How to Make German Cheesecake

I love sharing old family recipes!

Especially when it’s an old family recipe for German cheesecake.

If you haven’t had it before you’ll be surprised how light and fresh it taste.

What is German cheesecake?

You might also ask ‘how is it different from American cheesecake?’

While American cheesecake is traditionally made with cream cheese, German cheesecake is made with quark. Quark is a soft fresh cheese, similar to ricotta or cottage cheese.

Quark can be hard to find in this country which is why  I make my own. It is very easy to make!

Other than that the ingredients are very similar to ingredients in American cheesecake.

This recipe makes a crust-less cheesecake – the way we have always made it – but you can always add your favorite crust!

The ingredients:

Eggs:

The recipe calls for 4-6 eggs. I would use 6 if they’re small and 4 if they are really big. But I think you could use 6 big eggs without any problems, especially since we will beat the eggs whites stiff.

Oil:

You will need oil for this recipe. I prefer using avocado oil since it has a very neutral taste and is non-inflammatory. However, you can use any oil you have in your kitchen. I do not recommend strong-tasting oils such as olive oil, though!

Sugar:

I am using regular organic cane sugar for this recipe. I have considered using coconut palm sugar but it would have made the cheesecake much darker and browner (and not so good-looking in photos …). You can certainly play with your sweetener here.

Lemon:

In this recipe, I use both the juice and the zest. I highly recommend using organic lemons – or lemons from your backyard if you happen to grow them.

Vanilla sugar:

The original recipe calls for vanilla sugar. If you don’t have it, check out my tutorial on how to make your own. Another very easy recipe! You can substitute vanilla extract for vanilla sugar. If you do, use only 1 ½ tsp of vanilla extract versus the 3 tsp of vanilla sugar.

Potato starch:

Potato starch is my preferred starch to use. However, you can use corn starch but you won’t need as much. I use 4 heaping tablespoons of potato starch – or 3 regular tablespoons of corn starch.

Baking powder:

Very simple and straight forward baking powder.

Quark:

Quark is the quintessential ingredient in German cheesecake. Again, you can very easily make your own. If you cannot find it or make it at all, you might try non-fat Greek yogurt but I recommend draining it through a cheesecloth. That way it will be more similar to quark.

I have also thought about using cottage cheese. The biggest challenge with that is that most if not all cottages cheeses contain a lot of salt. Therefore, I do not recommend store-bought cottage cheese.

How to make German cheesecake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F
2. Gather all your ingredients
3. Separate the eggs, keeping the eggs whites separate and adding the egg yolks to a large mixing bowl.
4. Add the oil, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice, vanilla sugar, potato starch, baking powder, and quark to the same bowl.
5. Using a handheld mixer (or your KitchenAid) beat the egg whites very stiff.
6. Mix the ingredients in the large bowl until well incorporated.
7. Gently fold the eggs whites into the cheesecake batter.
8. Line a 10″ springform pan with parchment paper. Using a brush, oil the sides of the springform pan.
9. Pour the entire cheesecake batter into the oiled and lined springform pan. You can shake it gently so it flattens out.
10. Bake the cheesecake for 90 mins until gold-brown and until an inserted knife comes out clean.
11. Let cool. While you can enjoy this cheesecake immediately, I highly recommend letting it sit in the refrigerator overnight.

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10″ springform pan: https://amzn.to/3qLSf1u

Parchment paper: https://amzn.to/2NnEwPV

Measuring cups and spoons: https://amzn.to/324K9aD

Handheld mixer: https://amzn.to/3c5J4ET

Lemon zester: https://amzn.to/39fEVfT

Citrus juicer: https://amzn.to/3sTouh7

Let me know how you like this cheesecake. You can also post all your questions and comments below!

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