Apricot Cake (Aprikosenkuchen)

This German Apricot Cake is the perfect summer treat, similar to a baked cheesecake but with the addition of tart and juicy apricots!

Should you peel apricots before baking?

I don’t, but you 100% can. Traditionally this cake is made with preserved apricots which look nice even after baking; however I find that with fresh apricots they can sometimes look dried out if you peel them first.

What can I use instead of Quark?

Quark works best in this recipe and if you can’t find any at the store – you can make it at home with this Quark Recipe. I haven’t made this recipe with anything other than quark but if you need to I would recommend trying whole milk ricotta or farmer’s cheese.

Do I need to use a water bath?

No! German cheesecake is traditionally made without a water bath which gives it its’ characteristic texture. It is not the end of the world if the cheesecake cracks. It is likely that the cake will crack slightly around the apricots. But if you have cracks in the middle it usually means the cake has been overbaked.

Additional Recipes to try:

• Quarkbällchen – Quark based Donut Holes
• Quark – German Cheese similar to Yogurt in taste and texture
• Käsekuchen – German baked Cheesecake

Tips for making Apricot cake

• Don’t over mix the crust. Because you are going to press it into the springform pan, it does not need to hold together as a solid piece of dough – it just needs to be fully mixed.
• Using an electric whisk to mix the filling is best because it will break up the quark better and ensure that there are no unmixed clumps.
• Don’t over bake it. It will still be very wobbly in the center but it will set as it cools. If you over bake it, it can easily become grainy.
• Allow the cheesecake to come to room temperature before putting it in the fridge to set fully.

Ingredients

• Butter: room temperature butter is used in the crust of the cheesecake to add moisture and richness.
• Vanilla Extract: Vanilla adds flavor and enhances the sweetness of the crust.
• Egg: This recipe uses one egg yolk in the crust and one whole egg in the filling.
• AP Flour: All purpose flour is what most people consider to be “normal” flour it can be bleached or unbleached.
• Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar is white standard sugar and adds sweetness to the crust and the filling.
• Quark: a type of German cheese, quark is a common addition to baked goods in Germany and is used here for the filling. If you can’t find any you can make your own quark
• Heavy Cream: Heavy Cream makes this cheesecake a little extra fluffy – heavy cream or heavy whipping cream will work.
• Lemon Zest: Lemon zest adds flavor and brightness to the cheesecake filling and the crust.
• Apricots: Fresh or preserved apricots will work for this recipe!

How to make German Apricot Cheesecake?

Make the crust

• Preheat the oven to 350 F and place a rack in the center of the oven.
• In a medium bowl, add in the butter, egg yolk, lemon zest, vanilla, and sugar. Use a mixer to beat the ingredients together into a smooth mixture.
• Pour in the flour and use a fork to rub the flour into the mixture until it clumps together and no more flour is visible
• Pour the mixed crust into a springform pan. First press the crust into the sides of the pan and then into the bottom of the pan.
• Be sure that the corner where the sides and bottom meet isn’t too thick. You can do this by pressing the back of your pointer finger into the corner once the crust has been pressed into the whole pan.
• The crust doesn’t need to go more than 1″ up the side.

Make the filling & bake

• In a large mixing bowl, add in the quark, lemon zest, heavy cream, egg, and sugar. Use an electric mixer to whisk together until smooth and combined.
• Carefully pour the filling into the pressed crust.
• Cut the apricots in half and remove the pits. Place the apricot halves face down into the filling around the edge. You can place more on the rest of the cake but it will make slicing the cake a little more difficult.
• Bake the apricot cake for 50-60 minutes, rotating it after 30 minutes to ensure even baking.
• Once baked, remove the apricot kuchen from the oven and leave to cool on a rack until it is room temperature. Then, move it to the fridge and allow it to set fully before removing the springform pan.

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