Hungarian Cheesecake

This isn’t the dense, cream-cheese-heavy New York style. Hungarian cheesecake uses cottage cheese pressed through a sieve as the base, which creates a lighter, more delicate filling with a subtle tang. Sour cream and lemon zest round out the flavor, and the whole thing bakes inside a homemade butter pastry crust rather than the usual graham cracker base.

The crust is closer to a shortbread than a pie dough. Egg yolks, butter, flour, and a touch of lemon juice get worked by hand into a smooth dough, then rolled thin and fitted into a springform pan. Chilling it before filling prevents shrinkage during baking.

A layer of crushed pineapple and raisins goes between the crust and the cheese filling. As it bakes, the fruit softens into the bottom of the custard, creating sweet pockets throughout.

The two-temperature bake is essential. Starting at a high temperature sets the crust and the surface of the filling, then dropping the heat lets the custard cook through gently without cracking.

Chef Tips

• Press the cottage cheese through a fine sieve until completely smooth. Any curds left will show up as lumps in the finished cheesecake.
• Brush the chilled crust with egg white before adding the fruit layer. This seals the dough and prevents it from getting soggy.
• Drain the crushed pineapple thoroughly. Excess juice will pool at the bottom and make the crust soggy.
• Cool the cheesecake to room temperature before refrigerating. Sudden temperature changes cause cracks in the filling.

Variations

• Use ricotta instead of cottage cheese for a slightly richer, Italian-influenced version.
• Swap raisins for dried sour cherries for a more traditionally Hungarian fruit pairing.
• Add a tablespoon of vanilla extract to the filling for extra warmth and depth.