Pasca is a traditional Romanian Easter cheesecake made with sweet yeast dough and a soft cheese filling. I bake it every year for Easter, and it's one of those recipes that always feels special.
What is pasca?
It's similar to a cheesecake, but baked inside a sweet bread base. In Romania, it's part of the Easter table together with dishes like Romanian Deviled Eggs, Roasted Leg of Lamb, or Cozonac.
Pasca de Paști is a traditional Romanian Easter recipe made with sweet yeast dough and a cheese filling called brânză de vaci. This is a mild, slightly tangy cheese, similar to quark or cottage cheese.
The cake is usually baked in a round shape, often decorated with a simple dough pattern on top. Traditionally, it is taken to church on Easter night to be blessed.
Ingredients: 13 + salt | Prep Time: 1 hour | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 14 slices | Difficulty: Easy
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Recipe ingredients
Cheese: As mentioned above, in Romania, you would use branze de vaci. Outside Romania, you can use quark (Magerquark - Germany), farmer's cheese, or cottage cheese. Ricotta can be used, but it is milder and less tangy.
- If using cottage or farmer's cheese, blend it until smooth.
- These Romanian Cottage Cheese Dumplings are also made with branza de vaci.
- And if you have more quark, try the Savory Quark Pie; it's also great for Easter.
Yeast: Active dry yeast needs to be proofed first. Instant yeast can be mixed directly with the flour.
Semolina: Helps bind the filling. Don't skip it.
Vanilla: Use a vanilla pod or extract. Add extract to the milk.
Raisins: Optional, but traditional. You can leave them out if you prefer.
Other ingredients: Flour, sugar, butter, oil, eggs, and lemon zest.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make Romanian pasca?
Step #1: Scrape the vanilla seeds and set aside. Add the pod to the milk, bring to a boil, then let cool until lukewarm.
Step #2: Place the dry yeast in a bowl, mix with 2 tablespoon flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 4 tablespoon lukewarm milk. Cover, and let rise for 10-15 minutes.
Step #3: Dissolve the remaining sugar in the lukewarm milk, mix the melted butter with the oil, and let both cool until needed.
Step #4: Pour the yeast mixture over the flour, add the egg yolks, vanilla seeds, and lemon zest, mix briefly, then gradually add the milk to form a soft dough, adding a little more if needed.
Step #5: Add the salt and gradually mix in the melted butter and oil, adding each portion only after the previous one is fully incorporated.
Step #6: Knead the dough until soft and slightly sticky, shape it briefly, and cover.
Step #7: Let rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Step #8: If using cottage cheese, blend it. Mix it with eggs, semolina, raisins, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla extract.
Step #9: Divide the dough into two portions, shape one half into a log, cut it into three pieces, and roll each into long, thin strands (about 16 inches/40 cm).
Step #10: Braid the strands together.
Step #11: Place the second half of the dough in the springform and press it evenly to cover the bottom, then prick it all over with a fork.
Step #12: Add the braid around the edge.
Step #13: Pour in the cheese filling, brush the braid with egg, and sprinkle it with a bit of sugar.
Step #14: Bake for 40 - 50 minutes until the cheesecake has nicely risen and is golden.
Tips
The dough should be soft and slightly sticky. Add only small amounts of flour when kneading.
Knead long enough so the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
Sweetness: I used only 3 tablespoons of sugar for the filling. However, if you would like the filling to be sweeter, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of sugar.
How to store?
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-6 days.
Freezing is not recommended due to the cheese filling.
More Romanian Easter recipes
Check out these Easter Baking Recipes.
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Pasca - Romanian Easter Bread
Equipment
- springform about 26 cm/ 10 inches
- Stand mixer or mixer with kneading attachments
- Bowls
Ingredients
Yeast dough:
- 1 vanilla pod
- 250 ml milk 8.5 fl.oz/ 1 cup + 2-3 tablespoons more if necessary
- 1 sachet active dry yeast 7 g/ 0.2 oz/ 2.5 teaspoons
- 500 g all-purpose flour 4 ¼ cups
- 120 g granulated sugar ½ cup
- 55 g unsalted butter ¼ cup
- 50 ml vegetable oil scant ¼ cups
- 2 egg yolks
- zest of 1 organic lemon
- a pinch of fine sea salt
Filling:
- 400 g Romanian cow's cheese / low-fat quark/ cottage cheese/farmer's cheese, 2 cups, Note 2
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar more to taste
- 100 g raisins ½ cup
- 3 tablespoons semolina
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- zest of 1 organic lemon
- 1 small egg for brushing
- some sugar to sprinkle on top
Instructions
Yeast dough:
- Prepare vanilla milk: Scrape the seeds of the vanilla pod. Set aside. Add the empty pod to the milk and bring to a boil. Leave to cool until lukewarm.1 vanilla pod + 250 ml milk
- Proof yeast: Place the dry yeast in a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the flour, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and 3-4 tablespoons of the lukewarm milk, enough to stir a paste. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for about 10-15 minutes in a warm place.1 sachet active dry yeast
- Sieve: In the meantime, sieve the flour in the bowl of your kitchen machine/stand mixer.500 g all-purpose flour
- Combine: Add the remaining sugar to the remaining lukewarm milk and stir until dissolved. Melt the butter, add the oil to the butter, and mix. Leave to cool until needed.120 g granulated sugar+ 55 g unsalted butter + 50 ml vegetable oil
- Stir: Pour the yeast mixture over the flour, add the egg yolks, vanilla seeds, and lemon zest. Mix shortly, then start adding the milk little by little to form the dough. Stir for a couple of minutes and add a little more milk if necessary to obtain a softer dough. I added about 3 tablespoons more.Add the salt and, little by little, the melted and cooled butter oil mixture. Only add the next splash when the previous one is completely incorporated.2 egg yolks + zest of 1 organic lemon + a pinch of fine sea salt
- Knead the dough in the stand mixer for about 10 minutes. The dough will be pretty soft and sticky. Transfer it to a clean bowl and bring it briefly in shape with the hands. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Filling:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F. Butter the springform and cover its bottom and walls with baking paper.
