If you've never had Käse-Sahne-Torte, you're in for a treat! This easy German cheesecake is delicate, fluffy, and refreshingly light with a creamy lemony quark and whipped cream filling. Unlike the dense American-style cheesecake, this one is airy, melts in your mouth, and isn’t baked after assembling, just chilled to perfection. It's a totally underrated cake that is so popular in Germany.
The sponge cake base is incredibly simple, coming together in just 15 minutes, and the filling is just as quick! If you want to add a fruity twist, you can fold in raspberries, apricots, or peaches for an extra burst of flavor. This is one of those cakes that looks fancy but is actually easy to make. Try it once, and you’ll be hooked!
What is Käse-Sahne-Torte?
Käse-Sahne-Torte translates to “cheese-cream cake” in German, but don’t be fooled because it doesn’t taste like the cheesecake you might be used to! Instead of cream cheese, this cake uses quark, a creamy dairy product that is similar in texture to Greek yogurt, but is less tangy. The simple filling is made by mixing quark with whipped cream, lemon, and a touch of sugar, then stabilized with gelatin.
This no-bake German cheesecake is a popular bakery staple in Germany, perfect for birthdays, holidays, or afternoon Kaffee und Kuchen.
Ingredients
Ingredients for this cake are as easy as it is to make this cake.
- Eggs. Separate the eggs to create a light and airy sponge.
- Sugar & powdered sugar add a subtle sweetness and structure.
- Flour, cornstarch & baking powder. A combination that keeps the cake delicate yet sturdy.
- Salt. Just a pinch to enhance the flavor of the cake.
- Heavy whipping cream. Whipped for a light and fluffy filling.
- Quark (or Greek yogurt substitute). Adds substance to the cake without feeling heavy. Quark is less tangy than Greek yogurt, but hard to find in the Untited States. I would love to invite you to make it using my perfected quark method inside my membership, so you will never have to miss it again. Fage Greek yogurt can be used as a substitute in this particular recipe.
- Lemon (zest & juice). The lemon adds freshness and brightness and a delicious tart note.
- Gelatin powder. Helps the filling set perfectly. I prefer to use grass-fed beef gelatin.
- Vanilla extract. Adds a subtle, warm flavor.
How to make it
This fluffy Käse-Sahne-Torte starts with a light sponge cake, baked in a springform pan and sliced into two layers once cooled. The filling is a smooth mix of whipped cream, quark, lemon, and vanilla, gently set with gelatin for the perfect creamy texture. Once assembled, the cake is chilled for a few hours until fully set. Then it’s ready to slice and enjoy with a cup of coffee.
Can you freeze Käse-Sahne-Torte?
Yes! This cake freezes beautifully, so you always have some handy whenever you want it. Here’s how:
- Freeze the cake whole (or half of the cake) by wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap after the cake is fully set.
- If freezing slices, par-freeze them by placing them in the freezer uncovered for a few hours before wrapping to avoid smudging the filling.
- To thaw, transfer the cake to the fridge a day before serving.
More chilled German cakes to try
If you love Käse-Sahne-Torte, check out these other German cake recipes:
- Himbeertorte is a layered raspberry cake with a cool sour cream and whipped cream filling that I know you will love!
- Bienenstich (Bee Sting Cake) is a delicious custard-filled cake with a caramelized almond topping.
- Kalter Hund is an iconic no-bake German chocolate biscuit cake that's popular to make for kids' birthday parties.
- Baumkuchen (German tree cake) is a traditional German cake made of thin, golden layers baked one by one, creating beautiful tree ring-like stripes when sliced
Have you tried this Käse-Sahne-Torte? Let me know in the comments! If you make this recipe, tag me on Instagram @dirndlkitchen so I can see your beautiful German cakes! 😊
The BEST Fluffy German Cheesecake (Käse-Sahne-Torte)
If you've never had Käse-Sahne-Torte, you're in for a treat! This German cheesecake is delicate, fluffy, and refreshingly light with a creamy lemony quark and whipped cream filling. Unlike the dense American-style cheesecake, this one is airy, melts in your mouth, and isn’t baked after assembling, just chilled to perfection.The sponge cake base is incredibly simple, coming together in just 15 minutes, and the filling is just as quick! If you want to add a fruity twist, you can fold in raspberries, apricots, or peaches for an extra burst of flavor. This is one of those cakes that looks fancy but is actually easy to make. Try it once, and you’ll be hooked!
Equipment
- 1 9-inch springform pan I like this German brand springform
- 1 cake ring Instead of using a cake ring, you could also use your springform pan for building your cake, but just realize the baked cake will shrink slightly, so there will be a small gap around the cake.
