AI-generated image
Tvorozhnaya zapekanka
Baked cottage cheese pudding
Tvorozhnaya zapekanka (творожная запеканка): baked tvorog pudding with semolina and raisins
Anyone who went to a Soviet kindergarten remembers the warm yellow square of curd bake handed out at breakfast, and Russian parents still make it on weekend mornings because children eat it without a fuss. Tvorog is beaten with eggs, sugar and sour cream, thickened with semolina and dotted with raisins, then baked into a soft, gently sweet pudding somewhere between a cheesecake and a soufflé. Serve it warm or cold with sour cream, jam or condensed milk. Tvorog is usually made without rennet, but check the label if that matters to you. A common mistake is baking straight after mixing: give the semolina 15 minutes to swell, or the bake turns out gritty and loose. Chef's tip: brush a thin layer of sour cream over the top before baking for a glossy, deep golden crust.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the bake
- 2 ⅛ oz raisins
- 1 ⅛ lb tvorog (farmer's cheese)
- 2 eggs
- 2 ½ oz caster sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ oz fine semolina
- 3 ½ oz sour cream
- ⅓ oz butter for the dish
- 1 tbsp fine semolina for the dish
To serve
- 5 ½ oz sour cream (optional)
- 4 tbsp berry jam (optional)
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (3)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Cover the 2 ⅛ oz raisins with hot water for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry.
10 minStep 2: Mash the 1 ⅛ lb tvorog (farmer's cheese) with a fork, or blitz it briefly, until fairly smooth. Beat in the 2 eggs, 2 ½ oz caster sugar, 1 pinch salt and 1 tsp vanilla extract.
4 minStep 3: Stir in the 1 ¾ oz fine semolina and most of the 2 ½ oz sour cream and leave for 15 minutes; the mixture thickens as the semolina swells.
15 minStep 4: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Grease a 20 cm round or square dish with the ⅓ oz butter for the dish and dust it with the 1 tbsp fine semolina for the dish.
3 minStep 5: Fold the raisins into the curd mixture, spread it in the dish and smooth the top. Brush with the rest of the 1 oz sour cream.
3 minStep 6: Bake for 40 minutes, until risen and golden and the centre feels set and springy when pressed.
40 minStep 7: Cool for 10 minutes (it sinks a little, which is normal), cut into squares and serve with 5 ½ oz sour cream or 4 tbsp berry jam.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tvorozhnaya zapekanka take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 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 eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Kartoshka cakeCocoa and cake crumb truffles
Soviet cafés and school canteens sold these knobbly brown 'potatoes' for a few kopecks, and they began as a thrifty way to use up sponge and biscuit trimmings at the bakery. Crumbs are bound with butter and sweetened condensed milk, flavoured with cocoa and vanilla, shaped into little potatoes, rolled in cocoa and finished with two dabs of pale butter cream for the sprouts. They are fudgy and dense like a brownie truffle, need no oven, and children love making them. Traditional bakers added a spoonful of rum, an optional extra for adult batches only; this version is alcohol-free with vanilla. The usual slip is coarse crumbs, which make the potatoes crack, so blitz them as fine as sand. Chef's tip: chill the shaped potatoes for at least 20 minutes so they hold their shape and slice cleanly.
Sabudana khichdiSago with peanuts and potato
Sabudana khichdi is the dish that sees Maharashtra through every vrat (fast), from Navratri to Ekadashi, but it's so good that people eat it any day of the week. Soaked sago pearls are tossed in a pan with crushed roasted peanuts, cubes of potato, cumin and green chilli until each pearl turns glassy and separate, then finished with lemon and coriander. It's soft, chewy, nutty and gently hot. Fasting rules vary from family to family, so check yours; this version uses rock salt and no asafoetida, onion or garlic. Traditionally it's cooked in ghee; use ghee instead of oil if you aren't keeping it vegan. Chef's tip: soak the sago in just enough water to cover by the height of the pearls themselves, no more; too much water is the reason khichdi turns into one sticky lump.
Indian
Doi chiraFlattened rice with curd
Nothing is cooked for doi chira, which is why it has been the breakfast of farmers and fishermen in Barisal for generations: flattened rice is rinsed, softened in thick, slightly sour curd and sweetened with jaggery or sugar, then mashed together with a ripe banana. The texture is soft and creamy with a little chew from the rice flakes, and the taste is cool, sweet and tangy. It is eaten on hot summer mornings, at village fairs and as part of the Pohela Boishakh spread, and it is a favourite of children and of anyone fasting who wants something gentle. The usual misstep is soaking the chira for too long, which turns it to paste; a quick rinse is all it needs before the curd does the rest. Chef's tip: use thick-cut chira, not the thin kind for frying, so the flakes hold their shape.
Bangladeshi