Any makers of baked cheesecake around? Possibly Eastern European?

[Dilbertian]

DM and I are trying to recreate the cheesecake of our youths and not quite getting the filling right. DM's aunt taught her how to make cheesecake, and she always made it from memory. But she hasn't made it for at least 20y and can't remember the recipe.

I've been using about 500g of curd cheese (not cottage or Philly) and 150-200g of cream, 175g caster sugar, 5 eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon rind. I separate the eggs and mix the yolks with all the other ingredients except the sugar. Then I beat the whites stiff with the sugar, fold into the cheese mixture, pour onto the base, and bake at 150C for 1.5h. I leave it to cool in the oven without opening the oven door.

It tastes heavenly, but the texture is wrong.

DM and I both remember that the cake would rise, and then collapse on cooling, leaving a glossy brown crust with deep creamy fissures. It was firm when cut, and stodgy when eaten.

My versions rise, fall, and crack, just like the original, but they are a paler, less glossy brown and the fissures aren't deep. More importantly they are light, crumbly, with a texture almost like a dry mousse. DM's had a firm texture - you could place something on the cake and it wouldn't squash down. If you press on my cheesecakes they give, and you can hear the crackle of time bubbles popping.

I think also DM's cheesecake would collapse more evenly across the whole cake, whereas mine tend to stay high around the rim, giving a tray-like effect.

Any suggestions where we're going wrong?

Are you sure she whisked the egg whites until stiff? That’s what would give you the air bubbles. Maybe try it only whisking them until soft peaks form?

Interesting idea. I shall try it.

Could give this a go? Sounds very similar - I've made it before and it's more solid, as you remember, and collapses.

www.nigella.com/recipes/basque-burnt-cheesecake

link!

Don’t use Philadelphia. Use Twarog and strain it - let the water come out of it so that it makes. Or you can make your own with milk and buttermilk. Also use sour cream, and not so much egg.

The cheese needs to be drier, almost crumbly. You can buy bialy ser in a aPolish shop but don’t buy a too salty one.

I would replace the cream with butter. Probably around 120g for the amount of cheese you’re using. Beat butter with sugar, add egg yolks one by one and cheese. Then beaten to stiffness whites and a tablespoon of semolina. Bake at low temperature for about an hour (I’m using 1 kg cheese so you might not need that long).
I also blitz the curd cheese with a blender until smooth. What cheese are you using?

I was taught to make cheesecake by an elderly Eastern European lady, & I'm trying to remember the recipe as I haven't made it for years.
Deffo curd cheese, but use sour cream not ordinary.
Only egg yolks, not whites.

Lemon zest, but no juice.
She also used plumped-up sultanas.
When I asked about fruit toppings, I learnt a few Yiddish swear words.

I'll volunteer to taste your efforts.

This is the cheese I use. I've used it both strained and straight out of the tub. To my surprise, straining it doesn't make much difference. Perhaps the base absorbs the moisture.

Mum's version definitely used both whites and yolks. And she is certain she didn't add semolina. Cornflour, perhaps?

She's also now questioning whether she separated the eggs.

When I asked about fruit toppings, I learnt a few Yiddish swear words.

And rightly so!

No need to blitz that cheese and I think there’s recipe on it too. Probably only in Polish though... yes cornflour or even a bit of custard powder will work too.

Definitely egg yolks and beaten egg whites. I always use a packet of vanilla custard (polish shop) in mine and let the cake cool in the oven, just with a wooden spoon to keep the oven door open so it can cool gradually once cooked.

I used to make a baked cheesecake for my family when I was a student in Germany. I used quark, can you get that and try it?

I used to do something similar and used

250g curd cheese

2 eggs separated

1-2 tbsp sugar

Vanilla essence

I too separated the eggs, blended the yolks with the cheese and sugar and whisked the whites and folded them in.

I made the base as a standard shortbread of

180g flour

120g sugar

60g butter

The resulting cheesecake was fairly dense but moist and soft.

In my defence last made in 1983.

Try this one

www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/japanese-souffle-cheesecake

You can never go wrong with Adam Liaw’s recipes.

Austrian Grandma in last used Quark and a sponge rather than a biscuit base. Sultanas and lots of lemon zest too

Im not sure if this is helpful. I have an old delia recipe for baked new York style cheesecake. This specific recipe seems to have disappeared from Google but I can take a phot of my paper copy?

(It's served with rhubarb compote for googling purposes )

Agree with PP re Quark. I get it from Tesco, although it's an Extra, not sure if you'd get it in a smaller one.

I am yearning for the OPs cheesecake. As a child in Germany I ate heaven in the form of just such a cheesecake. So keep trying OP and post back your final success plus photos so we can all drool

Not sure if it's any help but John Torode made one on 'John and Lisa's Weekend Kitchen' yesterday. He used ricotta cheese, sour cream, double cream, eggs (separated with the whites whisked to soft peaks), sugar and possibly something else? I think it was ITV so the episode should be available on catch up for the exact recipe (it was towards the end). His had blueberries too.

This is the Delia cheesecake recipe I have (in her Complete Illustrated Cookery Course). She also doesn't separate the eggs and beat the whites. And agree uses a higher proportion of curd cheese to eggs than I have been using.

I need to take a break from making cheesecake (half term means I'm the only one around to scoff the lot do the tasting. I shall resume when I have a full household of tasters.

Heaven in the form of cheesecake. Absolutely

Hmmm, I have this one for Polish cheesecake, uses 5 egg whites (no yolks...), and vanilla rather than lemon. Sounds very similar otherwise though? And has the cracked top, solid texture that you describe...

POLISH CHEESE CAKE recipe
Warm Oven Gas Mark 4/180c
Ingredients
180 oz cream cheese
2/3 cup crumbed rich tea biscuits
Vanilla essence 1 tsp
5 egg whites
Gran sugar 1 cup
Topping Fruit

Stand cheese at room temperature until soft
Butter bottom and sides of 8” cake tin and press biscuit crumb into tin, press extra to bottom
Beat cheese and vanilla together until fluffy
In separate bowl beat egg whites until foamy adding sugar ½ at a time and beat till it holds a peak (as in meringue)
Gently fold into cheese
Turn mixture into tin and place in oven - middle shelf, and cook for 20 mins. Turn the heat off and leave it in the oven for a few hours to finish cooking (it will sink & crack in the middle, it is meant to!)
Remove from oven, cool and then place in fridge and chill for 4 hours.
Just before serving decorate top with layer of fruit and serve with extra fruit and optional cream/crème fraiche/plain yogurt.

I would use Quark

Try this