A beautiful heart-shaped cheesecake for Valentine's Day. Crustless cheesecake topped with fresh raspberries and whipped cream, the perfect treat for your loved one.
The recipe for this Valentine's or mother's day heart-shaped cheesecake is one of my favorite recipes, a recipe that I already posted last year: the crustless cheesecake.
I was craving it again for quite a while, but I did not really find the opportunity to bake it. With so many other new recipes I want to test for the blog and all the other specific requirements I get from family and friends, I sometimes need months until I get to bake a certain recipe again.
But then I decided to make it again for my husband's birthday in January. He loves cheesecakes as well, more than he likes other sorts of cakes, so I thought I could make him happy with this one.
I wanted to decorate the cake the same way I did the first time, that is topped with only whipped cream. But then I went shopping and saw these magnificent, large raspberries! They looked so perfect, almost like jewels, I had to buy them. And immediately I knew I will bake that crustless cake in a heart-shaped springform and top it with those wonderful raspberries.
It is not a new recipe, but it looks different than the first time and the addition of fresh raspberries made it even more delicious, a thing that I had not thought possible, I already thought that the crustless cake was the best cheesecake I have ever baked. 🙂 Well, I was wrong, this raspberry version is even better!
What do you need?
What is quark?
- 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.
- Quark 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.
- It is similar to Greek yogurt but less mild 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.
Substitute for quark:
- If you cannot find any quark at all, but you would still like to make a Valentine's day cheesecake, 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 dairy.
Smetana or crème fraiche:
- Smetana is an Eastern European product, also very common in Germany.
- It is very similar to crème fraiche, so you can use that instead.
Cream stabilizer:
- The cream stabilizer is not always necessary, you will decide if the whipped cream is stable enough or not.
- It can be replaced with a mixture of icing sugar and cornstarch in a 1:1 ratio.
- In this case, you will mix 1 teaspoon icing sugar with 1 teaspoon cornstarch and use exactly as described in the recipe.
How to make a heart-shaped cheesecake?
Well, obviously you will need a heart-shaped springform (Amazon affiliate link). They are not expensive and they will probably last you a lifetime. Baking a heart-shaped cake is not a frequent affair, so the springform will remain as good as new for many years. I know that mine does, and I bought it more than 10 years ago. Probably used it 5 or 6 times...
Making this cake either in a heart-shaped tin or in a regular springform (26 cm/ 10 inches) could not be easier. This is probably the easiest cheesecake recipe ever!
Steps:
- Mix together 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.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared springform.
- Bake.
- Once cooled, decorate.
- That's it!!!!
Tips
- Always use a digital kitchen scale to measure the ingredients, cup measuring can cause troubles in baking.
- Place a piece of baking paper loosely on top and bake for 1 hour without opening the oven during this time. The baking paper will prevent the cake from getting too much color.
- You should do this at the beginning of the baking process, as you should not open the oven during the baking and after-baking time.
- Bake for 1 hour, still don't open the oven.
- Turn the heat off and leave it in the oven for another two hours. During this time the cake will continue baking and setting without getting any creases or becoming to dry.
- Remove from the oven and cool completely before taking out of the springform.
- Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Like any other cheesecake, it is preferable to bake it one day in advance, the night spent in the fridge will only make it better.
- Only decorate with raspberries and whipped cream before serving.
More mouthwatering cheesecakes?
- Nigella's Chocolate Cheesecake
- Bailey's Torte
- Cream Cheese Bars with Cherry Topping
- No-Bake Lemon Curd Cheesecake
- Romanian Easter Cheesecake - Pasca Recipe
Or have a look at these collections of Cheesecakes for Mother's Day or Mother's Day Recipes.
Heart-Shaped Cheesecake – Valentine's Day Cake
Ingredients
- Cheesecake:
- 500 g/ 17.6 oz/ 2 ½ cups low-fat quark
- 250 ml/ 8.4 fl.oz/ 1 cup heavy cream
- 250 g/ 8.8 oz/ 1 cup Smetana/creme fraiche/sour cream
- 6 eggs medium Germany, large US
- 100 g/ 3.5 oz/ ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 200 g/ 7 oz/ ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter very soft
- 200 g/ 7 oz/ 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ packet/ 7 g/ 1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Topping:
- 100 ml/ 3.4 fl.oz/ scant ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ packet Dr. Oetker cream stabilizer optional (See note)
- ½ tablespoon vanilla sugar or ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- about 250 g/ 8.8 oz fresh raspberries
Instructions
- Cheesecakes taste even better one day after baking, so it is preferable to bake the cheesecake one day in advance, but only decorate it shortly before serving.
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius/ 340 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a heart-shaped springform (or a regular springform 26 cm/ 10 inches) and set aside.
- Place the quark, heavy cream, Smetana/creme fraiche, eggs, very soft butter, sugar, vanilla sugar or 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 it, and leave the cake in it for another two hours. Remove from the oven and cool completely before taking the cheesecake out of the springform.
- Top with the whipping cream and raspberries just before serving. Beat the whipping cream with the cream stabilizer (if using and according to package instructions) and vanilla sugar or extract. Pipe the whipped cream around the edges of the cake.
- Arrange the raspberries on the cake inside the whipped cream frame.
Notes
- The cream stabilizer is not always necessary, you will decide if the whipped cream is stable enough or not.
- The cream stabilizer can be replaced with a mixture of icing sugar and cornstarch in a 1:1 ratio.
- In this case, you will mix 1 teaspoon icing sugar with 1 teaspoon cornstarch and use as described in the recipe. Beat the cream shortly, slowly start adding the cornstarch mixture and the vanilla sugar. Continue beating until stiff.
Anca says
This cake sounds and looks delicious. And those fab raspberries... I would love to try it.
Shashi at SavorySpin says
Adina, I don't celebrate Valentine's Day - but this GORGEOUS cheesecake is making me rethink my Valentine's Day shenanigans! What a stunner - those large raspberries look so good too!
allie says
This is a GORGEOUS cheesecake Adina. I love the fresh raspberries. I make a chocolate tart that is topped with fresh raspberries. Nothing like fresh berries on a cake. I know your husband loved this for his birthday. I know I would! XO
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
I wish my husband ate cheese....this looks stunning with fresh raspberries.
Priya @priyascurrynation says
Stunning.. i am already in the celebration mood..