- Blend: If using cottage or farmer's cheese, blend it with an immersion blender until smooth.400 g Romanian cow's cheese
- Mix the cheese, eggs, semolina, raisins, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Taste and add more sugar if you find it necessary.2 eggs + 3 tablespoons granulated sugar + 100 g raisins + 3 tablespoons semolina + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract + zest of 1 organic lemon
Assemble:
- Make the plait: Oil your hands lightly and take the dough out of the bowl. Divide it in two. Form one half into a fat sausage and cut this sausage into 3 parts. Roll each of these balls into long, thin strings about 40 cm/ 15 inches long. Plait these strings into a braid.
- Assemble: Take the other half of the dough and place it in the springform. Press it down to cover the bottom of the pan completely. Prick it with a fork all over to ensure that the dough will not rise too much in the oven.Take the plait and place it in the pan to form a nice rim. Pour the filling inside.
- Egg wash: Brush the top of the plait with the whisked egg and sprinkle with a bit of sugar.1 small egg + some sugar
- Bake for 40 - 50 minutes until the cheesecake has nicely risen and is golden.
Notes
- Scale: Always use a digital kitchen scale in baking; it ensures the best results.
- Cheese: Traditionally, you will use Romanian branza de vaci - cow's cheese. However, low-fat quark, cottage, or farmer's cheese are very similar. If using cottage or farmer's cheese, blend it until smooth before making the filling.
Jutta Holden says
Wish I could find Quark here!
Love that kind of cheesecake!
The yeast, can you please tell me in teaspoons or tablespoons. Not sure how much 0.2 oz is?
Thanks!
Adina says
Hi Jutta. You need 2.5 teaspoons yeast. Enjoy baking and I hope you like it. ??
grace says
i definitely don't have that kind of patience, so i'm glad you found a recipe that could be made in a mixer! this looks delicious. 🙂
Priya says
In am very newbie in desserts and I have never seen any such kind of recipes.... That sweet braed combination makes me excited..
Kim | Low Carb Maven says
Adina, thank you for the history of this cake (which I found interesting) and for such a great recipe. I am a cheesecake fanatic and love how this is baked in a sweet dough. It looks spectacular! Thanks for a beautiful recipe.
Brie says
This cheesecake looks like it's straight out of a high end bakery Adina! I hope you and your family enjoyed a lovely Easter.
Adina says
Wow, Brie, that is nice to hear. 🙂 Thank you.
Anca says
It looks very good. I found Romanian types of cheese at Turkish/Arabic shops.
Adina says
You're lucky, the only Romanian thing I find at the Turkish/Russish store here is ceai de tei. 🙂
Marsha | Marsha's Baking Addiction says
Wow, this cheesecake looks so delicious! I just wanna grab that slice!
Adina says
Thank you, Marsha!
Adina says
Thank you, Allie. Wow, that's great, I hope your family enjoyed Romania, it is a beautiful country.
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass says
Dear Adina, what a gorgeous cheesecake and I loved to hear the history as well. My husband and older boys were in Romania this past summer on a missions trip. I loved looking at all the beautiful pictures and people! Super job on this cheesecake, the third time was the charm.
Denise Browning@From Brazil To You says
Holy moly! It's a bread filled with cheesecake -- a must try for me for sure. I hope your Easter was wonderful, Adina... I see that was quite delish.
Adina says
That is a good combination, isn't it, cheesecake and sweet bread in one. 🙂 I hope you had a nice Easter too.
Kathryn @ Family Food on the Table says
What a beautiful cheesecake and a beautiful story/history to it as well! I hope you had a wonderful Easter!
Adina says
Thank you, Kathryn. We had a nice, peaceful Easter. I hope you had a good one too.
Thao @ In Good Flavor says
Cheesecake with a sweet bread crust looks and sounds amazing, Adina! I love its uniqueness. I so want to have a nice big slice of it!!
Adina says
I'd love to invite you, Thao. So anytime you feel like visiting Germany, let me know, I'll make some cheesecake for you. 🙂
Anu - My Ginger Garlic Kitchen says
I have never had Romanian Cheesecake Pasca. But you pictures are making me drool and I bet it was super delish. Can't wait to give it a go! 🙂
Adina says
I hope you try it, Anu, let me know if you liked it.