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German Cheesecake Recipe – Oma's Käsekuchen

Learn how to make cheesecake, aka Käsekuchen, just like it's made in Germany. A traditional recipe that's easy to make and tastes just like you've had in Germany... with a few little changes to make it easier!

Perfect for special occasions or afternoon kaffeeklatsch.

INGREDIENTS:

CRUST

• 7 ounces butter cookies (German Butter Cookies or Mr. Christie's Social Tea Biscuits)
• ⅓ cup butter, melted

FILLING

• ½ cup butter, room temperature
• 1⅛ cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
• 3½ tablespoons Bird's Custard Powder or 1 package Dr. Oetker Puddingpulver
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups quark 
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

INSTRUCTIONS:

CRUST

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch springform pan.
2. Process the cookies in a food processor to the crumb stage. 
3. Stir in the melted butter, mixing well.
4. Put buttered crumbs into spring-form pan, pressing down firmly, and making a slightly raised edge on the sides of the pan.

FILLING

1. In a large bowl, add the softened butter, sugar, vanilla sugar, custard powder or pudding powder, and eggs. Beat with an electric mixer (or use a stand mixer) until well mixed. 
2. Stir in the quark and sour cream.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
4. Fold the whipped cream into the quark mixture until well incorporated.
5. Pour filling onto buttered crumb crust and smooth the top.
6. Place the baking pan into the oven, placing a cookie sheet on the rack below to catch any possible overflow.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until the top is nicely golden brown and the cake seems set.
8. Turn off oven heat and open door just a little bit (I use a wooden spoon to prop open) and let the cheesecake rest as it cools off slowly.
9. After about an hour, remove cake from the oven and place on a wire rack to finish cooling.
10. The cake is best served (if you can wait) once it has been in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

NOTES/HINTS:

• Serve cake dusted with powdered sugar and some fresh fruit such as apricots, peaches, mandarin oranges, or a variety of fresh berries.
• If you can't find Quark, you can easily make it at home.
• Don't have a food processor? Put the cookies into a Ziploc bag and roll over with a rolling pin until the cookies have become crumbs.
• Can't get the traditional Puddingpulver (pudding mix)? I use Bird's Custard Powder, but if that's not available, just use sifted cornstarch and add twice the vanilla sugar.
• Can't buy vanilla sugar? Make your own vanilla sugar easily here.

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12.22.2021 revision update