Gooseberry Cheesecake - German Recipe

A wonderfully creamy gooseberry cheesecake, a typical German-style cake with berries and cream cheese.

We totally love this gooseberry cheesecake. And I am sure you will love it too. This good looking cake is soft, sweet yet a bit tart, creamy, and just wonderful.

This kind of traybake cheesecake is the kind of cake I usually bake for a crowd. The original recipe was created for a regular springform using only half of the ingredients.

However, I've never baked only a regular portion, it was always double. I always fill half of the cake with cherries and half of it with gooseberries.

I wouldn't make two fillings, if I was to bake only a portion of this recipe, I would stick to one sort. But when baking such a huge cake, it's worth it to have a bit of a change in the filling. It makes the cake more interesting and appealing to the people you serve it to.

Recipe ingredients

Base:

• You will need the usual ingredients like unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, sugar, and eggs.
• The only thing you will probably have to go shopping for are the sliced almonds.

Filling:

• I used homemade canned cherries for half of the cake and canned gooseberries (canned after the exact same method as the cherries).
• However, you can definitely use bought canned cherries and/or gooseberries, they will be just perfect.
• In Germany, canned fruit comes in rather large jars. They weigh 680 g/ 24 oz and will hold about 350 g/ 12.3 oz of preserved fruit, the rest is juice. Keep the juice from the can as you will need it later on in the recipe.
• After draining the cherries I will have roughly 250 ml/ 1 cup of juice. That is the amount you will need to make the pudding. If you don't have enough juice, add some water.

Gelatin:

• The cream cheese filling will for the gooseberry cheesecake needs to be stabilized with gelatin. Working with gelatin is much easier than you think, actually, it's just a matter of following the packet's instructions properly.
• One packet of sheet gelatin (in Germany) weighs 20 g/ 0.7 oz and it contains 12 sheets of gelatin, enough for 1 liter/ 33.8 fl.oz/ 4 cups liquid. You will only need 4 of these gelatin sheets. (Amazon affiliate link)
• I use Dr. Oetker vanilla pudding powder (Amazon affiliate link). A packet of it contains 37 g/ 1.3 oz pudding powder, which is basically starch with salt and vanilla aroma. You can replace it with the same amount of corn starch, a pinch of salt, and a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract added to the cooked filling.
• Use full-fat cream cheese.

Expert tips

Pans:

• You can bake this as a round cake or double the recipe and bake it on a baking tray.
• One 26 cm/ 10 inches round cake should be enough, but it is very easy to double for a bigger event.
• It's easy to transport as well. Cover it with aluminum foil or kitchen foil and place it in the back of your car.
• You will need two springforms or two baking trays and a convection/fan oven to bake this in one go. Otherwise, make and bake the batches of batter one after another.

Batter:

• Use a digital kitchen scale, it really makes a difference in baking. (Amazon affiliate link)
• I recommend making the batter in two batches if you plan to make the huge cake on baking trays. If baking the regular portion in a springform, you can make all the needed batter in one go.
• Make sure the butter is at room temperature before you begin, and remove it from the fridge several hours before baking.

Filling:

• Drain the canned berries or cherries and save the juice.
• You will need roughly 250 ml/ 1 cup of juice. If there is not enough in the jar, add water until you have the needed liquid quantity.
• If you cannot get the right sort of vanilla pudding powder, replace it with the same amount of corn starch mixed with a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Gelatin:

• Read the packet's instructions.
• Squeeze the gelatin gently, and place it in a pan (large enough to hold the cream cheese mixture as well). Dissolve it on a very small flame, stirring continuously.
• Do not let it boil or get too hot, it will only take seconds until the gelatin is dissolved. Don't leave it unattended.
• Remove from heat, add one tablespoon from the cream cheese mixture and stir until fully incorporated. Add another tablespoon of the mixture and incorporate it completely again. Repeat until all the cream cheese mixture is incorporated.
• Place the pot in the fridge. Check often and when the mixture STARTS to thicken, whip the heavy cream and fold it carefully into the mixture.

Assemble the cake

• Place one of the cake bases on a round serving platter, if you make the small version of the cake. Or on the clean baking tray, if you bake the double portion.
• Place a metal ring around the cake base. If you make the cake in the springform, I always use a cake ring. (Amazon affiliate link)
• When making the cake on a baking tray use a rectangular adjustable baking frame. (Amazon affiliate link)
• When the filling is slightly cooler, pour the mixture onto the cake base. If using two fillings, pour the cherry filling on half of the cake base and the gooseberry filling on the other half. Level nicely with a spoon. Let cool completely.
• After the filling is completely cool, you can start making the cream cheese filling. Pour it onto the cherry or gooseberry filling and level nicely again.
• Place the second cake piece on top, and press down gently. Place the cheesecake with cherries or gooseberries in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

More German cheesecakes

Gooseberry Cheescake - German Recipe

A wonderfully creamy gooseberry cheesecake, a typical German-style cake with berries and cream cheese.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Cakes

