Russicher Zupfkuchen

This is one of the europe’s popular cake. It is a combination of shortcrust pastry and cheesecake.. can you imagine it?? 🙂
If you’re a chocolate lover or cheesecake lover.. or both of them, then this one is for you 😀 😀
If you do it right, you will get a moist cheesecake in a chocolate cake 😀

Please don’t ask me why is the name like the title. It is funny because this cake in Russia is called “nimjetzki kuchn”, German’s Cake, and in Germany, it is called Russian Cake 😀 😀

There are some variations about this recipe, this one I took from Dr. Oetker’s baking book. I think the options are up to your creativity 🙂

Some people use cherry in the filling, some use Rum or Kirschwasser, or almond extract, but mine is just based on the vanilla taste, use the vanilla pod if possible to have a great kick 🙂
Some recipes ask for maizena/ corn starch but other doesn’t require it, some ask for hard peak egg whites and so on..

Try it and be surprise to the result but be careful with the calorie in it 😀 😀 😀 It is kicking butt, i am telling you hehehe

Ingredients:
For the crust:
375 g flour
40 g cocoa powder (if possible, use the 80% one but don’t bother if you can’t it, any cocoa powder will do)
200 g butter or margarine (you can reduce the amount for a lighter version)
150-200 g caster sugar
1 medium egg
3 level teaspoons baking powder
3 drops vanilla essence

for the filling:
250 gr melted butter or margarine (reduced it if you want)
500 gr curd cheese (you can use any kind of curd cheese, i used quark)
200 gr caster sugar
3 drops vanilla essence or any essence you want to use
3 medium eggs
40 gr custard powder, vanilla flavour or corn starch plus 1 or 2 egg yolks (for those in Germany, use Vanillepuddingpulver)

Directions:
To make the dough, mix together the flour with the cocoa powder and baking powder, sift into a mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir with a hand mixer with kneading hook, first briefly at the lowest setting then at the highest setting until the dough is formed. Or use fork or food processor to combine them. Then roll it into a ball, warp with clingfilm and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

while waiting for the dough, start making the filling by combining all the filling ingredients, mix it with balloon whisk or spoon until well corporated.

Heat the oven at the top and bottom about 180°C (350°F) and grease the base of the 26 cm springform tin. (I used glass based form because it is handy and i do not need to transfer it to another plate)

Roll out the dough and line the base of the springform tin, leave some for topping then roll the rest into a long cylinder, place it round the dough base, pressing lightly against the springform tin ring to form an edge 2 cm / 3/4 in high. (Mine was 3,5 cm high because I used more filling)

Pour the filling mixture into the tin, smooth the surface flat. Tear and scatter the rest of the crust dough on top of it. Bake it for about 50-65 minutes.

Note:
1. For the filling, I used 750 gr of quark instead of 500 gr like the recipe asked for because I think it looks nicer when the filling is ‘fuller’ 😀 You can use cream cheese, mascarpone or any other curd cheese type as you like.

2. The baking time is vary so do your own judgement whether the cake is done or not yet. This is a cheesecake, so do not overbake it. When the outer part is done and the middle one is still jiggling, you can take it out of the oven. Let it sit for about 4-6 hours or over night before take it out from the tin. Trust me, dont wait until the filling is done completely before you take it out from the oven —->> personal experience ^-^

3. Actually if you are not sure, you can bake it with waterbath .. it is safer than to bake it stright but i think the crust won’t be as good as if you bake it without water. This is just a tip for those who is not sure 😀

Source: Dr. Oetker Baking