Ingredients
Sponge Cake
- 5 eggs US large, whites and yolks divided
- 1 pinch salt
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 80 grams all-purpose flour
- 30 grams cornstarch
- 2 grams baking powder
Fluffy Cream Filling
- 400 milliliters heavy whipping cream
- 1 kilogram quark Fage Greek yogurt works as a replacement for quark in this cake or make a batch of homemade quark (see video tutorial inside my membership)
- 1 lemon medium size, zest and juice
- 150 grams powdered sugar plus extra for dusting the top
- 20 grams gelatine
Optional Add-Ins
- 150 grams frozen raspberries or canned, diced mandarin oranges, apricots or peaches drain the liquid and stir together with the filling
Instructions
Sponge Cake
- Preheat the oven to 390° Fahrenheit/ 200° Celsius and the bottom of your springform with parchment paper (mine is 9 inches in diameter and a darker, heavier metal. Depending on the size of yours and the type of metal, yours may bake a bit faster or a bit slower). Leave the sides clean.
- Separate the egg whites from the yolks, placing the whites in a large bowl and the yolks in a smaller bowl. Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and beat until almost stiff.Add about ¾ of the sugar and continue beating until stiff.5 eggs, 1 pinch salt, 100 g granulated sugar
- Beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until creamy.
- Mix together the flour, cornstarch and baking powder and sift over the egg yolk-sugar mixture. Add the egg whites to the same bowl, and fold it the mixture carefully until no more white streaks or dry spots remain.80 grams all-purpose flour, 30 grams cornstarch, 2 grams baking powder
- Pour the batter into your prepared springform, even out the top by spreading it out with a spatula, then tapping your springform a few times on top of your counter.
- Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden yellow. Exact bake time will depend on the size of your springform and the metal it’s made from. It will be done cooking when the middle springs back if you gently press on it using a finger.
- Remove the pan from the oven and set on a cooling rack. Cover with a clean kitchen towel. After 5 minutes, run a clean, straight-edge knife between the cake and the ring of your springform to release the cake and prevent cracks as it cools. Leave it in the springform with the ring attached and cover with the clean kitchen towel again to prevent the cake from drying out. Let cool completely before you proceed with making your filling, about 1 hour.
Prepare the Baked Cake
- Remove the cake from the springform pan and peel off the parchment. The bottom side (the side the parchment was on) will become the top of the cake, while the top of the cake will become the bottom of the cake. So you will essentially flip the cake.
- Cut the cake into two layers horizontally. It’s best to use a large serrated knife (like a bread knife) to do this job, although a large, straight edge knife will work as well. You will now have two layers. Cut the top layer into 12 cake slices.
- Return the bottom layer to the bottom of your springform and secure the springform ring around it OR on a cake platter (it should fit in your fridge) and secure a cake ring around it. The latter is really my preferred option because the cake will shrink a little after baking, meaning you will have a small gap around the cake if using the springform to layer it. Cover the cake with a clean kitchen towel while you prepare your filling.
Quark and Cream Filling
- Whip the heavy whipping cream with your whisk attachment of your handheld mixer until completely stiff, about 5 minutes. Using the same attachments (it’s okay if they’re not clean), whip together the quark, lemon zest and the powdered sugar until creamy and combined.400 milliliters heavy whipping cream, 1 kilogram quark, 1 lemon, 150 grams powdered sugar
- Transfer ¼ to ½ cup of the quark mixture (doesn’t need to be exact) to a small saucepan and heat until just starting to boil. Set aside. Juice the lemon and combine the juice with the gelatin powder using a whisk. Add in the hot quark mixture and whisk until combined and no more clumps are visible. Add the gelatin-quark mixture to the rest of the quark and whisk until combined. Fold in the whipped cream until incorporated.20 grams gelatine
- Optionally fold in drained fruit. I left my Käse-Sahne-Torte plain this time, which is a classic option.150 grams frozen raspberries or canned, diced mandarin oranges, apricots or peaches
Assemble The Cake
- Immediately add the filling to the bottom cake layer and even out the top using an angled cake decorating spatula or a butter knife. Place your precut top layer onto the filling.
- Cover the cake with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. Place in your fridge to set up for 3 hours.
- When ready to serve, remove the cake from the fridge, cut around the edges with a straight-edge knife and remove the cake ring. Dust the top with powdered sugar. You can optionally clean up the sides of the cake using a wet, straight edge knife of an angled cake decorating spatula.
- Cut the slices and serve cold. Return the cake to the fridge, so it stays cold. The cake will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days or can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
Can you freeze Käse-Sahne-Torte?
- Yes! Freeze the cake whole (or half of the cake) by wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap after the cake is fully set.
- If freezing slices, par-freeze them by placing them in the freezer uncovered for a few hours before wrapping to avoid smudging the filling.
- To thaw, transfer the cake to the fridge a day before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 320kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 15gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 106mgSodium: 126mgPotassium: 94mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 594IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 44mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
dirndlkitchen
I can't wait for you to try one of my favorite German cakes, my Käse-Sahne-Torte! Try it and let me know in the comments if you love this cake as much as we do! 🙂