Farmer's cheese bake
For many people in Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet countries, tvorozhnaya zapekanka is a taste of childhood — from home and from nursery school. Farmer's cheese beaten with eggs, sugar, semolina and sour cream, with raisins and lemon zest, baked until golden. Unlike cheesecake it has no base and is less sweet, and the semolina gives it a firm, springy texture. It is served warm or cold, with sour cream, jam or honey. It takes about 25 minutes of work; the oven does the rest.
Your own work in that: 10 min.
- Preparation 15 min
- Soaking the semolina 15 min
- Batter 10 min
- Baking 45 min
- Cooling 15 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneSieve the cheese
Push the cheese through a sieve or put it through a mincer. Lumpy cheese gives a grainy, uneven bake.
Ingredients: 1000 g semi-fat farmer's cheese (twaróg) · 3 pcs eggs · 80 g sugar · 1 tbsp vanilla sugar · 60 g semolina · 100 g sour cream (18%) · 70 g raisins · ½ pcs lemon, grated zest · 1 pinch salt · 10 g butter for the dish
Through a sieve — the bake will be smooth.Soak the semolina
Set aside 1 tablespoon of the semolina for dusting the dish. Mix the rest with the sour cream and leave 15 minutes to swell. Cover the raisins with hot water.
Ingredients: 1000 g semi-fat farmer's cheese (twaróg) · 3 pcs eggs · 80 g sugar · 1 tbsp vanilla sugar · 60 g semolina · 100 g sour cream (18%) · 70 g raisins · ½ pcs lemon, grated zest · 1 pinch salt · 10 g butter for the dish
Beat eggs with sugar
Heat the oven to 180°C. Beat the eggs with the sugar, vanilla sugar and salt until pale.
Ingredients: 1000 g semi-fat farmer's cheese (twaróg) · 3 pcs eggs · 80 g sugar · 1 tbsp vanilla sugar · 60 g semolina · 100 g sour cream (18%) · 70 g raisins · ½ pcs lemon, grated zest · 1 pinch salt · 10 g butter for the dish
Combine
Stir in the cheese, the semolina and sour cream and the lemon zest. Finally add the drained, dried raisins.
Ingredients: 1000 g semi-fat farmer's cheese (twaróg) · 3 pcs eggs · 80 g sugar · 1 tbsp vanilla sugar · 60 g semolina · 100 g sour cream (18%) · 70 g raisins · ½ pcs lemon, grated zest · 1 pinch salt · 10 g butter for the dish
Spoon into the dish
Butter a dish of about 20 × 30 cm and dust it with the reserved semolina. Spoon in the batter and level it.
Ingredients: 1000 g semi-fat farmer's cheese (twaróg) · 3 pcs eggs · 80 g sugar · 1 tbsp vanilla sugar · 60 g semolina · 100 g sour cream (18%) · 70 g raisins · ½ pcs lemon, grated zest · 1 pinch salt · 10 g butter for the dish
A dish dusted with semolina — the bake comes out easily.Bake
Bake 40–45 minutes, until golden on top, with the centre only slightly trembling when you jiggle the dish — it firms up as it cools. After 30 minutes you can brush the top with a spoonful of the sour cream for serving — it browns beautifully.
Ingredients: 1000 g semi-fat farmer's cheese (twaróg) · 3 pcs eggs · 80 g sugar · 1 tbsp vanilla sugar · 60 g semolina · 100 g sour cream (18%) · 70 g raisins · ½ pcs lemon, grated zest · 1 pinch salt · 10 g butter for the dish
Golden and set — only the centre trembles slightly.Cool
Cool in the dish 15 minutes. The bake sinks and firms, so it is easier to cut.
Ingredients: 1000 g semi-fat farmer's cheese (twaróg) · 3 pcs eggs · 80 g sugar · 1 tbsp vanilla sugar · 60 g semolina · 100 g sour cream (18%) · 70 g raisins · ½ pcs lemon, grated zest · 1 pinch salt · 10 g butter for the dish
Serve with sour cream
Cut into squares and serve warm or cold, with sour cream, jam, honey or fruit sauce.
Ingredients: 200 g sour cream (18%)
Before you start
Which cheese
Semi-fat, dry, crumbly farmer's cheese is best. Squeeze very moist cheese in muslin, or the bake will be watery.
Variations
Instead of raisins add pieces of apple, dried apricots or fresh blueberries. For children the raisins are often left out and more vanilla added.
Storage
The bake keeps 3 days in the fridge. Cold, it is firm and ideal for a lunchbox.
