Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake Recipe From ‘Eat in My Kitchen’

Every week, we’re spotlighting a different food blogger who’s shaking up the blogosphere with tempting recipes and knockout photography. Below, Meike Peters of Eat in My Kitchen proves that delicious cheesecake can be found far from New York City.

Photo: Meike Peters

Russischer Zupfkuchen, or Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake 
Serves 12

If you like the combination of bittersweet chocolate and creamy cheesecake, this is your recipe! Russischer zupfkuchen is a German cake classic. “Zupfkuchen” means “plucked cake,” which refers to the chocolate dough on top that’s also used for the base. It’s a dark, crumbly short crust that brings some depth into this sweet and creamy treat. 

Traditionally, the topping is made with quark, the German dairy product that’s similar to ricotta or cottage cheese. it creates a bit of a heavy, dryer texture. I tried many of these cakes in my life and this particular texture was often the reason why I couldn’t really warm to it, apart from the fact that many were simply too sweet for my taste.

When I decided to create my own zupfkuchen, I wanted to work on two points: texture and sweetness. I had something lighter in mind: a filling made with ricotta and a little bit of mascarpone, and definitely less sugar and more eggs than you’d find in the usual recipes. The texture turned out to be a cross between a soufflé and a flan; it’s like a French take on this rather rustic cake. When you try a piece while it’s still warm, it tastes a bit like custard, resembling the fine eggy note of a crème caramel, which fades away as soon as the cake cools down. 

Before I forget, we found the cake best on the second day!

For the chocolate short crust:

10.5 ounces (300 grams) plain flour 
3 ounces (80 grams) sugar
1 ¾ ounces (50 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ leveled teaspoons baking powder 
Pinch of salt
6 ¼ ounces (175 grams) cold butter
1 organic egg
1 tablespoon cold milk

Combine the flour with the sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into the flour with a knife until there are just little pieces of butter left. Continue with your fingers and rub the butter into the flour. Transfer to a stand mixer, add the egg and milk and continue mixing with the hooks of your mixer until combined. Form a ball, wrap in cling film and put in the fridge while you prepare the cheese topping.

For the cheese topping:

18 ounces (500 grams) fresh ricotta
9 ounces (250 grams) mascarpone
4 organic eggs
1 ¾ ounces (50 grams) cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder 
Pinch of salt
4 ½ ounces (120 grams) sugar
1 tablespoon milk 
Pinch of vanilla scraped out of its pod

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients for the cheese topping with an electric mixer until well combined and creamy.

Make the cake:

Set the oven to 180°C / 355°F and butter a 10-inch springform pan.

Divide the short crust, 2/3 for the cake’s base and 1/3 for the chocolate topping.

Roll out 2/3 of the dough between cling film, big enough to cover about 2/3 of the rim of the springform pan and line the bottom with the pastry. Continue rolling out the remaining 1/3 of dough between cling film to a thickness of ¼ inches and pluck it into roundish pieces for the topping, set this dough aside.

Pour the cheesecake topping in the pastry lined springform pan and bake for 20 minutes. Open the oven and gently (and quickly) lay the plucked chocolate dough pieces on top of the cheese topping. Bake for another 35 minutes or until golden and firm on top. Switch off the oven, open the oven door and keep the cake in the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes. Take it out and let the cake cool before you take it out of the springform pan.

More takes on cheesecake:

Fudgy cheesecake brownies recipe

Candy cane chocolate cheesecake

Double choc cheesecake with berry sauce

What’s your favorite cheesecake recipe? Tell us below!