I love German Cheesecake, unfortunately in the US it’s hard to find the ingredients and since I’ve moved to Florida over 17 years ago, I never bake a real German Cheesecake. Most people know that cheesecake has cream cheese in the filling, but did you know that the German Cheesecake is far from that? There is no cream cheese anywhere in that cake and actually, there is no cheese at all in the cake.
I recently discovered a recipe that didn’t require the key ingredient, “Quark”. Quark is a diary product similar to yogurt and sour cream mixture; it’s hard to explain, but if you never heard of Quark and I’m sure most of you haven’t, it’s very hard to find in the US, but you can get more info about Quark here in case you ever wanted to know what it was. Since Quark is rare it was nearly impossible for me to make my mom’s famous German Cheesecake or any German Cheesecake for that matter, until a few weeks ago when a few friends mentioned to me that I could use Greek Yogurt and use that instead of the Quark. I couldn’t believe that Greek Yogurt would be a good substitute, but I gave it a try.
I was told the best Greek Yogurt that would work best for the German Cheesecake would be Fage 2%; I’ve seen it all over the store but never gave it much attention. I couldn’t find the 2% and ended up getting the only one that Walmart had the 0% Greek yogurt.
Now the important part is to get the Greek Yogurt as dry as possible and try to drain as much liquid off the yogurt as you can. I actually drained the yogurt in the fridge overnight; placed mine inside a napkin, I didn’t have any coffee filters or cheesecloth, but it worked well and you will be surprised how much liquid you will get out. I kept squeezing mine a little to get as much out as I could; really wasn’t hard at all. But the more liquid you leave in the yogurt the softer the cheesecake filling will be and you kind of want it to be soft but not runny.
I added Mandarin’s from the can to my cake after I placed everything into the baking form just because I’m used to having mandarins in mine, but certainly not a must and will be amazing without any fruit on top or you can add different fruit, totally up to you. I think by adding the mandarins, even though I had them drained it got a little softer then I had wanted the cake to be, but it was delicious.
I’m very impressed and this German Cheesecake is as good (if not better) then the one my mom always made. I can’t believe that Greek Yogurt did the trick and I was able to make this delicious, moist German Cheesecake that so many of us know and love just couldn’t quit re-create, guess what …. NOW WE CAN!!!
Thanks to my friend Ilona Maria for sharing this recipe with me and now I can share it with all my readers and everyone that can’t wait to try the German Cheesecake without Cream Cheese and it takes no time at all to make.
I’m in heaven, this cake was super fast and is delicious and just like at home in Germany. You can enjoy it cold or still a little warm and it will keep in the fridge for a few days, so grab a cup of coffee and a plate and enjoy your newest favorite cheesecake, bet you will love it as much as we do.
How do you like your Cheesecake? Would love to hear your recipe ideas
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
That sounds absolutely delicious. I wish I had a piece (or 3) right now.
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Cyndie says
You had me at the very first picture! This looks amazing and I would like to try and make one!
Olga Lopez says
Wow never heard about this delicious dessert.
Regards.
Olga.
Mama to 5 BLessings says
That is awesome, at 1st glance I thought it was a real pizza! Looks yummy!
Janet W. says
Wow this looks delicious and so thick! You always have the best recipe ideas!
Tiffany (Fabulous Mom Blog) says
I can totally see myself eating that entire thing. Looks yummy. I don’t think I’ve ever had an authentic cheesecake. Would love to try one.
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Jenna Wood says
That looks extremely indulgent and delicious! One of my favorite German recipes is my grandmother’s German Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake, it’s so deliciously moist!
Chelley says
This is great! Cutting out the creamcheese is pretty wonderful for the all the holidays coming up!
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shelly peterson says
This looks wonderfully delicious. I have never had mandarins on a cheesecake/cake but I love the idea. I would definitely love to try German cheesecake. Ha at first glance with the mandarins on top, this looked like a really thick pepperoni pizza 🙂
Stacie says
This is such a great idea. Thank you for the tips and recipe. I can’t wait to try it!
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JulieK says
One day, they’ll make a computer where you can reach into the screen and grab a slice of cake. I’d grab the whole cake here – it looks SOOOO creamy and delicious!
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Dee Mauser says
Wow, when I first saw the photo of your cheesecake I mistook it for a deep dish pizza. Glad I continue to read. It looks delicious although I’ve never had a cheesecake without cream cheese.
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Jen Temcio says
I thought this was some sort of #recipehack at first, but really? No cheese in the cheesecake! funny. I love the flavor of plain yogurt so I’ll bet this will taste amazing. Can’t wait to make it thanks!
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Krista says
Oh my goodness! That looks amazing! I will be trying this soon!
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Tammi says
I had german cheesecake when I was in Germany and had no idea that it doesn’t have cream cheese in it. Wow, no idea. Thanks for this great recipe!
