Recipe for Alsace cheesecake (tarte au fromage blanc)
Cheesecake is one of my great childhood snack memories. It's a classic of Alsatian cuisine, almost impossible to make, so don't hesitate any longer! Here are a few tips on how to make your cheesecake recipe a success.
White cheesecake or cheesecake?
Be careful not to confuse Alsace tarte au fromage blanc (also known as gâteau au fromage blanc, from the German word “Käsekuche”) with an american cheesecake. They’re often confused, but they’re very different: Alsatian cheesecake is a cake with a light, fluffy, melt-in-the-mouth texture.
Tips for making the best cheesecake
A touch of lemon
For maximum flavour, mix the lemon zest with the sugar in advance (at least 1 hour beforehand). This will multiply the lemon’s flavour without having to use more.
What kind of pastry should I use for a cheesecake?
First, choose the shortcrust pastry option. You may want to modify the recipe and opt for puff pastry. This is a bad idea. The puff pastry will pick up all the moisture from the fromage blanc mixture and won’t cook properly. Keep the shortcrust pastry to a minimum, to ensure that the mixture and pastry are well cooked, and to enable you to cut pretty slices.
Which fromage blanc to choose for a moist cake?
For this traditional recipe, use whole fromage frais (40% fat), not beaten. Don’t use low-fat fromage frais, as this would make the cake much less moist and delicious!
Which mould to use for cottage cheese tart?
You’ll need a springform pan, as it’s much easier to unmold the cake. In our recipe, we have chosen a mould 26 cm in diameter and 5 cm high.
Cooking Käsekuche
Bake your cottage cheese tart until halfway through. If it browns too quickly and the cooking time isn’t over yet, place a sheet of aluminum foil on top. This will prevent the appliance from burning, and the pie will continue to bake undisturbed.
Cooling and preservation
After cooling completely, store your tart in the refrigerator. In fact, it’s even better the next day .
What wine to serve with cheesecake?
Alsatian specialties go well with Alsatian wine! CrĂ©mant d’Alsace is a good option 🙂
Our recipe
Gâteau au fromage blanc d'Alsace
Ustensiles
- Moule à charnière
Ingredients
Pour la pâte brisée
- 125 gr de beurre
- 250 gr de farine
- 1 oeuf
- 50 ml de lait
- 1 pincée de sel
Pour l’appareil
- 800 g fromage blanc entier et non battu pas de fromage blanc allégé
- 150 g sucre semoule
- 4 Ĺ“ufs
- 1 citron non traité
- 40 g de fécule de maïs
Instructions
- Mélangez le sucre au zeste de citron (au moins 1h avant, comme mentionné ci-dessus).
- Préchauffez votre four à 180°C (chaleur tournante). Clarifiez les oeufs (c’est-à -dire séparez les blancs des jaunes).
- Mélangez le fromage blanc avec le sucre (avec les zestes), les jaunes d'oeufs et la fécule.
- Montez les blancs en neige ferme et incorporez-les délicatement à la préparation au fromage blanc.
- Graissez un moule à charnière de 26 cm de diamètre et 5 cm de haut et garnissez-le avec la pâte brisée. Piquez le fond de tarte et versez la garniture et enfournez pour 50 minutes en surveillant la cuisson.
- À la sortie du four, laissez refroidir complètement avant de la mettre au réfrigérateur et passez à la dégustation.