Pietras Cream Cheese Cake

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 50 g sugar
• 100 g butter or margarine
• 150 g flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• 5 eggs, separated
• 40 g sugar
• 1 vanilla pod(s), pulp
• 1 orange(s) or lemon, untreated, zest thereof
• 80 g sugar, preferably brown or honey
• 1 pinch of salt
• 130 g flour (type 405)
• 40 g cornstarch (e.g. Mondamin)
• 600 g quark (low-fat quark), slightly drained
• 2 egg yolks
• 170 g sugar, preferably brown (a little more if using honey)
• 1 orange(s) or lemon, untreated, zest thereof
• 7 sheets of gelatin
• 250 ml cream
• 3 tbsp apricot jam or orange marmalade, heaped, slightly warmed

Instructions

Working time approx. 35 minutes; Total time approx. 35 minutes

12 or more pieces placed in a 26 cm springform pan

Place the low-fat quark in a sieve lined with cheesecloth or kitchen paper to drain (if you use curd cheese, it will be drier and can be used straight away). Drain the curd cheese by the time the shortcrust pastry and sponge cake bases are ready. Quickly knead the sugar, salt, and butter, cut into cubes, into the flour (in a mixing bowl with a dough hook or first with a dough scraper, then with cold hands). Roll out to 3 mm, cut out into a 26 cm cake ring, prick several times with a fork; bake on baking paper in the tin at 190°C for 8-10 minutes until light brown. Beat the egg whites with 80 g of sugar and salt until frothy, then beat the egg yolks, remaining sugar, and spices separately until frothy. Carefully fold the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture, then sift the flour and cornstarch over the mixture and quickly but thoroughly fold in. Line a 26 cm springform pan with parchment paper. This doesn’t have to be precise; the edges that stick out at the top will only be trimmed after filling. Pour in the mixture, pressing it into the corners with a spatula. Smooth out any overhanging edges and immediately place it in the preheated oven at 190°C for about 25 minutes. Let it cool, then cut the base horizontally into three slices. Set aside the nicest (with the “baked” side) for the topping. Soak the gelatin in cold water, whip the cream. Mix the egg yolks, lemon zest, and sugar. Heat the gelatin, squeezed out well (works well in the microwave), until dissolved; do not boil. Stir the liquid gelatin into the egg yolk mixture, stir in the curd cheese, and then fold in the whipped cream. Line a cake ring with cling film, place a shortcrust pastry base inside, spread with apricot jam or orange marmalade, place a sponge cake layer on top, fill with half of the cream cheese, place another sponge cake layer on top, and fill with the remaining cream cheese. Chill. Cut the last sponge cake layer (with the baked side facing up) into 12-16 cake slices and place them on the chilled cream cheese just before serving; dust with powdered sugar. Variation: Place canned mandarins or apricots on the first and second sponge cake slices. The shortcrust pastry layer can also be omitted. Use only two of the sponge cake slices, then fill with cream cheese at once. Top the third layer for a second cake, for example, with strawberries. The sponge cake is also tall enough to be cut horizontally into four slices. You can then freeze 2 bases or prepare a second cake, e.g. with strawberry curd or chocolate mousse, and then bake 2 shortcrust pastry bases using double the amount.