German Cheesecake (Käsekuchen)

From http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/recipes.recipeListing/filter/dianas/recipeID/2244/Recipe.cfm

Comments:

This wonderful and creamy German Cheesecake is very light and each bite melts in your mouth. It is not too sweet. This is a dessert that always gets many wonderful compliments.

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

• 165g (1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla-sugar
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
• 1 egg, beaten
• 55g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
• 100g (3/4 stick, 7 tbsp/3 1/2 oz) butter

For the Filling:

• 3 egg yolks
• 170g (3/4 cup) granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla-sugar
• 100g (3/4 stick, 7 tbsp, 3 1/2 oz) butter, very soft and at room temperature
• 170g (6 oz). heavy cream
• 500g (17 oz.) Quark - A light yogurt type cream cheese* (see note below for Quark substitutions, if needed)
• 1 1/2 tbsp. (12g) cornstarch
• 3 egg whites
• Pinch of salt

Instructions:

For the Crust:

1. Sift the flour, stir in the baking powder, salt, vanilla-sugar, lemon peel and sugar, then rub in the butter and knead to a smooth consistency with the egg. Place dough in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 C). You will need a 9 or 9 1/2-inch springform pan.
3. Roll out the dough on a well-floured work surface, then form it into a ball again and roll it out a second time. (This dough is the worst behaved of any I have ever had to deal with, but the double rolling helps tame it, and the end result IS worth the hassle). Place dough in bottom of a 9 or 9 1/2-inch springform pan, pressing it up the sides almost to the top. Set aside.

For the Filling:

1. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar and vanilla-sugar until pale and foamy.
2. Add the softened butter and beat well,
3. add the heavy cream and beat again.
4. Add the quark and stir until the mixture is smooth and thoroughly combined.
5. Whisk the egg whites with the salt until very stiff, then very gently fold in the quark mixture, also adding the sifted cornstarch a little at a time.
6. Pour the filling into the crust shell and gently wobble the pan back and forth until the surface is smooth.
7. Trim the dough, leaving about 1 inch (2 1/2 cm).
8. Bake in preheated 300 degrees F (150 C) oven for 50 to 60 minutes (longer if necessary) until well risen and golden - it resembles a souffle at this point (It will sink in the middle quite dramatically - don't worry, it's supposed to do this). Turn the oven off, and let the cheesecake 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 releasing sides of pan and serving. (I make mine the day before I need it). This cheesecake is very nice served with sliced strawberries, or a raspberry sauce. Keep cheesecake stored in the refrigerator, covered.

*Note:

There are 3 substitutions that can be used for the Quark in this recipe if Quark is not available. One is to use farmer’s cheese, another is to purée cottage cheese in a blender or food processor, and the third is to purée eight parts of ricotta cheese with 1 part of sour cream in a food processor.

Makes 12 servings.