Crustless Cheesecake

15 minutes to stir this crustless cheesecake! The result: the most delicious baked cheesecake you could possibly make.

This crustless cheesecake is one of my favorite cakes ever!

I love cheesecakes of any kind: baked cheesecakes, no-bake, cheesecakes with cream cheese, with berries and so on…

I’ve made tons of cheesecakes over the years and there was rarely one I didn’t like. Actually, I don’t even remember having any cheesecake I didn’t like…

But this crustless cheesecake really stands out in all that ocean. Why?

Well, the main reason is that this is the best tasting, most comforting cheesecake ever! Just thinking and writing about it makes me get up and start baking it again.

Not that I have anything against a good crust, I do love it usually. But the lack of crust, in this case, make the cake even more special, there is nothing standing between you and that perfect sweet cheesiness.

Then, this recipe is so incredibly easy to make. I was talking about 15 minutes of working time in the beginning, but actually I was being very generous with the time, if you are really quick, you could probably be ready in less than 10 minutes.

Ingredients

Quark:

• I used low-fat quark. Low-fat not in an attempt to make this cheesecake less calorie-laden (that would be a vain attempt), but because that is the kind of quark commonly used for cheesecakes in Germany.

What is quark?

• Quark is a fresh dairy product, traditional in the cuisines of German-speaking, Scandinavian and Slavic countries. Quark is protein-packed (½ cup has 11 g protein in it) and is super healthy, especially the low-fat kind.
• It is very cheap and very common in Germany, but maybe not that easy to find in other countries. However, most larger supermarkets probably sell quark nowadays, I really hope you can find it because making this with quark dessert is really worth it!
• Quark is similar to Greek yogurt, but less tart in taste and slightly stiffer. When it comes to consistency, I think strained yogurt comes closest to quark. When it comes to taste, cottage cheese is a close approximate, however, quark has a slightly stronger taste and is very smooth, while cottage cheese has those little balls in it.
• If you cannot find any quark at all, but you would still like to make this recipe, try substituting quark with blended cottage cheese and cream cheese in a 1:1 ratio, so a total of 500 g/ 1.1 lbs/ 2 ½ cups.

 

Heavy cream:

• Heavy or double cream. Not sweetened whipping cream or other sweetened products.
• You will need the cream for both the cheesecake and its topping.

Creme fraiche:

• Traditionally, you would use smetana/Schmand.
• However, if those products are unavailable, crème fraiche makes a good substitute.

Cream stabilizer:

• This is a very common product in Germany, but not well known in other countries.
• Its purpose is to help stiffen the heavy cream during whipping and to help it hold its shape for longer.
• Replace it with 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 teaspoon icing/powdered sugar.

Vanilla sugar:

• Another super common German ingredient that is not easy to find in other countries. Basically, just sugar mixed with a little vanilla aroma or (the better choice) vanilla seeds or powdered vanilla pods.
• You can easily make it yourself by placing some sugar in a jar and sticking an empty vanilla pod in it. However, this method will take a few days or so until the sugar is infused with the vanilla flavor.
• Alternatively, place some sugar and an empty vanilla pod in the food processor and process until the sugar and vanilla are powdered.
• Vanilla sugar can be easily replaced with vanilla extract or vanilla aroma, so don’t stress if you don’t have it or don’t want to make it yourself.

 

How to make?

Measuring ingredients:

• I always recommend using a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients. Kitchen scales are super cheap and make baking preciser thus better, easier and cleaner.
• Using cups makes baking a guessing game which sometimes leads to unexpected results (mostly in a negative direction).

Step by step:

• Make sure that you take the butter out of the refrigerator a few hours before baking, so that it has time to become soft. Cold or semi-cold butter is not an option, the butter has to be really soft.
• Place the quark, heavy cream, Smetana/creme fraiche, eggs, very soft butter, sugar, vanilla sugar or vanilla extract, flour, baking powder, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Mix well.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared springform. Place a piece of baking paper loosely on top of the cheesecake and bake for 1 hour without opening the oven during this time.
• After one hour turn off the oven, still do not open the oven, and leave the cake in the oven for another 1 ½ hours.
• Remove from the oven and cool completely before taking out of the springform.
• Top with the whipped heavy/double cream and sprinkle with brown sugar just before serving.

Can I make different toppings?

• Sure, if you would like to top the crustless cheesecake with something else, it is totally fine. Berries or fruit (or compote) are always amazing, but a caramel, chocolate, or fruit sauce would be great as well.
• Have a look at this amazing heart-shaped cheesecake with raspberries. It is the same recipe with a different topping.

What is the consistency?

• What I loved most about this cheesecake was its consistency. Somewhat different from the fluffier cheesecakes I normally make, the slices were quite dense, almost custard-like and I found that to be a wonderful change from the more regular cheesecake.
• I really recommend you trying this recipe, once you try it, you will end up making it again and again.

Cracks on baked cheesecakes

• First of all, if the cake gets any cracks it is not that dramatic, you will top it with whipped cream before serving.
• However, cracks on cheesecakes do happen often, mostly due to sudden changes in temperature during baking or during cooling.
• To avoid cracks in cheesecakes, try not to open the oven door while the cake is baking inside.
• Also, leave the cake in the turned-off oven for 2 more hours after it is finished baking. This way it will be fully cooked, the temperature will go down slowly and the chances of the cheesecake cracking are lowered.

Can you bake in advance?

• It is actually recommendable to bake most cheesecakes in advance.
• Bake one day in advance, let cool completely, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
• Only top with whipped cream (or any other toppings) just before serving.
• The crustless cheesecake keeps well for several days in the refrigerator.

More cheesecakes:

German Cheesecake

Passion Fruit Cheesecake

Romanian Easter Cheesecake

Lemon Curd Cheesecake with Blueberries

Apple Streusel Cheesecake

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