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Eierschecke
Dresdner Eierschecke: Saxon three-layer cake of yeast base, quark and egg custard
GermanEierschecke is Dresden's café cake, cut in squares from a big tray in every Saxon bakery: a thin yeasted base, a thick layer of vanilla quark, and on top the 'Schecke', a wobbly, golden egg-and-butter custard that bakes into a soft, almost soufflé-like crust. It is eaten on Sunday afternoons with strong filter coffee, and Saxons argue about whether raisins belong in the quark. A common mistake is pouring the custard on too thickly or baking too hot, so it puffs and cracks; bake it low and slow. Chef's tip: the cake cuts neatly only when completely cold, so make it the day before.
- Total time
- 105 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the yeast base
For the quark layer
- 1 ⅔ lb quarkwell drained
- 5 ½ oz sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- ½ cup milk
For the egg topping
- 4 ½ oz buttersoft
- 3 ½ oz sugar
- 4 eggsseparated
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp plain flour
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 9 oz plain flour, ⅛ oz fast-action dried yeast, 1 ⅜ oz sugar and 1 pinch salt, then add ½ cup milk, 1 ⅜ oz butter and 1 egg and knead for 5 minutes into a smooth dough. Cover and leave for 40 minutes until risen.
45 minStep 2: Roll the dough out to fit a greased 30 × 40 cm deep baking tray and press it in, pushing it a little up the sides.
5 minStep 3: Beat 1 ⅔ lb quark, 5 ½ oz sugar, 2 eggs, 1 ⅜ oz vanilla custard powder or cornflour, 1 tsp lemon zest and ½ cup milk until smooth and spread evenly over the base.
5 minStep 4: Heat the oven to 350°F (300°F fan). For the topping, beat 4 ½ oz butter with 3 ½ oz sugar until pale, then beat in the 4 eggs yolks one at a time with 1 tsp vanilla extract and 2 tbsp plain flour. Whisk the whites to soft peaks in a clean bowl and fold them in gently.
10 minStep 5: Spread the egg mixture thinly over the quark with a spatula.
2 minStep 6: Bake for 55–60 minutes, until the top is evenly golden and the middle only just trembles when you shake the tray. If it browns too fast, lay foil over it.
60 minStep 7: Cool completely in the tray, preferably overnight in the fridge, then cut into squares.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does eierschecke take?
- About 105 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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