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Sernik (Polish Cheesecake)

September 30, 2016 by Lois Britton 22 Comments

Polish Cheesecake, sernik, is a classic. You’ll find it in every restaurant, cafe, and coffee shop in Poland.

So just like szarlotka, it surprised me when I realized that I’ve never made a Polish cheesecake! Until now! 🙂 I looked at several recipes in English and in Polish, on the internet and in my collection of Polish cookbooks, and this cake is a compilation of those recipes, and a little bit of winging it.

Sernik - a delicious Polish Cheesecake!

In my study of sernik, I can say that twaróg, the Polish farmer’s cheese is the only constant, and most recipes call for two pounds or 1 kilogram of twaróg.

I found that this cheese is super easy to make, and that I love the taste and will be making it again. If you’re using my recipe for twaróg, you’ll need a triple batch to make this cheesecake.

One of the first choices you’ll have to make is what kind of crust to use. I made the short-crust pastry found in this recipe on About Food.

I’m sure that it is very traditional and it was tasty, but I don’t know that I’ll use it again. I’m an experienced maker of pie crust and I found it difficult to work with, especially in the size I needed to line a 9 x 13 pan.

I ended up making slabs for the bottom and sides and piecing it together. If I want a pastry crust in the future, I’ll probably try something else.

But in all honesty, I suspect that the next time I make this I’ll do a cookie crumb crust,  maybe a digestive crumb crust, with just a wee bit of sugar. It’s a more modern spin on the traditional recipe, but it would be so much quicker and easier.

I realize the  dichotomy in making my own cheese and  looking for a quick and easy crust; it’s all about the effort in relationship to the benefit. I’m willing to go the extra mile, but only if the difference is noticeable.

Sernik - a delicious Polish Cheesecake!

As for the body of the cheesecake, it can be plain. It can be flavored with citrus zest and extract or candied citrus peel; it can have raisins and might even include mashed potatoes.

The key differences that I see between sernik and a typical American version of cheesecake is that it has much less sugar. You’ll really taste the cheese, and it uses less other dairy, like milk and sour cream, making a stiffer mixture.

Sernik might be topped with a lovely chocolate ganche or a layer of berries in gelatin, or it may be served au naturel.

I opted for a sauce made with a 12 ounce bag of frozen berries, a couple tablespoons of sugar, and a teaspoon of lemon juice and 1/4 cup of water. I simmered until the berries were breaking down and thickened with two teaspoons of corn starch dissolved in a 1/4 cup of water.

Sernik - a delicious Polish Cheese

Marianna’s Piglet loves sernik!

I’d love to hear how you personalize your sernik.

Smacznego!

Lois

Amazon send me a few cents if you make a purc hase via my affiliate links above

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Sernik - a delicious Polish Cheesecake!

Sernik (Polish Cheesecake)

★★★★★ 4.7 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 45 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 45 mins
  • Yield: 12-20 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A traditional Polish cheesecake, you’ll notice the cheese in this cheesecake.


Ingredients

Scale

Crust:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 5 ounces cold butter
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 3 tablespoons sour cream

Filling:

  • 5 ounces butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 6 large eggs, separated
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon Kirsch (optional)
  • 3/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 2 pounds twaróg, passed through a sieve or processed in a blender or food processor until smooth

Instructions

Crust

  1. Combine the 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and baking powder
  2. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender (or use a food processor) until crumbly
  3. Mix together two egg yolks and 3 tablespoon sour cream, add to dry ingredients, only until combined, (if too stiff add a little water or an egg)
  4. Grease a 9 x 13 pan
  5. Roll pastry until large enough to line the pan, bottom and sides
  6. After fitting the dough to the pan, trim neatly crimp the edge
  7. You can use left over dough to create a lattice pattern on top of the cheesecake if desired

Filling

  1. Bring all ingredients for filling to room temp
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  3. Cream together 5 ounces butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy
  4. Add 6 egg yolks, vanilla, and kirsch (if using), combining until well blended
  5. Process the cranberries and flour in a food processor or combine and chop with a knife
  6. Add the chopped cranberries and twaróg
  7. In a separate bowl, beat the 6 egg whites until stiff
  8. Stir one cup of egg whites into the cheese mixture to lighten
  9. Gently fold in remaining egg whites
  10. Pour filling into crust
  11. Add lattice decoration (optional)
  12. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until center is only slightly jiggly
  13. Cool completely before serving

Notes

This is a dense cheesecake. I like to serve whipped cream along side to lighten it a bit.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @PolishHousewife on Instagram and hashtag it #polishhousewife

Sernik - a delicious Polish Cheesecake!
Lois Britton

An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com,  she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.

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Filed Under: Dessert, Polish, Polish Desserts, Winter

Previous Post: « Twaróg (Polish Farmer’s Cheese)
Next Post: Smalec Recipe »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. David

    October 1, 2016 at 6:53 am

    This does sound amazing, Lois – the texture looks so different, too. This will be a good winter project for me – making the cheese, then making the cake!

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      October 1, 2016 at 9:05 am

      Good eye, David. Yes, the texture is different too. I’ll be eager to hear how yours turns out.

