Polish (European Style) Cheesecake

 

Sernik (pronounced: "seer-neek")
is a light and tasty Polish style
 cheesecake with  delicate flavors
of orange and chocolate.

Crust Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter

1 egg yolk (save the white for the cheesecake)

2 tablespoons sour cream or Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

10 inch springform pan

butter for greasing

parchment paper

Cheesecake Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups cottage cheese (2.2 pounds)

6 large eggs + reserved egg white

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 envelope (1.5 ounce) Dr. Oetker's vanilla pudding powder (5 tablespoons)**

1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup butter (2 sticks) unsalted butter

whipped cream (optional garnish)

Method:

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, sugar and salt. Cut the cold butter into small cubes. Add the butter cubes, egg yolk, sour cream ad vanilla to the sifted ingredients. Use two knives or a pastry blended to mix the ingredients together. Next, use you fingers to continue mixing. (The dough will resemble small crumbs.) Knead the dough, in the bowl, to completely blend in the butter and to form a smooth dough. 

Divide the dough into 2 portions, with one portion a tiny bit bigger than the other. (I weighed 10 ounces  of dough for my slightly larger portion.) Pat each portion into a disc about 1/2 inch thick. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease the bottom and sides of the springform pan with butter. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.

Transfer the smaller disc of dough to the freezer. Tear or cut the larger disc of dough into strips. Flatten and press the strips of dough onto the bottom of the prepared pan, evenly covering the surface. Prick the dough generously with a fork. Place the cake pan on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. While the crust is baking, prepare the cheese batter.

Add the cottage cheese to a food processor or blender to make smooth.  Separate the egg whites and yolks, being careful not to get any yolk into the whites.

Place the 1 cup of softened butter into a large bowl. Add the 6 egg yolks 3/4 cup of the sugar and the orange peel and beat with an electric mixer until well blended. Beat in the cheese and vanilla.

In a very large bowl, beat the 7 egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and continue beating until the whites are stiff. Beat in the vanilla pudding powder.

Fold about 1/4 of the egg whites into the cheese mixture. Next, gently fold all of the cheese mixture into the remaining egg whites, just until combined and no stripes of whites are visible. Pour the batter on top of the warm baked crust. 

Retrieve the disc of dough from the freezer. Use the large holes of a grater to coarsely grate the frozen dough. Sprinkle on top of the cheese batter. 

Return the cheesecake, on the baking sheet, to the oven for 70 minutes. The cheesecake will rise and crack a bit in the middle and then fall. (The center will set, but still appear slightly jiggly.)

Cool on a rack for at least 3 hours and then transfer to the refrigerator for a couple of hours or overnight. (The texture and flavor improve as the cheesecake chills overnight. Carefully slide a butter knife between the cake and the sides of the pan. Once the cake is loosened, remove the springform sides. Cut into 12 to 16 slices. 

If desired, garnish with a dollop of whipped cream.

**I purchased this European style
pudding mix at World Market.
It can also be purchased online
or at specialty markets & grocery
stores that carry German foods.

Notes: This European style cheesecake has a light texture and is not overly sweet. I made it for my dear Polish mother-in-law and a Polish neighbor, who is recovering from knee surgery. They both loved it❣  My neighbor said my version was better than any her Polish girlfriends make and the best she had tasted in years. 😍