Classic Käsekuchen

Ingredients

• For the crust:
• 200 g flour
• 80 g powdered sugar
• 120 g cold unsalted butter
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 pinch of salt
• For the filling:
• 500 g low-fat quark
• 250 g full-fat quark
• 150 g caster sugar
• 2 envelopes vanilla sugar
• 2 tbsp custard powder
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 4 eggs (separated)
• 1 pinch of salt
• For the finish:
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 175°C (conventional oven).Combine the flour, powdered sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Add the cold butter cut into cubes and rub everything together with your fingertips until it forms a crumbly mixture. Add the egg yolk and knead quickly into a cohesive dough ball. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.Grease the cake pan and press the chilled dough into the bottom and up the sides. Prick the base with a fork and blind-bake it for 10 minutes (with parchment paper and baking weights) at 175°C. Remove the weights and bake for another 5 minutes until the base is lightly golden. Let cool.For the filling, mix the low-fat quark, full-fat quark, sugar, vanilla sugar, custard powder and lemon zest thoroughly in a large bowl.Separate the eggs. Stir the yolks into the quark mixture one at a time. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff and gently fold them into the quark base in three additions so the air remains.Pour the filling onto the pre-baked base and smooth the top.Bake the Käsekuchen for 60 to 70 minutes at 160°C. The cake is done when the edges are set but the centre still has a slight wobble. Turn the oven off, open the door slightly and let the cake cool in the oven for another 30 minutes. This helps prevent cracks.Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack. Then chill it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (or overnight) for the best result. Dust with a thin layer of powdered sugar just before serving.