Try your hand at making Käsekuchen with this recipe. (Stripes Staff)

German bakeries are a blessing.  

They’re plentiful, and nearly all of them have shelves stocked with freshly made staples like Käsekuchen.  

Käsekuchen is a delicious, airy German version of cheesecake. Instead of using the heavy cream cheese that weighs down American-style cheesecake, Käsekuchen is full of Quark.  

Quark is an unsalted, fresh, cheese curd product that is common in Germany. It is likening to a creamy cottage cheese and sometimes compared to a light Ricotta or cream cheese, plus a variety of other interesting German-to-English translations that don’t quite do it justice. I have yet to find it in America, but Germany is full of Quark — just like Käsekuchen.  

You can find Käsekuchen covered in strawberries or cherries during the summer months, just like the American-style cheesecakes, but texturally it is different since the Quark gives the cake a cloud-like bounce.  

If you like cheesecake, give Käsekuchen a taste. You may never go back. 

Make the crust by combining all pastry crust ingredients with a spoon until combined into a crumbly dough. Press in the bottom of a greased 9” springform pan. 

Bake at 350° F (180°C) for 1 hour. Turn off the oven, crack the door and let the cheesecake stand inside the cooling oven for another 10 minutes. Allow it to come to room temperature before placing in a refrigerator to chill before serving.