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Sandra says
This is GLORIOUS! It’s so big and beautiful–would be great to bring to a party!
Jennifer says
What a great take on cheesecake. Substituting Greek yogurt for cream cheese makes this recipe much more healthy.
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Stacie says
I love this recipe. Anytime I can get something delicious like cheesecake and have it be somewhat healthy, that’s a plus.
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Shauna says
I feel really silly because I had no clue the cheesecake was world-wide… ha… it definitely looks and sounds different but I totally want to try it.
Lori says
That looks delicious! I would love to try that!
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Sarah Marturano says
This looks and sounds amazing. I can’t wait to try this recipe!
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Liz Mays says
I pinned it! My boyfriend hates cream cheese and I love it, so I think I should try this so he’ll eat some!
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Jenn says
I saw this on Pinterest and wondered how do you make cheesecake without cream cheese?? Very cool!
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Meagan says
Holy cow! Now THAT is a German cheesecake. It looks divine!
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candice says
wow that looks insanely decadent! and without cream cheese, who knew!
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Mary Larsen says
What gorgeous pictures! I’m drooling already 🙂
Ann Bacciaglia says
I love cheesecake and it is one of my favourite desserts. My favourite is strawberry cheesecake with a thick layer of gooey strawberry sauce. Yum.
mel says
This looks really good!! I need to try this. Thanks
Amy Desrosiers says
I seriously just want to sink my teeth into this cake!! My gosh it looks AMAZING!!
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Dagmar Esposito says
I am German and know exactly what you are talking about “Quark”, never thought of substituting Greek Joghurt. I did see “farmers Cheese” here in a store and think it is kind of like Quark, have to try using both! I love cheesecake and my kids say I make a great one (with Philadelphia cheese here in the US), but to get my German cheesecake I will try it with those 2 options ! Thank you, it looks delicious (and I will make it with Mandarins also, love it!
Melanie Roberts says
YES.. the Greek Yogurt worked wonders.. I always run my nose up when someone tells me Greek Yogurt is like Quark… for me they are nothing alike..lol. BUT I tried it AND LOVEd it in the cheesecake, really hardly any difference… was really really good… 🙂 It got thicker or denser after it was completely cooled and was good for 4-5 days in the fridge and still as good as the first day… let me know how it turns out with the Farmers Cheese, never heard of that.. that’s interesting 🙂 … “Auf gutes gelingen” 🙂
Jeff Brown says
I want to make this for my German-born wife (I enjoy cooking!) but the recipe does not say what size pan to use nor does it say what size of vanilla pudding to use. Help!
Melanie Roberts says
Hi Jeff … I used a regular size springform not sure what size they come in?? I guess a 9 inch?? and I used a German pudding mix hat I bought at World Market, but You could use a regular size pudding mix make sure it’s the cooking kind not the instant. Let me know if you have any questions.. hope your wife enjoys it.. I know many people who used this recipe and loved it…
Bruno says
Don’t know what i did wrong but the fillings end up being too runny :(…..
Yes I drained the water out of greek yogurt for like 5 days….maybe the 1.5 cups of milk made it too runny….
I wished u had made the video how it was done…
Melanie Roberts says
Hi Bruno; sorry to hear that and the filling will be very runny until it is baked that’s when it will stiffen up; Did you use the cooking package for Pudding? I’ve had many people make this same recipe and it worked, just trying to see what went wrong so I can give you pointers. Mhhh good idea with the video, I may look into doing that, that’s a good idea.
Bruno says
Hi Mel
I like to tell you that I retried your recipe with little modification of the ingredients u suggested…
I used 1 cup evaporated milk instead of 1.5 cup milk….
1/2 cup of sugar and less than half cup of lemon juice…
This one i made was not runny and it was good solid like original cheesecake…The best part was I didn’t use Crust to make this one…Think about all the BUTTER FAT u just eliminated from not using the crust :=)..
I also think adding mandarin with filling adds more water to the cake which makes its more runny…So i decided to use the mandarin separately and it tasted like ur original recipe u suggested…
Thank you for this wonderful recipe…Have a great holiday and Happy New Year 2015..
Melanie Roberts says
Awwww how nice of you to let me know how yours turned out… AWESOME.. soo glad that you ended up with a cheesecake that you guys could enjoy. Totally made my day and love your adapted version, will have to try it and YES.. I’ve been dying to make the cheesecake without the crust for a while, just haven’t had time yet, good to hear it worked out well. Thanks for sharing
Luisa Radusinovic says
I made it , the cheese cake one because I purposely looked for a recipe with no cream cheese and second because of the picture.However , I am a bit disappointed because it didn’t get very tall while baking … was it not supposed to.I think I ‘m going to make another one and put it on top of the first .What do think ? It is important that it looks good because it’s for my husband’s birthday and there will be guests!Please help with any suggestions.Luisa
Melanie Roberts says
Hi Luisa; it really doesn’t rise per say, I used a regular spring form and my cake filled the form about 1/2 full if you like make extra of the “cheese” filling and add it to the form, that should get you a taller cake.. mine on the picture is about 3 inches maybe 4 tall and that’s with all the ingredients listed in the recipe…. good luck…
Linda says
Hello Mel, I tried this recipe to the letter and the cake batter was too thick and dry and the filling was runny. After refrigeration overnight, it thickened. It looked exactly like the picture so I couldnt wait to taste. It was delicious. I used a nine inch springform. I will make again, but either eliminate the crust or cut way down the flour mixture.
