Sernik
Ingredients
- Crust: 250 g flour, 100 g sugar, 3/4 tsp baking powder, 150 g cold butter, 2 egg yolks, 3 tbsp sour cream
- Filling: 150 g soft butter, 400 g sugar, 4 eggs, separated, 1 tsp vanilla, 900 g twaróg (or dry curd cheese), processed smooth
Traditional Polish cheesecake relies on twaróg — a fresh, slightly tangy curd cheese with a firm, crumbly texture — rather than cream cheese, giving sernik a denser, less sweet character than its American counterpart. It's usually built on a simple shortcrust base, and the filling is baked slowly, then cooled gradually in the turned-off oven to prevent the top from cracking.
Method
Rub the cold butter into the flour, sugar and baking powder, then bind with the egg yolks and sour cream into a dough; press into the base of a lined springform pan.
Par-bake the crust briefly at 180°C (350°F), then let cool slightly.
Beat the soft butter with sugar until light, then beat in the egg yolks and vanilla.
Mix in the processed twaróg until smooth.
Whip the egg whites to soft peaks and fold gently into the cheese mixture.
Pour the filling over the crust and bake at around 170°C (340°F) for about 55 minutes, until just set with a slight wobble.
Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake cool inside with the door closed for an hour, then with the door ajar for another 15 minutes, to prevent cracking.
Chill before slicing.
Ingredients
- Crust: 2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 8 tbsp butter (melted), 1/4 cup light brown sugar, 1/4 tsp salt
- Filling: 1.1 kg (2.5 lb) cream cheese, room temperature, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 5 large eggs, room temperature, zest of 1 lemon plus 2 tsp lemon juice, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp salt
Where Polish sernik gets its dense, slightly tangy character from fresh twaróg curd cheese, the American New York-style cheesecake builds the same basic idea — a baked cheese filling on a crumb base — from cream cheese instead, enriched with heavy cream and a little sour cream for a smoother, richer, less tangy filling, and set on a buttery graham cracker crust rather than a shortcrust base.
Method
Mix the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, brown sugar and salt until evenly moistened.
Press the mixture into the bottom and partway up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
Bake the crust at around 180°C (350°F) for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown; let cool.
Beat the cream cheese in a stand mixer until completely smooth.
Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, then gradually beat in the heavy cream.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla and salt, mixing just until combined.
Pour the filling over the cooled crust and bake at around 160°C (325°F) until the edges are set but the center still has a slight wobble, roughly 55-65 minutes.
Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake cool inside with the door ajar for an hour, to prevent cracking, then chill for several hours before slicing.