Cuisine: American, German

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings: 14

Calories: 492kcal

Author: Adina

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Ingredients 

• ▢ Ingredients for a 26 cm/ 10 inch round springform.
• ▢ If you would like to make a double batch of the cake double the quantities and bake the cake base on baking trays (30x40 cm/ 12x16 inches).
• ▢ Batter:
• ▢ 200 g/ 7 oz/ ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature
• ▢ 200 g/ 7 oz/ 1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 4 eggs medium Germany, large US
• ▢ 200 g/ 7 oz/ 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 100 g/ 3.5 oz/ 1 cups sliced almonds
• ▢ 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ▢ Filling:
• ▢ 1 jar canned gooseberries or 1 jar canned cherries (Note 1 and 2)
• ▢ 1 packet vanilla pudding powder 37 g/ 1.3 oz (Note 3)
• ▢ 4 leaves gelatin Note 4
• ▢ 400 g/ 14 oz/ 1 ¾ cup full-fat cream cheese Philadelphia-style
• ▢ juice from ½ lemon
• ▢ 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest from an organic, unwaxed lemon
• ▢ 50 g/ 1.7 oz/ ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 250 ml/ 8.4 fl.oz/ 1 cup heavy/double cream

Instructions

Batter:

• Preheat the convection/fan oven to 150 degrees Celsius/ 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter two 26 cm/ 10 inch round springforms and line them with baking parchment cut to fit them. If you bake the cake in a baking tray using the double amount of ingredients, butter two baking trays (30x40 cm/ 12x16 inches) and cover them with baking parchment. If you make the cake in the tray make the batter in two batches, otherwise, it will become difficult to mix everything properly.
• Mix together the soft butter, sugar, and vanilla sugar or vanilla extract until white and frothy. Add the eggs one at a time mixing well in between.
• In another small bowl mix together the flour and the baking powder and add to the butter-sugar mixture in 3-4 batches, while stirring at a low speed.
• Pour half of the batter in one of the prepared forms and the other half in the other prepared form. Sprinkle each portion of batter with sliced almonds and the extra granulated sugar.
• Bake for about 20 minutes until golden. Leave the cakes in the forms for about 10 minutes, take them out and leave to cool down completely on wire racks.

Filling:

• Drain the canned berries or cherries and save the juice. Measure 250 ml/ 1 cup of the juice. Add water if you don't have enough juice. Place the liquid in a small pot and bring to a boil.
• Meanwhile, stir the pudding powder or corn starch mixture in a small bowl with 2 or 3 tablespoons cold water. You should have a thick yet still runny paste.
• When the juice starts to boil, take it off the heat and whisk in the pudding or corn starch mixture. Place back on the heat and bring to a boil again while whisking all the time. Let bubble once or twice. Remove from the heat, stir in the berries or cherries (and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract if using corn starch instead of pudding powder), and leave to cool down a little.
• Place one cake on a cake platter and put a cake ring around it (or a rectangular adjustable frame for the cake baked on the baking tray). Pour the berries on top and level. Let them get completely cool before adding the rest.
• When the berries are completely cool, soak the gelatin leaves in cold water for about 10 minutes or according to the packet's instructions.
• In the meantime, mix together the cream cheese, lemon juice, and zest and the 50 g sugar in a bowl.
• Squeeze the gelatin gently, place it in a pan (large enough to hold the cream cheese mixture as well), and dissolve it on very low heat, stirring continuously. Do not let it boil or get too hot, it will only take seconds until the gelatin is dissolved, so don't leave it unattended.
• Remove from the heat, add one tablespoon from the cream cheese mixture and stir until fully incorporated. Add another tablespoon of the mixture and incorporate it completely again. Repeat until all the cream cheese mixture is incorporated.
• Place the pot with the filling in the fridge. Check often and when the mixture STARTS to thicken, whip the heavy cream until stiff and fold it carefully into the cream cheese mixture. Pour this mixture on top of the berries and level nicely.
• Cover with the second cake, press it down gently, and place the cake in the fridge for several hours, ideally overnight. Remove the metal ring before serving and slice the cake. You can sprinkle it with some icing sugar if you like.

Notes

1. A jar of canned fruit weighs 680 g/ 24 oz and will hold about 350 g/ 12.3 oz preserved fruit, the rest being juice.
2. If baking the cheesecake on a large tray (double quantity), you will need two jars of canned fruit, either one gooseberries and one cherries or two of a kind.
3. The vanilla pudding powder can be replaced with the same amount of corn starch mixed with a very small pinch of salt. Add 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or a few drops vanilla aroma to the filling to give it the vanilla aroma.
4. One packet of sheet gelatin (here in Germany) weighs 20 g/ 0.7 oz and it contains 12 sheets of gelatin, enough for 1 liter/ 33.8 fl.oz/ 4 cups liquid. You will only need 4 of these gelatin leaves.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 492kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 133mg | Sodium: 212mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 26g

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