This recipe was my grandmother’s and she used to make this for us every time we came to visit. Unlike the traditional North American cheesecake recipes, it is not made using cream cheese. Instead, it contains whipped cream and quark cheese. This makes it extremely light and airy and just perfect for the summer!

What is quark cheese? It’s a fresh soft cheese made from cow’s milk. It is fairly popular in Israel and in other European countries. You can also find it in Canadian grocery stores, but if you don’t find it, I’ve discovered that a combination of yogurt and sour cream is a good replacement.

This cheesecake doesn’t require baking, but rather needs about 2 hours in the freezer. Once set, it can be stored either in the freezer or fridge, depending on your preferred texture.

Yield: 12 servings

Cook time: 30 minutes | Freeze time: 2 hours | Thaw time: 1 hour | Total: 3.5 hours

Ingredients

• 2 cups whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups quark cheese (or 1 cup yogurt and 1 cup sour cream)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 packet of gelatin (7 grams)
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 10-15 tea biscuits ( I use Ulker)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup jam (any flavour, I usually go with raspberry or blueberry)

Instructions

1. Whip the cream and sugar until stiff peaks are formed (about 5 minutes)
2. In a separate bowl, mix the quark cheese (or yogurt/sour cream mixture) with the rest of the sugar.
3. In a third bowl, combine gelatin powder with the warm water. Stir until fully dissolved.
4. Combine the quark cheese mixture with the gelatine/water mixture, then gently fold in the whipped cream.
5. Dip the tea biscuits in the milk for 2-3 seconds per side, and lay them flat on the bottom of a 13×9-inch pan to make the crust. Pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the crust.
6. Place the cheesecake in the freezer for at least two hours to set.
7. About an hour before serving, remove the cake from the freezer, top with your choice of jam, and place in the fridge to thaw.

Nutritional Information

Enjoy!