Transform your holiday cheesecake with a creamy twist

Cheesecake is a classic Polish dessert that we eagerly enjoy during Christmas. While it's a traditional treat, there are countless recipes, and we often deviate from established formulas.

No matter which recipe you select, the fundamentals remain the same. The foundation is high-quality quark for cheesecake, preferably full-fat or semi-fat. Although fewer people grind it themselves, you can purchase excellent quality pre-ground quark. All other ingredients are simply additions, albeit crucial, as they lighten the batter and enhance its fluffiness.

Beyond the staples like eggs, butter, sugar, a bit of flour, or pudding, there are additional ingredients in the extra category. Some people incorporate whipped cream, heavy cream, or popular mascarpone cheese into the batter. These additions make cheesecakes creamier with a pleasant, milky aftertaste. My cousin shared that powdered milk plays a crucial role in her rendition. It results in an intensely milky, fluffy, and moist cheesecake. Such a cheesecake is also less likely to crack with the right consistency. It can be adorned with classic additions such as raisins or orange zest, but it truly shines with a chocolate glaze and fresh fruits.

Ingredients:

Crust:

    
• About 8 oz of graham crackers
• About 3.5 oz of butter
• A pinch of cinnamon

Cheese Filling:

              
• About 2.2 lbs of quark cheese
• Less than 1 cup of sugar
• 1 package of vanilla sugar
• About 2.5 oz of soft butter
• About 2.5 oz of potato starch or 2 vanilla puddings
• About 1 cup of milk
• About 1.5 cups of powdered milk
• 7 eggs

Chocolate Glaze:

  
• About 7 oz of dark chocolate
• About 1 cup of 30% heavy cream

Preparation method:

1. Blend the graham crackers and add melted butter and a pinch of cinnamon. Line the bottom of a springform pan with this mixture.
2. Separate the eggs into yolks and whites, and beat the whites until they form stiff peaks.
3. Mix the quark with sugar, vanilla sugar, real vanilla, yolks, and butter for the cheese filling.
4. Add the puddings, powdered milk, and milk to the cheese filling and mix until the ingredients combine.
5. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the mixture without using a mixer.
6. Pour the cheese filling onto the prepared crust.
7. Bake the cheesecake for 15 minutes at 320°F, then reduce the temperature to 265°F and bake for another 80 minutes. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool with the door slightly open.
8. To decorate the cooled cheesecake with a glaze, heat the cream and dissolve the chocolate in it, stirring to combine.
9. You can serve the cheesecake with fresh fruit.