Oma's Easy Cheesecake Recipe

This easy cheesecake recipe, aka einfacher Käsekuchen, will certainly WOW your family! They'll love the moist and delicious flavor of this German cheesecake. 

Instead of the traditional quark, this recipe uses ricotta, your mixer, and blender and you'll find this a great way how to make a cheesecake ... the easy way!

Prep Time:

20 minutes

Bake Time:

1 hour 10 minutes

Chill Time:

3 hours 30 minutes

Total Time:

5 hours

Servings:

Makes 10-12 slices

Ingredients:

For The Pastry (* see hints below)

  • 2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (114 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ⅓ cup (67 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ teaspoon (1.5 grams) salt
  • 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) vanilla extract

For The Filling:

  • 2 pounds (908 grams) ricotta
  • ¼ cup (60 grams) sour cream
  • ½ cup (120 milliliters) whipping cream
  • ⅔ cup (133 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon (6 grams) grated lemon zest
  • 1½ teaspoons (8 milliliters) vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs

Instructions:

For The Pastry:

  1. Mix together all the pastry ingredients in your mixer. Form the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 10-inch springform pan and set aside.
  3. Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface and place in the bottom of the pan and up its sides. Prick the dough in several places with a fork.

For The Filling:

  1. Place all the filling ingredients in either a blender or food processor (fitted with a metal chopping blade) and pulse about 10 times. Scrape down the sides. Process a further 30 seconds until creamy.
  2. Pour into the pastry shell and smooth the top.
  3. Bake for about 70 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted about 2 inches from the edge comes out clean. To minimize cracks, let the cake cool in the oven with the door slightly opened.
  4. When cooled, remove the ring from the springform pan. For best flavor, place the cake in the fridge for several hours before serving.

Hints/Tips:

* There are 3 different crusts you can make:

  1. Use the recipe above in the recipe card.
  2. Mix together 1¼ cups graham wafer crumbs and ⅛ cup melted butter. Press into the bottom and a bit up the sides of the pan.
  3. Crush about 7 ounces butter cookies (Mr. Christie's Social Tea Biscuits) and mix in ⅓ cup melted butter.  Press into the bottom and a bit up the sides of the pan.

*  *  *  *  *

Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | www.quick-german-recipes.com

Updated on December 3, 2025

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