A refreshing and aromatic cheesecake with quark, whipped cream and maracuya or passion fruit juice, a typical German no bake cheesecake.
I’ve started the month on Where Is My Spoon with one of my favorite cakes ever: The Best Carrot Cake with Coconut and Lemon Glaze. I will continue with many other favorite cakes, today’s Passion Fruit or Maracuya Juice Cheesecake with Quark and Cream followed by several other cakes. All of them are the top of my list when it comes to cakes, my absolute favorites, cakes I have been baking dozens and dozens of time during the last 10 years or so.
I’ve called this cake a no bake cheesecake although you do have to bake the base. Otherwise this is a typical German no bake cheesecake as opposed to the other sort of German (quark) cheesecake, which has to be baked.
The result is a completely different cake, something more refreshing and light (not in calories, but in taste), a cake suitable for sunny warm days, when you want to have something refreshing with your coffee.
Passion Fruit or Maracuya Juice Cheesecake with Quark and Cream
What is quark?
Quark is a very common ingredient used in cooking and baking in Germany. According to Wikipedia “Quark or quarg is a type of fresh dairy product made by warming soured milk until the desired amount of curdling is met, and then straining it. It can be classified as fresh acid-set cheese. Traditional quark is made without rennet. It is soft, white and unaged, and usually has no salt added.”
Quark is not only common in Germany, but also pretty much all over Europe, in all German speaking European countries, but also in Poland and Russia.
In Germany we can buy low-fat quark, which has pretty much no fat at all, quark with 20% fat or quark with 40% fat. To tell you the truth, I don’t even remember if I have ever bought the 40% fat quark, I rarely buy the 20% fat one (only when purposely specified in a cake recipe), but I buy the low-fat one all the time, I have it quite often in my fridge.
I use low-fat quark in most of the cake recipes made with quark, I use it often in this Egg Salad or Egg Sauce with Greek Yogurt and Chives . I use it for many other bread spreads, I make desserts with quark, something like this Strawberry Sauce Mascarpone Quark Dessert with White Chocolate or this Amazing Strawberry Tiramisu with Mascarpone and Quark.
How to replace quark in recipes?
If quark isn’t readily available in your area, there are ways to substitute it in a satisfactory manner. Similar products are cream cheese, Greek yogurt, fromage frais cottage or farmer’s cheese. Try to use a product that has a similar fat content to the type of quark indicated in a recipe.
So, for instance, as I use low-fat quark in this recipe for Passion Fruit or Maracuya Juice Cheesecake with Quark and Cream, I would replace that with a smooth farmer’s cheese (which is normally pretty low-fat) or lower-fat cream cheese.
However, that is not mandatory, this kind of cakes are pretty versatile, so if you use full-fat cream cheese or even mascarpone the cake will still taste great, but it will be more calorie laden, so the choice is yours.
Another wonderful way of replacing the quark in this cake recipe (or another no-bake cheesecake with quark) is with a mixture of full-fat cream cheese and yogurt, I use that combination in another one of my favorite cakes Strawberry Cheesecake with Cream Cheese and Yogurt Filling and I love it.
When making a bread spread, for instance, I would definitely go for cottage or farmer’s cheese when unable to find quark.
The ingredients for the Passion Fruit or Maracuya Juice Cheesecake with Quark and Cream
We talked about the quark already.
Otherwise you will need double or heavy cream for the filling. Or whipping cream, whatever it is called in your part of the world. Make sure to use pure cream and not some sweetened or no dairy weird product. I am thinking of Romania when I say this, it is very common to use a no dairy, sweetened cream there, which is thoroughly disgusting and which will ruin any cake you use it for.
For very detailed instructions on working with gelatin, have a look at this post: No Bake Ricotta Sour Cream Cheesecake with Raspberries.
I use passion fruit or maracuya juice to make this cake, I don’t normally drink this juice or any other kind of juice, but I find this passion fruit juice wonderful in this cake, it has a very particular and very aromatic taste.
