German Cheesecake - Käsekuchen

It was my mom's birthday over the weekend, and I baked this yummy yummy cheesecake for her!

The recipe is incredibly simple, and was introduced to me by a friend who baked it just a few weeks earlier. I'm often very hesitant to bake cheesecakes because they crack so easily (if mixed/beat for too long) and they tend to be too much on the sweet side. 

This was a good solution to both problems! The recipe calls for minimal mixing, and very very little sugar. The most vital step would probably be whipping the egg whites to a meringu-ish soft peaks before folding it into the rest of the mixture gently. Following my friend's recommendation, I used a normal cheesecake base instead of the one originally listed in the recipe. 

Highly recommended for baking newbies! The cherries adds some interest and character to the otherwise-plain-cake. 

Recipe and link below! 

German Cheesecake

Cake Base: Taken from Nigella Lawson's London Cheesecake Recipe

for the base

• 150 grams digestive biscuits
• 75 grams unsalted butter (melted or very soft)

Cake Filling: 

Filling
750 g cream cheese (regular or low fat)
100 g sugar, (or more if using a big lemon)
1 lemon, juice and zest
4 eggs, separated
2 cups sour cherries, pitted (fresh, frozen, or glass) (optional)
powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions: 

1. Process the biscuits until they are like crumbs, then add the butter and pulse again. Line the bottom of a 20cm / 8 inch springform tin, pressing the biscuits in with your hands or the back of a spoon. Put the tin in the fridge to set. 

2. Preheat the oven to 175ºC.

3. In mixer bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and zest until smooth. Add egg yolks, one by one (don't overmix.)

4. In separate bowl, whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold into cream cheese mixture.

5. Distribute cherries evenly on pre-baked crust. Pour cream cheese mixture over crust and smooth with spatula.

6. Bake for 70 - 80 minutes, or until needle comes out clean. Leave cake in switched-off oven, door slightly ajar, to cool slowly, as long as possible.

7. Finish cooling on wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

My mom was very satisfied with this cake - hope you will be too!