GERMAN CHEESECAKE - KÄSEKUCHEN FOR EX-PATS

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Americans and Germans have a lot in common. One is their love for cheese cake. Though both pastries taste great, Käsekuchen is distinctly different from its US cousin.

Cheesecake crust is made with cookie crumbs, very practical, and a good recycling of even stale cookies. German Käsekuchen has a short crust, more fuss, but buttery decadence.

The real difference, though, is the filling. American filling, made of mild, more neutral cream cheese, can be varied with many different flavors (like Limoncello-Cheesecake). Käsekuchen is made with quark, a fresh cow milk cheese that is less creamy, more acidic, and contains more water.

Limoncello Cheesecake - one of the many variations

Quark (curd cheese), the base for many different types of European pastries and desserts is unfortunately hard to find in the US, or outrageously expensive - and it doesn't taste the same.

Though in desserts quark will be often paired with fruits, German cheese cake bakers tend to purism, the filling might have raisins, and sometimes other fruits, like sour cherries or apples.

Another important difference: German Käsekuchen is notably less heavy and dense than its somewhat massive American counterpart (in spite of the short crust!).

Though I do like American cheese cake with its seemingly endless variations, I love my German Käsekuchen.

But how to re-create it in this sadly quark-less country?

I looked at the traditional recipe in the Mother of German Baking Books (in English: "German Baking Today,) and started with the adaptation process.

By separating and beating egg whites stiff you can make baked goods airier and lighter, I needed more egg white. I didn't want to use heavy cream, because cream cheese is creamy and rich by nature, but one more egg yolk wouldn't hurt.

I also upped the lemon taste - cream cheese is less acidic and, in my opinion, only a lemony Käsekuchen deserves the name.

The result of several cakes worth of testing was finally a "real" German Käsekuchen - my husband's absolute favorite (with cherries).

My husband loves Käsekuchen with cherries

GERMAN KÄSEKUCHEN

Crust
125 g all-purpose flour
25 g whole wheat pastry flour
½ tsp. baking powder
50 g sugar
2 tsp. vanilla sugar, or 1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
1 egg
75 g butter

Filling
750 g cream cheese (regular or low fat)
100 g sugar, (or more if using a big lemon)
1 lemon, juice and zest
4 eggs, separated
2 cups sour cherries, pitted (fresh, frozen, or glass) (optional)
powdered sugar, for dusting


CRUST:
Preheat oven at 400ºF/200ºC. Drain sour cherries, if using.

Mixer: Sift flour and baking powder in mixing bowl, then add other crust ingredients. Knead first at low speed, then increase gradually to medium speed as dough firms up. Knead until smooth.

Or simply process all ingredients in a Food Processor.

The Food Processor makes short work with the dough

Roll out 2/3 of dough over the bottom of a 28 cm/11" (not yet assembled) springform pan (greasing the bottom is not necessary). If the dough sticks to the rolling pin, cover it with plastic foil.

Grease and attach rim. Shape rest of dough into a long rope, adding 1 tbsp. flour if necessary. Press dough rope along the side of the pan to make a rim.

Or, simply, place all the dough in the pan, and press and pat it in place, pushing it up the sides to make a rim.

Prick dough several times with fork to prevent air bubbles from forming.

Bake crust for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Lower oven temperature to 350ºF/175ºC.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and lemon until smooth

FILLING
In mixer bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and zest until smooth. Add egg yolks, one by one (don't overmix.)

In separate bowl, whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold into cream cheese mixture.

Distribute cherries evenly on pre-baked crust. Pour cream cheese mixture over crust and smooth with spatula.

Pour filling over pre-baked crust and smooth with rubber spatula

Bake for 70 - 80 minutes, or until needle comes out clean. Leave cake in switched-off oven, door slightly ajar, to cool slowly, as long as possible.

Finish cooling on wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Käsekuchen tastes even better the next day, and keeps in a cool place for several days.

A quarter is gone already!

And if you visit Portland, ME you can even sample my delicious German Käsekuchen: the nice (and authentic) German Restaurant Schulte & Herr serves it, baked from my recipe!

(Completely updated and rewritten, originally posted 7/2011)

MY PANTRY: CREAM OR SAHNE - DAIRY CONVERSION

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Preparing a favorite summer dessert, St. Colomba Cream, for the first time in Maine, I didn't quite know what to use instead of the Sahnequark (cream quark) the recipe requires.

Well, it has cream in it, I mused, and so has mascarpone. And that's what I took.

But instead of creating a smooth, velvety dessert, I ended up with a dense and uber-rich vanilla cream. With 30% more fat than it should have had, the saintly Irish gooseberry dessert weighed down our stomach like a stone.

Moving from Europe to the US, I had to adjust to several new, or somewhat different, dairy products.

I was, also, amazed at all the low, or no-fat choices in the dairy aisle. (Not to mention my confusion about no-fat yogurt consumption on one hand, and obesity rate on the other).

Some products seemed to be just the same as their German namesakes. But were they, really?

Schmand /Sauerrahm is soured cream

German "saure Sahne" means "sour cream", but is it like US sour cream? (No, it's not!) And "Sauerrahm" or "Schmand"? Again, they are "soured cream" - but no sour cream!

And the American equivalent to quark?

