Cheesecake aka Zapekanka

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Full recipe

One of the phenomena I encountered in my adult life is why everyone remembers a delicious zapekanka (cheesecake with farmer cheese “tvorog”), but nobody cooks it. And really, why? I constantly hear from friends and relatives flattering comments towards this dessert. Some people have this “cheesecake, like in kindergarten”, some people have this “like Mom” or “like Grandma”. I was probably luckier, I ate delicious zapekanka both in kindergarten and at home. But as well as everyone, I haven’t cooked it for a long time. And recently I caught myself thinking that it is very easy to prepare a dish and it does not require any exquisite ingredients. So I want to share with you a simple recipe of classic cottage cheese cheesecake with semolina and raisins.

First, let’s define the main ingredient – cottage cheese. In principle, almost any cottage cheese or farmer cheese is suitable. If it is possible to buy or make a tasty home option, use it. I took 9% store cottage cheese.

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Fat does not play a big role, but skimmed cottage cheese binds a little worse. Available cottage cheese we put in a bowl, it is better to take a deep, and pour milk into it.

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As in the case with cottage cheese, milk fat content does not matter. Now you need to stir everything to homogeneity. It is best to use an immersion blender for this purpose. You can also use a mixer or fork.

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Stop beating when you can’t see any large cottage cheese lumps. Then add the eggs, sugar, a pinch of salt, cinnamon, vanillin and zest of one small lemon to the cheese mass. Vanillin can be replaced with vanilla extract or sugar. Cinnamon can be added more, if you like spicy desserts.

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Adding cinnamon, be careful, overdoing it – you can make the dessert very bitter. I also recommend to try some ground ginger and nutmeg.

Tip

As for the zest, I got about 1 teaspoon. This is enough to make the cheesecake aromatic and have a pleasant citrus note in taste.

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Mix all the ingredients to a homogeneous state. This step is already better done manually, with a fork or whisk.

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Now let’s add a thickener to the casserole, which will make the cottage cheese mass more thick and will allow you to keep the shape, in the baked form. I will use the semolina, which is a classic.

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You can also use starch or flour, but I will not consider them in this recipe. Perhaps one day I will make a separate recipe of cottage cheese zapekanka without semolina.

And finally, we throw raisins and other additives to the curd mixture, as you wish. If the raisins are dry, they should be soaked for 10 minutes in water of room temperature. I really wanted berries, so I used additionally dried cherry – in this form it does not make the dough more liquid, while having a rich, sweet and sour taste.

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Using only raisins, safely take it 1.5-2 times more.

For a change you can experiment by adding various candied fruits, curages, prunes, berries or a combination of these to your cheesecake. In this way you can find your ideal variant.

Tip

The resulting mixture, with semolina and berries, mix and leave “rest” for 20 minutes. During this time, the semolina will swell and the dough will be ready for baking. By the way, if you add the semolina you see that the dough is not viscous, but very liquid, put another 1-2 spoons. It is also important not to overdo it, because there is a chance to get not a zapekanka, but a semolina pudding with cottage cheese. Put the cheese mixture in a form, pre-lubricated with butter.

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You can also use a deep tray, cake forms and other dishes from which the dough can’t drain. Square shape or round – it does not matter.

To completely remove the dough from the dishes, I recommend using a silicone spatula – it is an indispensable assistant in any kitchen affairs.

Tip

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Bake cheesecake in the oven, at 200°. So we preheat it and send our dessert for 40 minutes. If during this time zapekanka has not yet browned from above, extend the timer for 5-10 minutes.

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Do not worry if the hot zapekanka looks humpy and ugly. Cold, it will take the right shape.

Fact

We take out the ready dessert and let it cool down. About 10-15 minutes is enough to make the cheesecake temperature acceptable for further action. We can do the following:

1) Put zapekanka on a nice plate and serve it to the table.

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2) Cut off a piece of cheesecake and taste it quickly.

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3) Leave the cottage cheese zapekanka in the refrigerator until it is completely cooled.

I will honestly say that the taste of cold and warm zapekanka is different. Personally, I like it equally much in any form, and you still have to decide.

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The dessert is moderately sweet, airy and juicy. It can be served by yourself or with sour cream, jam, chocolate syrup, condensed milk and other toppings.

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As you can see, the recipe for farmer cheese cheesecake is very simple, fast and subject to everyone. Therefore, there is no point in remembering the past, and it is worth making it right now, updating your impressions.

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Bon appetit! Don’t starve 😋