      Reply
      • Bev Litynski

        July 6, 2018 at 7:28 pm

        Can you freeze this cheesecake? Thanks

        Reply
        • polishhousewife

          July 8, 2018 at 7:15 am

          I haven’t tried freezing them, Bev, but I have read about doing so on a Polish food blog. The author recommends slicing into portions and freezing on a cutting board before wrapping in foil or placing in individual containers. Her preferred method for defrosting is in the fridge for a day, although on the counter seems to work if the spot isn’t too warm. The worry about quick defrosting is that the cake will get watery. The best texture will always be while it’s fresh, but this is an option to keep things from going to waste or to have sernik when you know you won’t have time to bake.

          Reply
  2. Denise M Wheatley

    October 7, 2016 at 12:14 pm

    I took a polish baking class with my son and polish cheesecake was one of the items we made. I did not care for the texture of the farmers cheese but we did not process it to make it smooth. Maybe I will try it again.

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      October 7, 2016 at 12:33 pm

      That’s great, Denise! Our youngest daughter and I took a baking class when I went to visit her in college. It’s the people you share it with that make food fun.

      Reply
    • Mary

      April 16, 2018 at 7:57 pm

      Try mixing the farmers cheese with creme chees. That’s what my mom did and it was sweeter

      Reply
      • polishhousewife

        April 17, 2018 at 7:44 am

        Sounds good, Mary!

        Reply
  3. Leokadia

    December 20, 2016 at 8:39 am

    I just finished making my cheesecake for my daughter’s birthday. Her request was for babcia’s cake with my filling. So a little adaptation. I love the twaróg, childhood memories.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      December 20, 2016 at 12:40 pm

      Sto lat to your daughter!

      Reply
  4. Julie Umek

    July 8, 2017 at 8:07 pm

    I’m just about to start baking and realised the list of ingredients states 1 cup sugar, and the instructions 2 cups. I’ll see how I go. 🙂

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      July 9, 2017 at 9:20 am

      Oops, I see what you mean, and I’ll correct. I think I went with one cup in the filling.

      Reply
      • Dana Mietus wood

        December 21, 2021 at 10:30 pm

        I’m going to attempt to make this cheesecake. My grandmother made it every year, she didn’t have cooking utensils so everything was mixed by hand. I’m hoping it turns out like her cheesecake, it’s so different than any cheesecake I’ve ever had. I don’t believe she made it with a crust, I don’t remember one. She never gave out recipes and when my Mom and Dad tried to duplicate her cheesecake it never tasted the same maybe it was the Polish pharmacy that made the difference. Is it possible she made it with lemon zest?

        Reply
        • Dana

          December 21, 2021 at 10:32 pm

          I meant polish cheese not polish pharmacy LOL

          Reply
  5. Wayne Ang

    January 31, 2020 at 10:57 am

    It taste a lot heavier after being in the refrigerator overnight.

    After cooling the Sernik is not as heavy as what I expected. And I put the leftovers in the refrigerator I had a piece the next day, it was heavy!

    Reply
  6. Richard Harms

    April 10, 2020 at 7:44 am

    We grew up eating polish Cheese cake, The cheese cake we get at the market or restaurant, will never compare to the polish cheese cake.
    great memories.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Twaróg (Polish Farmer's Cheese) - Polish Housewife says:
    September 30, 2016 at 9:34 pm

    […] is a pot cheese or farmer’s cheese.  I made a batch this weekend because I wanted to make a Polish cheesecake. I didn’t expect to fall in love, but I have. After one day in the fridge, the curds that I […]

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  2. Exploring Krakow, the Cultural Heart of Poland - Ferreting Out the Fun says:
    December 15, 2017 at 2:11 am

    […] and beef tenderloin with whipped potatoes and asparagus. I also savored a slice of light-as-air Polish cheesecake made with farmer’s cheese. Pod Nosem is located at the southern end of Old Town near the base […]

    Reply
  3. Polish Desserts for Easter - Polish Housewife says:
    March 29, 2018 at 12:04 pm

    […] Sernik (Polish Cheesecake) — this version is made with homemade twarog, a farmer’s cheese, and studded with dried cranberries and topped with a berry sauce […]

    Reply
  4. Polish Raspberry Cheesecake (Sernik z Musem Malinowym) - Polish Housewife says:
    June 18, 2019 at 9:50 am

    […] The flavor is marvelous; the texture is light and creamy. I think the addition of mascarpone to your twarog or cottage cheese makes this a little less dense than the usual sernik. […]

    Reply
  5. Polish Cheesecake - Polish Housewife says:
    June 22, 2020 at 10:37 am

    […] most common questions on my own sernik recipe have to do with the cheese. “Where do I find twaróg?’ “What if I […]

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  6. Polish Croissants with Cheese Filling - Polish Housewife says:
    July 27, 2021 at 4:31 pm

    […] cheese. It’s the cheese used in this recipe and in so many other Polish classics: sernik, pierogi ruskie, naleśniki z serum. It all depends on where you live. Many of us don’t live […]

    Reply

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