The difference between Austrian "Schlagobers" and German "Schlagsahne"? The translation for both is "whipping cream"! (But Schlagobers has more fat.)

Fortunately, finding the right American substitute for most of these European milk products is not as crucial as it is for flour types.

The difference is often the fat content. But in many cases you can exchange a full fat into low-fat dairy to make a leaner version of a recipe, and vice versa.

But it is always good to know what you are doing, if you try to find a workable substitute for Schlagsahne, sour cream & Co.

Cream cheese:very popular in Europe, too

Some American cheeses, like cottage cheese and cream cheese, made their way overseas, same as some milk products of European origin are available in the US (like ricotta, mascarpone and crème fraîche.)

German Käsekuchen is less denser and lighter than its US cousin

Quark, a classic ingredient in German and Jewish immigrants' pastries, was replaced by cheaper cream cheese, and, sadly, never managed a comeback.

Though there are a few creameries in the US that produce it, you will find quark very rarely in supermarkets, and it is ridiculously expensive.

To make Käsekuchen, the traditional German cheesecake, without quark, I had to develop my own version.




These are commonly used dairy products in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the US, with their fat content.

SWEET DAIRY PRODUCTS   (available in:)

Germany/Austria/Switzerland                  US                                                    Fat Content (%)
Fettarme Milch                                          Low-fat Milk                                                     1 - 2

Vollmilch                                                    Whole Milk                                                       3.5

     -                                                            Half and Half                                                10.5 - 18
     -                                                            Light Cream                                                     18 - 30
Schlagsahne                                           Whipping Cream                                                 30 - 36  Schlagobers                                             Heavy Cream                                                36 or more
Creme double                                                    -                                                                   40
Süssrahm-Butter                                 Sweet Cream Butter                                               80 - 82
                                                                                                                                


SOURED DAIRY PRODUCTS  (available in:)

Germany/Austria/Switzerland                US                                                     Fat Content (%)
Buttermilch                                              Buttermilk                                                          0 - 2
Magermilchjoghurt                              Low-fat Yogurt                                                         2
Dickmilch                                                       -                                                                    3.5
Kefir                                                            Kefir                                                                 3.5
Joghurt                                                    Plain Yogurt                                                     3.5 - 4
Frischkäse Leicht                             Light Cream Cheese                                                    7
     -                                                     Light Sour Cream                                                 7.2 - 8
Magerquark                                         (Low-fat Quark)                                                      10
Hüttenkäse                                           Cottage Cheese                                                       10
Saure Sahne                                                   -                                                                     10
Griechischer Joghurt                             Greek Yogurt                                                         10
Sahnejoghurt                                                  -                                                              10 or more
Schichtkäse                             (Layered Quark from Bavaria)                                      10 or more
     -                                                        Sour Cream                                                       12  - 16
Ricotta                                                     Ricotta                                                                13
Quark/Topfen                                          (Quark)                                                               20
Schmand/Sauerrahm                                      -                                                                20 - 29
Crème fraîche                                     Crème fraîche                                                      30 - 40
Frischkäse                                           Cream Cheese                                                         34
Sahnequark                                                  -                                                                      40
Mascarpone                                         Mascarpone                                                    70 or more
Sauerrahm-Butter                           Sour Cream Butter                                                  80 - 82

This list is certainly not complete. It might have errors, for those I apologize. But it is the best information I could find.

European supermarkets offer less low-fat versions of dairy products than American stores (you will not find a low fat ricotta or mascarpone), but, instead, more higher fat cream options (Sahnejoghurt, Sahnequark), and I didn't include any no-fat products in my list - no fat is no fat!

Some American dairy products differ only slightly from their European counterparts, like butter - US: 80% fat, European: 82% - these two percent are only relevant for pastries with laminated dough, like croissants.

Croissants are easier to make with European butter

Some differ slightly in their taste: yogurt and buttermilk in Europe are a bit more acidic than in the US.

But you can safely exchange dairy products with a similar consistency, acidity, and a fat content that's not too far apart.


HOW TO SUBSTITUTE:

If there is an American equivalent listed in the same row, use it: (like Buttermilch = buttermilk, etc.)

For Schlagsahne and Schlagobers: use whipping cream or heavy cream. For a leaner version: light cream or half-and-half (only, if it doesn't need to be whipped.)

For Crème double: use heavy cream, or 50% heavy cream/50% mascarpone

For Dickmilch: use kefir or yogurt (low-fat or regular.)

For Saure Sahne: use Greek yogurt or sour cream (light or regular.)

For Sahnejoghurt: use Greek yogurt (full fat) or sour cream.

For Schmand/Sauerrahm: use sour cream or crème fraîche.

Quark, often labeled Speisequark, is hard to find in the US

With quark (often marketed as "Speisequark") it is a bit of a challenge. Like Greek yogurt it has been strained of most of its whey.

• Magerquark (10%): use full fat Greek yogurt instead
• Quark (20%): for pastry, use cream cheese. For creamy desserts, use full fat Greek yogurt, or a cream cheese/sour cream mixture*)
• Sahnequark (40%) : use a mixture of cream cheese and crème fraiche or sour cream. Or blend half mascarpone/ half cottage cheese in a blender.

*) I do not find ricotta a good substitute, compared with tangy quark it is too bland, and its consistency too gritty.

Irish St. Colomba Cream, made with gooseberries and quark