Tuesday 24 January 2012

My Mum's Jewish Baked Cheesecake


This is the best cheesecake EVER. I know that everyone says that their mum is the best cook in the world - but mine actually is. It is an empirical fact. Everyone says so, alright?

My mum's cheesecake is light, fluffy, rich, moist and delicious. Make it every day (if you're not too keen on living a hugely long life).

Curd cheese is the proper ingredient to use, but sometimes hard to find. Use Philadelphia, or another high quality shop-bought cream cheese, and the effect will be almost as good, but slightly less authentic to the Russian-esque original recipe.

Desserts are cheap to make and fantastic to eat. A 'Potless' sound bite, if there ever was one. £5 for a cake that serves 10-15 people, means a maximum 50p per serving.

Serves 10-15

INGREDIENTS:

300g curd or cream cheese
150ml double cream
150ml sour cream
200g caster sugar
1 tablespoon of plain flour
3 eggs, with whites separated
Juice of 1 small lemon
100g amaretti biscuits (the hard type), crushed

Preheat oven to 180c. Whisk together the cheese, both creams, sugar, flour, lemon juice and egg yolks, until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peak stage. Fold the egg whites into the cake batter. In a 20cm round or square, foil-lined, spring form (loose-bottomed) cake tin, spoon in the crushed amaretti biscuits until you have an even 1cm layer. Spoon the cake mixture on top and smooth the surface. Place into oven and bake for 45 minutes approx. Check the cake; if still soggy in the middle, cook for a further 10 minutes, otherwise leave the cake in the oven and turn off the heat. Leave cake to cool in the oven to room temperature. Take the cheesecake out of the oven and place in the freezer for an hour, to assist in removing the foil (it is too difficult when the cake is at room temperature). Place on a platter and serve.


13 comments:

  1. My mum got a similar recipe off a jewish friend, and we all think these are the best cheesecakes ever, and it has to be curd cheese.

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  2. I have been looking for this recipe for forty years, after having this so often at work in Whitechapel, now about to attempt it..... Although haven't seen curd cheese here, only in Sri Lanka

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    1. hiya - it's easy to find here in Whitechapel- Sainsburys and any polish shop - it's called TVAROG and it's curd cheese

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    2. In uk asda sell!

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    3. The bakery at Whitechapel/Stepney is still there selling these cheesecakes and it's the very reason I looked up this recipe!

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    4. I used to buy delicious Jewish baked cheesecake at Rinkoff’s in Grove Road, Whitechapel, in th 1980s…

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  3. Very similar to my mums recipe - although she made a sweet pastry base and sides
    Love love love

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  4. Do you need to add anything to the amaretti biscuits or do they just stick together?

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  5. Going to give this resipe a try

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  6. I have been searching for the dense sultana cheese cake for decades I’m 53 now insist on finding it. My dad worked in a Greek restaurant as a chef when I was very little, I have sooo many good food memories and this dense deep filled sultana cheese cake that stuck to the roof of your mouth was one of them. I don’t eat cheese cakes any more because now they are light and fluffy and frankly unless like above “ mums” cheese cake, that’s all that will do.
    If any one knows what I’m talking about please please let me know… I’d appreciate it like… simply love you if any one knows

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    1. Rinkoff's is still there in Whitechapel, and still making it - I just bought and ate a huge chunk! Delicious

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  7. But, excuse my rudeness I look forward to trying this recipe out. Thank you for sharing it. It’s so important to keep recipes alive.

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  8. I remember this topo, my dad would bring half a cake back to Jersey everytime he visited his home London

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