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–+ servings
A slice of sernik on a white plate.
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5 from 3 votes

Polish Cheesecake (Sernik)

Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Author: Aleksandra

Ingredients

for the crust:

  • 2 ¼ cups (280g) flour spooned and leveled
  • 3 tablespoons (15g) cocoa powder I used Dutch-processed
  • 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • big pinch of salt
  • 1 ½ sticks (175g) cold butter
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

for the cheesecake:

  • 2.2 lbs (1 kg) twaróg cheese (farmer's cheese)
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoon (28g) corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 sticks - 2 tablespoons soft butter (200g/7ounces)

Instructions

Make the crust:

  • Stir the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt together.
  • Add the egg yolk, sour cream, vanilla extract, and cold butter (cut into small cubes).
  • Rub the ingredients between your fingers or mix with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until the dough comes together. It will look crumbly at first but it will soon form a smooth dough.
  • Divide the dough into two parts. One part should be slightly bigger than the other part (about 3 Tbsp), flatten each part into a flat disc, wrap in plastic foil, and put in a fridge for 45 minutes.

Bake the crust:

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), Gas Mark 4, no fan.
  • Grease a 10-inch (26cm) springform pan with butter (grease the sides generously) and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
  • Transfer the smaller part of the crust to the freezer.
    Take the larger part of the crust and tear it into pieces (or cut with a knife if it's too firm). Flatten the pieces and press them into the pan to cover its bottom.
  • Prick the crust with a fork several times.
  • Bake the crust for 20 minutes.
  • While the crust is baking make the cheesecake batter.

Make the cheesecake:

  • Process the cheese in a food processor until smooth (it doesn't have to be completely smooth, a couple of small lumps are fine). Alternatively, you can put the cheese two times through a meat grinder (use a plate with small holes).
  • Separate the eggs into egg yolks and egg whites. Make sure there is no egg yolk in the egg whites or you won't be able to beat them properly.
  • Beat the egg yolks with soft butter, 1/2 of the sugar, and orange zest until combined. Use an electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
  • Add the cheese and vanilla extract, beat until combined.
  • In a separate, very large and clean bowl, beat the egg whites (with a clean whisk attachment) until soft peaks form. Slowly add the remaining sugar and beat the egg whites until stiff. Add the corn starch and beat until combined.
  • Add about 1/4 of the beaten egg whites to the cheese batter, fold in with a spatula until combined.
  • Add the cheese batter to the remaining egg whites. Fold in gently with a spatula until combined and there are no white strikes of egg whites.

Bake the cheesecake:

  • Pour the cheese batter onto the warm, baked crust. The batter will reach almost to the rim of the pan but don't worry, it won't overflow.
  • Take the second part of the crust out of the freezer and grate it on the large holes of a box grater. Sprinkle the crust onto the cheesecake batter.
  • Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the oven door slightly. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for 10 minutes then take it out and place on a cooling rack. It will be slightly jiggly in the middle but set. The cheesecake will rise and crack in the middle and then it will fall - it's just the nature of this cheesecake.
  • Leave the cheesecake on the cooling rack to cool completely (in the springform pan), at least 3 hours (do not try to cut warm cheesecake) but preferably overnight (it has a better texture and flavor).
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • Instant vanilla pudding powder: mine has just corn starch and ground vanilla beans in the ingredients so you can substitute corn starch and 1 ts of vanilla extract.
  • Baking pan: I used a round 10-inch (26cm) springform pan and it was just right. You could also bake this cheesecake in a 9x13-inch (22x33cm) rectangle pan to have more crust-to-cheese ratio. You would need to make more crust - about 50% more of the recipe.
  • How to serve it: This cheesecake is really served on its own. Different types of cheesecakes are often served with fresh fruit or fruit compote but this cheesecake is really best just plain.
  • Storage: This cheesecake will keep for about 4-5 days. You can keep it at room temperature for 2-3 days, in a cool place. If you'll keep it in the fridge, bring it to room temperature before serving. Its taste and texture improves with each day. It's light and fluffy on the day of baking and it becomes more dense the next day, which I actually prefer. The crust is slightly crispy on the day of baking and then it becomes soft.
  • How to measure flour: Fluff the flour by stirring it in the bag/flour container with a spoon. Spoon the flour and sprinkle it into your measuring cup. Sweep off the excess flour with the back of a knife. Note: using a scale yields perfect and consistent results.
  • Servings: 1 serving (1/12 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!

Nutrition

Calories: 477kcal