Can I substitute quark (40%) for cream cheese in basque burnt cheesecake recipe?

Can I substitute quark (40%) for cream cheese in basque burnt cheesecake recipe? - Fork placed on plate with yummy fresh spaghetti pasta in cream mushroom sauce served on shabby table

Here's the recipe I'd like to follow:

MAKES ONE 10" CAKE
Unsalted butter (for pan)
2 lb. cream cheese, room temperature
1½ cups sugar
6 large eggs
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
⅓ cup all-purpose flour Sherry (for serving; optional)
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
A 10"-diameter springform pan

I have all the ingredients except for cream cheese, I do have quark. Will it taste drastically different if I substitute quark for cream cheese? How about the texture?



Best Answer

When using quark instead of cream cheese, the main issue is that quark is overall “wetter” - especially when the recipe uses US cream cheese, which is pretty much a “brick” compared to the (same brand) product in Germany. You can mitigate that by placing the quark in a cloth-lined sieve overnight to drain it, but that’s optional. I find that most recipes that use quark instead of cream cheese are a tad crumblier, cream cheese fillings are a bit smoother (if you use a good brand).

That said, there’s a huge tradition of quark-based cheesecake in Germany and other European countries, and as long as your recipe contains enough binding agents, i.e. eggs and/or flour or starch, you will be fine. Looking at your recipe, it uses six eggs. That’s on the generous side even for a regular quark-cheesecake. So I’d say just go for it. If you are super worried, you could add a tablespoon of cornstarch, just in case, but I don’t think it’s necessary. I would suggest that you do a quick Google search for “Käsekuchen ohne Boden“ (crustless cheesecake) as that’s the German cousin of the basque cheesecake. You will see that the recipes are quite similar, just with quark and maybe a bit of flour, starch or semolina.




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Can I substitute Quark for cream cheese?

You can use an equal amount of quark to replace cream cheese in nearly any dish, including cheesecakes, frostings, cookies, sauces, and spreads. Note that quark is slightly more sour than cream cheese, so be sure to adjust the other ingredients in your recipe accordingly.

What can I use instead of Philadelphia cream cheese for cheesecake?

Take a look at the following cream cheese substitute options so that you can make a cheesecake that will still be tasty without making you feel so bad.
  • 1 \u2013 Mascarpone. ...
  • 2 \u2013 Cottage Cheese. ...
  • 3 \u2013 Ricotta Cheese. ...
  • 4 \u2013 Neufchatel. ...
  • 5 \u2013 Greek Yogurt. ...
  • 6 \u2013 Coconut Milk, Coconut Butter, and Yeast. ...
  • 7 \u2013 Tofu, Lemon Juice, and Margarine.


Is there a substitute for cream cheese in cheesecake?

The best substitutes for cream cheese in cheesecake are ricotta cheese, sour cream, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, tofu, mascarpone cheese, Neufchatel cheese, and coconut milk combined with coconut butter. Each option offers a different spin on traditional cheesecake.

Why is my burnt Basque cheesecake watery?

If the cake is too runny in the center, turn down the heat and bake it for a longer time. If you don't have a convection oven (i.e., there's no fan moving the air around), I'd recommend going with the high-temperature something closer to 250 C (480 F).




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

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