Melanie Roberts says
The cake batter is a little dry and yes the filling is very runny till you bake it… It will thicken once it’s cool and get stiffer the cooler it gets.. glad you didn’t give up and I’m glad it all worked out in the end… I’ve heard people successfully making this recipe without the crust, too. I haven’t had time yet to try but it’s on my to do list..thanks for letting me know
petra says
Ich lebe seit fast 14 jahren in den USA. Habe oft Kaesekuchen gemacht und immer geblendeten Cottage Cheese genommen. Ich mag den geschmack von Joghurt nicht, aber wenn man Cottage Cheese in den Blender gibt gut umruehrt und vielleicht einen kleinen schluck Sahne dazu gibt, schmeckt das genau wie Quark. Funktioniert immer.
Melanie Roberts says
Super idea Petra… muss ich auch ma probieren. Ehrlich gesagt, Greek Yogurt war auch nicht so meins.. ABER man schmeckt den wirklich nicht im kuchen war totall ueberascht und begeisterd (falls du es doch mal probieren wills).. wuerd mich freuen wenn du ihn mit Cottage Cheese machst mir zu berichten wie er gelungen is… freu mich immer zu hoeren wie’s bei euch klapt.. liebe gruesse aus Florida… 🙂
Bonnie says
I have heard that some Whole Foods stores now carry quark.
Melanie Roberts says
Hi Bonnie… YES! I have heard that, too. My nearest is like over an hr away and last time I checked over the summer they did not have it yet, I can’t wait to find it. Out west (California area) there is also a company Eli Quark that makes a traditional German Quark, they have not made it all across the nation, been begging them for a long time now.. one day I hope… thanks for letting us know.. 🙂
Gerlinde says
Hi Melanie,
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I’m German, although I’ve been living in the U.S. for over 30 years now. There are a few things I can cook/bake like my mom used to, although German Cheesecake is not one of them – because I couldn’t find Quark anywhere, ever. I did read one time that someone tried Ricotta cheese, strained through a strainer to make it smooth; but I was too chicken to give that a try 🙂 . But I will try your recipe. It looks exactly like a German Cheesecake. Knuerbteig and all! Thank you!
Melanie Roberts says
Hi Gerlinde …. aww thanks for checking us out and loved your comment… I promise you, you can do this!! I’ve been here almost 20 years and this was the first time I made the cheesecake because of the same fear and issues you had.. the one in the picture is my very first one…!!! If you do have issues (which I doubt..).. just leave me a message and we will see what happened, but I have had many many friends try it and they had NOO issues… one little mistake I made the butter should be 6 TSPS … whoops used the wrong letter in there..:-)… would love to hear how it turns out and would love for you to come back every so often, too. Happy New Year
Ilona Maria says
Hi Melanie!
I am happy that you liked the cake. I shared your page on my FB business page, and I reached 106 people. That is really awesome. Your blog is also pretty awesome. I follow you all the time 🙂
Have a Happy New Year!
Lieben Gruss
Ilona
Melanie Roberts says
Awww thanks Ilona… much appreciated and you know your recipes ROCK… love trying them… thanks for checking out my blog.. *blushing now*….
Katy B. says
My grandmother gave me a recipe that she has been making since my mom was a child and that I rememver having as a child.She is german and makes a cheescake that also has no cream cheese or cheese of any kind for that matter. It has vanilla pudding(not instant), sugar,vanilla extract and eggs,that’s it!The crust is butter, flower and sugar. I added the sugar, but it is so delicious! I absolutely love the texture and how light and fluffy, yet very moist it is. It will always be my all time favorite German desert.
Melanie Roberts says
Hi Kathy..thanks for sharing your grandma’s recipe, this sounds very close to mine.. isn’t it the best?
