60-70 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool fully before removing the ring of the springform pan. You can dust the cheesecake with powdered sugar before serving (optional).

AUTHENTIC AND EASY GERMAN CHEESECAKE (KäSEKUCHEN)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease the bottom of a 9" round springform pan. Add in a parchment round, then liberally grease the parchment round and sides of pan.
• For the crust: In a medium bowl, combine 2/3 cup butter, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 egg and the flour with a spoon until combined. Press into the bottom of the pan and lightly up the sides of the pan.
• For the cheesecake filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together remaining butter and the remaining granulated sugar with the paddle attachment until creamy, about 1 minute. Separate the eggs - one bowl of whites, and one bowl of egg yolks, and add in the egg yolks to the cheesecake batter one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in the quark or ricotta. Beat in the vanilla sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon juice, followed by the vanilla pudding powder. Set aside briefly.
• In another stand mixer bowl, beat the egg whites until stiffened, about 5-7 minutes. Fold the stiff egg whites into the cheesecake batter until fully incorporated. Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top.
• Bake for approximately 1 hour, then turn off the oven and crack the door, leaving the cheesecake in the oven for 10 minutes. Gently remove the cheesecake and allow to come to room temperature before refrigerating for at least 2 hours to set and chill. Serve with whipped cream and berries, if desired.

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Position racks in the middle and lower third of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Make the crust: Wrap the outside (bottom and side) of a 9-inch springform pan with foil. Coat the inside of the pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. Pulse the graham crackers, butter, sugar and salt in a food processor until fine moist crumbs form, about 1 minute. Press evenly into the bottom and 1/4 inch up the side of the prepared pan. Bake until set, about 15 minutes; transfer to a rack and let cool completely.
• Make the topping: Line 2 baking sheets with foil. Spread the coconut on one and the pecans on the other. Bake, stirring the coconut once or twice, until the coconut and pecans are toasted, 12 to 15 minutes; let cool. Pulse the pecans in the food processer until coarsely chopped; transfer to a small bowl. Combine the butter, egg yolks, sugar, evaporated milk, vanilla and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture reduces and caramelizes slightly, about 10 minutes. Stir in the chopped pecans and 1 1/2 cups coconut (reserve the remaining coconut for topping). Set aside to cool.
• Make the cheesecake: Fill a roasting pan halfway with water and set on the lower oven rack. Put the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until melted; let cool to lukewarm. Wipe out the food processor; add the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, cocoa powder and salt and pulse until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides. Add the melted chocolate, sour cream and vanilla; pulse until combined.
• Transfer about half of the batter to the prepared crust; smooth with a spatula. Spoon about two-thirds of the topping evenly over the batter. Top with the remaining batter; smooth the top. Set on the middle oven rack (directly over the pan of water) and bake until set around the edge but the center still jiggles slightly, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Run a thin knife around the edge of the cheesecake and remove the springform ring. Microwave the remaining topping to soften, about 30 seconds (stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons water to loosen, if necessary). Spread on top of the cheesecake; top with the reserved coconut.

GERMAN CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Sprinkle the crumbs over the bottom and up the sides of a greased 10-in. springform pan. In a blender or food processor, puree cottage cheese; set aside. , In a bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar. , Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon juice, vanilla, flour, sour cream and pureed cottage cheese. , Pour into pan. Bake at 325° for 60-70 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Slice with a wet knife.