I use the German Dr. Oetker Tortenguss – Glaze (clear) Dr. Oetker Tortenguss Klar (Clear Cake Glaze )- 3 pack
Other recipes using quark:
Heart-Shaped Cheesecake with Raspberries and Whipped Cream
Polish Crepes with Quark Cheese Filling – Nalesniki
Easy Fresh Blackberry Cake with Whipping Cream
Savory Cheese Pie with Quark, Feta and Yogurt
The Quickest and Most Delicious Crustless Cheesecake
Caramelized Walnut Cake with Quark Honey Filling
Apple Streusel Cheesecake with Cream Cheese and Quark
Passion Fruit or Maracuya Juice Cheesecake with Quark and Cream
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Ingredients
- Cake base:
- 3 eggs
- 2 tablespoons warm water
- 150 g/ 5.3 oz/ ¾ cup sugar
- 85 g/ 3oz/ 2/3 cup + 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- 35 g/ 1.2 oz /¼ cup + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Dr. Oetker baking powder (see note)
- Filling:
- 10 sheets gelatin (Dr. Oetker)
- 500 g/ 1.1 lbs low-fat quark
- 125 g/ 4.4 oz/ 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 250 ml/ 8.5 fl.oz/ 1 cup passion fruit/maracuya juice
- 500 ml/ 17 fl.oz/ 2 cups heavy/ double cream or whipping cream
- Glaze:
- 2 packets Dr. Oetker glaze
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 375 ml/ 12.6 fl.oz/ 1 ½ cups + 2 tablespoons passion fruit/maracuya juice
- 125 ml/ 4.2 fl.oz/ ½ cup water
Instructions
Cake base:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 360 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottom of a springform (26 cm/ 10 inches diameter) with baking paper.
Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites and the warm water until stiffer. Slowly start adding the sugar and continue beating until the eggs whites are stiff and glossy. Carefully fold in the lightly beaten egg yolks.
Mix the flour, cornstarch and baking powder together and sift them over the egg mixture. Fold in carefully. Pour the batter into the prepared springform and bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in them middle of the cake comes out clean.
Release the cake from the form and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
Filling:
For more instructions on working with gelatin have a look at this post: No Bake Ricotta Sour Cream Cheesecake with Raspberries.
Bloom the gelatin Dr. Oetker Gold extra Gelatine Sheets – 10 g
Mix the quark, sugar, vanilla extract and the passion fruit juice in a bowl.
Lightly squeeze the gelatin and give it to a saucepan large enough to hold the quark mixture as well later on.
Turn the heat on and gently dissolve the gelatin. This will happen very quickly, so stand by and stir. Do not let the gelatin come to a boil. Remove the saucepan with the gelatin from the heat and slowly start adding the quark mixture, one tablespoon at a time, while stirring continuously.
Place the mixture in the fridge and leave it until it just begins to set. Don’t let it set too much. In the meantime beat the double/ whipping cream until stiff. Gently fold the cream into the quark mixture.
Slice the cake once. Place one slice on a serving platter and place a cake ring Cade Stainless Steel 6 to12 Inch Adjustable Cake Mousse Mould Cake Baking Cake Decor Mold Ring
Glaze:
To make the glaze follow the packet’s instructions.
In my case, I mix the two packets Dr. Oetker Glaze Dr. Oetker Tortenguss Klar (Clear Cake Glaze )- 3 pack
Place the cake in the fridge for at least 4-5 hours, until set, or even better let it in the fridge overnight.
Notes
I always recommend using Dr. Oetker baking powder for best results when baking my recipes, this is the typical baking powder used in Germany and in Europe and it is single-acting baking powder and not double-acting like the American baking powder. One important thing when baking with single-acting baking powder is to preheat the oven before you start mixing the batter, and give the batter to the oven immediately after mixing it. If you leave it for a while, the baking powder will loose its power and the cake will not rise.
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1 comment
Adina, I love so much passion fruit and even more with quark or yogurt! I actually make a very quick dessert in a glass with quark/Greek yogurt mousse topped with passion fruit (posted a long time ago…) and your beautiful cake has reminded me of these flavours. Of course your cake is from a different category, so festive and impressive!
PS I always use Dr Oetker products when available, also their baking powder, but had no idea there is single-acting and double-acting kind of baking powder!