Kathrin says
Hallo Melanie,
eine Frage zum Pudding: kommt der gekocht rein oder als Pulver, quasi zum andicken. Ich habe irgendwann den guten alten Dr. Oetker hier (Grossraum Chicago) bekommen und wuerde ihn gerne fuer das Rezept verwenden. Klingt sooo gut. Mein deutscher Delikatessen-Laden hier im Ort hatte ab und zu Quark, hat aber leider vor zwei Jahren geschlossen. Bin also quasi auf Quark-Kuchen-Entzug…
Melanie Roberts says
Halo Kathrin… danke furs vorbei kommen.. nein den Pudding nicht kochen einfach mit rein in die masse.. die “kaese fullung” is ganz duenn und wird dann im ofen erst richtig schoen fest und auch nach dem backen is sie immer noch n bissi weich (ich ess den aber immer dan scho so warm..lecker) aber wenn du ihn noch nen tag stehen lassen kannst dann is er ganz feste (ich schaff das nie…lol..) und mit dem deutschen Pudding schmeckt er mir persoenlich immer am besten… World Market hat den Pudding auch immer falls du einen in der nahe hast, glaub kann man auch online gunstig bestellen.. gutes gelingen sag bescheid wie es geklapt hat 🙂
Kathrin says
Hallo Melanie,
Danke fuer die Info.
Den Quarkkuchen habe ich inzwischen schon zweimal gebacken und er war beide Male ein voller Erfolg. Variante 1 mit Coconut-Oel war etwas fester, Variante 2 mit Canola-Oel war etwas weniger fest, aber beide liessen sich wunderbar schneiden und waren im Handumdrehen weg. Und sie gingen auch Dank Dr. Oetker’s Backpulver herrlich auf. 1.000 Dank fuer’s Rezept-Teilen 🙂
Melanie Roberts says
Hallo Kathrin, das freut mich das er ein voller erfolg war… vielen dank das du noch mal gekommen bist und mir eine Nachricht hinterlegt hast, freu mich immer riesig von erfolgen zu hören. Geniess es.. liebe Grüße und auf gutes backen…bis “hoffentlich” bald.
Loren says
Quark cake is the Original. In north west Europe quark is easy to find. In The Netherlands they call it *Kwarktaart*
Anne says
Ooooh, lovely! Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts, but with the cost of cream cheese, I rarely make it. This version, however, is something I’m sure I’ll be making soon. I love yogurt and always have some on hand. Thanks for the recipe.
ellen beck says
I have heard of wuarkk but goodness it has been years! I also have had real Gernam cheesecake and have to say although it is different from the crream cheese version, it is better. I have German roots too. I will be pinning this one so I can remember to try it.
Birdiebee says
This looks so delicious. What an awesome recipe. I will be trying this one in the near future for a family dinner.
Melanie says
Hi, I’m Melanie, I was born in Germany my mom is German Dad was Army been here in states 21 years now I know we don’t get Quark here only one time in Tennessee I found which was $7 for one container and I need it 2 , well 5 years ago I searched online how to make quark and I came across a recipe and I just had to try it all it takes is one ingredient yes only 1 and a crock pot to make 1 regular size round spring form ready to find out what that 1 ingredient is Buttermilk yes buttermilk get 2 big cartons or 1/2 gallon take your crock pot set on high poor all buttermilk in let the magic begin it takes roughly 4 to 6 hrs in crock pot you be amazed how much water is in the crock pot and that’s not all scoop out the quark it has to be drained I suggest like Melanie explained draining the Greek yogurt over night and voila you have quark and let me tell it tastes much better then store bought quark follow recipe like above baking time is roughly 60-70 minutes
Melanie Roberts says
Hi Melanie… *love your name..lol*.. and what a great tip, I will have to check it out, yes Quark here is so expensive and I don’t know why, totally trying your tip..THANKS
Toby says
Made it with coconut oil but I do not like the taste. Is it possible to make it with other oil or must it be coconut because it is a harder oil at room temp. Rest of cake is awesome fast and a great consistency. Thank you for the recipe.
Melanie Roberts says
You can use any oil, doesn’t have to be Coconut oil… Glad you liked the recipe, thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you.
Rachel says
Do you mix the wet ingredients in the mixer or how ?
Melanie Roberts says
You can but I sometimes use a whisk cause there is really nothing that is hard to mix, but a mixer is totally fine… enjoy
URSULA says
YOU MIGHT TRY FARMERS CHEESE IN THE GERMAN CHEESECAKE AS A SUB FOR QUARK – I FOUND IT TO BE A GOOD SUB
Melanie Roberts says
That’s a good idea, I love the Greek Yogurt it works really well. But I have yet to find farmer’s cheese here in Florida, need to look for that
Hubert says
Im going to make this. Quark is impossiable to get here. I miss my german ingredients. Im travel to my family but quark is not something you can bring home lol. Lot of other wonderful baking thing you can. I do have a question about the eggs. Some Recipes tell you to separate egg yoke and white. More air lighter the batter. What do u think?
Hubert says
I made the cheese cake it is very good. I can taste the vanilla in it. I could of use some vanilla sugar in the crust but i forgot. I like it very much thanjs for sharing. Though it still not like quark. But it very close.