Cheesecake perfected: Add powdered milk for fluffiness

Cheesecake is a classic dessert that we eagerly return to during Christmas. Although it is traditional, countless recipes exist, and we often deviate from the tried-and-true formulas.

However, regardless of which recipe you choose, some rules apply. The foundation is high-quality quark for cheesecake, preferably full-fat or semi-fat. Fewer people grind it themselves nowadays, but you can find high-quality, ready-made ground quark. All other ingredients serve as additions. However, they are very important because they lighten the batter and make it fluffier.

There are also some extras besides the usual additions to cheesecake, like eggs, butter, sugar, a bit of flour, or pudding. Some people add whipped cream, heavy cream, or the popular mascarpone cheese to the batter. Thanks to these, cheesecakes become creamier with a pleasant, milky aftertaste. My cousin mentioned that powdered milk enhances her version's milky, fluffy, and moist quality. With the right consistency, the cheesecake is also less likely to crack. It can be prepared with traditional additions such as raisins or orange zest. However, it truly shines when paired with chocolate glaze and fresh fruits.

Ingredients:

Crust:

• About 225 grams of graham crackers,
• About 100 grams of butter,
• A pinch of cinnamon.

Cheese Filling:

• About 1 kilogram of quark cheese,
• Less than 250 millilitres of sugar,
• 1 package of vanilla sugar,
• About 70 grams of soft butter,
• About 70 grams of potato starch or 2 vanilla puddings,
• About 250 millilitres of milk,
• About 375 millilitres of powdered milk,
• 7 eggs.

Chocolate Glaze:

• About 200 grams of dark chocolate,
• About 250 millilitres of 30% heavy cream.

Preparation method:

1. Blend the graham crackers and mix with melted butter and a pinch of cinnamon. Line the bottom of a springform pan with this mixture.
2. Separate the eggs into yolks and whites, and beat the whites into stiff peaks.
3. Begin preparing the cheese filling: mix the quark with sugar, vanilla sugar, real vanilla, yolks, and butter.
4. Then add the puddings, powdered milk, and milk to the cheese mixture and combine well.
5. Add the beaten egg whites and fold them gently without using a mixer.
6. Pour the cheese filling onto the prepared crust.
7. Bake the cheesecake for 15 minutes at 160°C, then for 80 minutes at 130°C. Cool it with the oven door slightly open.
8. Decorate the cooled cheesecake with glaze: heat the cream, dissolve the chocolate, and mix well.
9. Serve the cheesecake with fresh fruit if desired.