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Russian Plucked Cake

Prep
10 min
Bake
50 min
Total
1 hr
Makes
12 pieces

Ingredients

Chocolate dough

  • 1 stick plus 5 tbsp180 gunsalted buttersoftened. German butter is unsalted and has about 82 percent fat. In the US use unsalted butter; European-style unsalted butter is closest. In the UK, unsalted butter.
  • 1 cup200 ggranulated sugar
  • 1 pinchsalt
  • 3 cups375 gall-purpose flourIn German recipes plain flour means soft wheat flour Type 405 unless stated otherwise. In the US use all-purpose flour; in the UK, plain flour.
  • ½ cup40 gunsweetened cocoa powderPure unsweetened cocoa powder for baking. In the US use unsweetened cocoa powder (not hot cocoa mix); in the UK, cocoa powder (not drinking chocolate).
  • 1 tspbaking powder1 tsp = 4 g. German baking powder is sold in 15 g packets, each meant for about 500 g (4 cups) of flour. In the US and the UK use baking powder, 1 tbsp plus ¾ tsp per 15 g packet.
  • 1large egg

Filling

  • 2 cups500 gquarkA fresh, mild and slightly tangy cheese with a spoonable texture, used in German cheesecakes, doughs and creams. In the US use full-fat Greek yogurt strained overnight, or farmer's cheese; in the UK, quark from the supermarket chiller (choose a full-fat one if you can find it).
  • 2 sticks plus 2 tbsp250 gunsalted buttersoftened
  • 1 cup200 ggranulated sugar
  • 1 packetcustard pudding powdervanilla. A packet of flavored starch (about 37 g) that is cooked with 2 cups (500 ml) of milk and sugar into a thick pudding. In the US use about ⅓ cup (40 g) cornstarch plus 1 tsp vanilla extract per packet; in the UK, custard powder, about 40 g per German packet (it is unsweetened, so it swaps 1:1 by weight).
  • 4large egg yolks
  • 4large egg whites

Method

Chocolate dough

  1. Line the springform pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) convection (fan).

  2. Mix the butter, sugar, salt & egg together.

  3. Add the flour, baking powder & cocoa powder and work everything into a crumbly mixture.

  4. Put one half into the springform pan and press it down as the base.

Filling

  1. Beat the egg whites with three quarters of the sugar, that is ¾ cup (150 g), until stiff.

  2. Mix the remaining ingredients into a creamy mixture, fold in the beaten egg whites and pour the mixture into the pan. Scatter the crumbs (the other half of the chocolate dough) on top.

  3. Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes to an hour. If the top gets too dark while baking, cover it with a little aluminum foil or something similar.

  4. After baking, let the cake cool in the pan. At first the cake will still be a little wobbly, but it firms up and sinks as it cools.

From German Pastry Chef. Full recipe with photos: germanpastrychef.com/recipes/russian-plucked-cake/