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“Russischer Zupfkuchen” is another German Baking Classic! It is actually one of my favourites and completely underrated if you ask me! It is a baked cheesecake with a chocolate pastry base and a light cheesecake filling that is made with quark. Unlike other classic German cakes, you are less likely to find this “Zupfkuchen” in a bakery. Instead, it is more commonly found as a ready-mix or ready-made from the freezer section in the supermarket.
Traditionally, German cakes are made in large 26cm diameter round cake tins. That is the standard size for most German baking recipes. A 26cm cake is perfect for feeding family and friends for the typical “Kaffee und Kuchen” (coffee and cake) at the weekend, but is perhaps a bit too big for smaller occasions. Hence why, I have created a smaller version of this German classic that is made in a 20cm tin and serves about 8 people.
Check out the recipe video here:
What is a “Russischer Zupfkuchen”?
“Russischer Zupfkuchen” literally translates to “Russian “pulled” cake” – do not ask me where that name came from! I have no idea about the Russian part, but I assume the “pulled” part comes from the extra pieces of chocolate dough that are torn into small pieces and scattered over the cake before baking.
This cake is lovely and light and the remaining chocolate dough scattered over the cheesecake filling makes for a nice pattern and great texture for eating!
In my opinion, like a Classic German Baked Cheesecake, this “Russischer Zupfkuchen” tastes best once it has cooled completely and – even better – been chilled in the fridge for a while. Once cold it is also a lot easier to slice.
How do you make this “Zupfkuchen”?
The base of this cake is a very straightforward, shortcrust-like, dough, made with cocoa powder to achieve the dark colour and a slight chocolate flavour. Roughly ⅔ of the dough are used to make the sides and base of the cake and the rest is pulled apart and scattered over the cheesecake filling once that has been added.
The filling for the “Zupfkuchen” is made with quark, a cheese-like dairy product that is very commonly found in German baking. Luckily, it is readily available in the UK now, too. I buy mine in Lidl or Morrisons. Quark makes for a lighter cheesecake filling than if you were to use cream cheese and/or cream and I also use it in this Classic German Baked Cheesecake or to make a No-Bake “Lighter” Lemon Quark Cheesecake. To the quark you add some single cream, a little butter and sugar to sweeten, cornflour to thicken and some vanilla extract and lemon zest for flavour!
How to serve your “Russischer Zupfkuchen”
As mentioned above, “Zupfkuchen” is best eaten cold. So, if you are wanting to serve this cake in the afternoon, I´d recommend making this first thing in the morning, so that it has plenty of time to cool to room temperature and then be chilled in the fridge for a while before serving.
You can also prepare this “Zupfkuchen” ahead of time and freeze it. Simply wrap it in clingfilm and put it into a freezer bag, then defrost it in the fridge for a few hours when ready to serve. You can also freeze any leftover individual slices of the cake – that way you have a lovely treat waiting for you in the freezer for when you need it!
This baked cheesecake is perfect by itself, there is no need to serve this with any whipped cream or similar. Simply dust the cake with icing sugar before serving (otherwise it will just be immediately absorbed) and you are good to go! À table s´il vous plaît, Kaffee and Kuchen is served!!!
A little ode to my German grandmother (Oma) at this stage, who always used to call us to the table with the French “À table s´il vous plaît”. Also, every time I make “Russischer Zupfkuchen”, I think of her, as the first time I ever had this cake was when she and my Opa took me, my sister and cousin on a trip to Cudrefin (Switzerland) in a campervan…
More German Baking Recipes
If you are new to my blog, you won´t know yet, but my dad is German. So, I grew up in Germany, I have definitely had my fair share of German cakes and know quite a lot about German baking! It is very different from British baking (I love both though for different reasons) and I always like to share these German recipes with my friends and family that are unfamiliar with them. Here are some of my other favourite German baking classics:
- Black Forest Gateau | “Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte”
- Laugenbrezeln | German Pretzels
- Baked Chocolate Cheesecake | “Russischer Zupfkuchen”
- Seeded and Carrot Loaf | “Muntermacher”
- Strawberry Flan Cake | “Erdbeerboden”
- Marbled Traybake with Cherries and Chocolate | “Donauwellen”
- Beesting Cake | “Bienenstich”
- Enriched Dough Plait filled with Chocolate and Nuts | “Nusszopf”
- German Baked Cheesecake | “Käsekuchen”
- Bauernbrot | Classic German Bread Baking
- “Haselnussbrot” – Hazelnut Shortbread Biscuits dipped in Chocolate
- Chocolate-Orange Crescent Biscuits | Schoko-Orangen Kipferl
- Plum Crumble Cake | Zwetschenkuchen mit Streuseln
- Kirschlikuchen | Cherry and Chocolate Cake
- Neujahrsbrezel | Enriched Dough Plait for New Year’s Day
- Laugenzöpfe | German Breakfast Rolls
- Chocolate and Hazelnut Bundt Cake | Nusskuchen mit Nussglasur
“Russischer Zupfkuchen” | German Baking Classic
Recipe
Ingredients:
FOR THE CHOCOLATE BASE:
- 175g plain flour, plus a little extra for the tin
- 100g butter, softened, plus a little extra for the tin
- 75g caster sugar
- 2 medium eggs, beaten (divided between the base and filling, see recipe below)
- 15g cocoa powder
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
FOR THE CHEESECAKE FILLING:
- 85g caster sugar
- 250g Quark
- 100g single cream
- 35g butter, very soft/melted
- 12g cornflour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Zest of 1 lemon
TO FINISH:
- 2 tsp icing sugar, to serve (optional)
YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
- 20cm round spring-clip baking tin
- 2 Mixing bowls
- Whisk or electric hand whisk (optional)
- Small sieve (optional)
Method:
- Start by lightly greasing your tin with some melted butter and then lightly dust with flour.
- Beat the two eggs in a small bowl. Remove about 3 tbsp of the egg and add them to your mixing bowl. Reserve the remaining egg for the cheesecake filling.
- Add all of the ingredients for the chocolate base to the three tablespoons of egg and knead together to form a smooth dough. Use about ⅔ of the dough and press it into the base and about ¾ of the way up the sides of the tin. Chill the base and remaining dough in the fridge whilst you prepare the filling.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- To make the filling, whisk together the remaining egg and other ingredients for the filling using a balloon or electric whisk until well combined.
- Next, carefully pour the cheesecake mix for the filling into the prepared base. Take the reserved third of the dough, rip it into smaller pieces, and evenly scatter it over the cheesecake filling, gently pushing it into the mix.
- Bake the “Zupfkuchen” in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes until the filling has set and turned a golden-brown colour.
- Leave the cake on a wire rack until completely cooled before carefully removing it from the tin. Transfer to a serving plate. For the best results, chill the cake in the fridge until cold before slicing and serving.
- Use a small sieve to dust the “Zupfkuchen” with icing sugar just before serving.
