Lviv Cheesecake

Name: Lviv Cheesecake
Ingredients: 500 g cottage cheese (9% fat or higher); 150 g sugar; 100 g butter; 4 eggs; 1 tbsp semolina; 1 handful of raisins (30 g); zest of 1 lemon; 5 tbsp sour cream; 3 tbsp cocoa powder; 3 tbsp sugar; 1 tbsp butter

Lviv cheesecake is a popular dessert from western Ukraine. The word "syrnik" comes from the Ukrainian word "syr," which means cottage cheese. This dessert is served in many Lviv coffee houses and is often made by locals for special occasions. The recipe became widely known after Dariya Tsvek published it in her book "Solodke Pechyvo" (Sweet Pastries). There are also variations of Lviv cheesecake made with orange zest, poppy seeds, nuts, or shredded coconut. Looking at the ingredient list, I initially thought it would taste like a baked cottage cheese casserole, but to my surprise it turned out to be something entirely different. This is achieved by adding butter and by beating the egg whites and yolks separately. The cheesecake has a wonderfully sweet, moist, and pleasant texture — it's best served in small slices as a dessert alongside coffee, cocoa, or tea.

Ingredients:

500 g cottage cheese (9% fat or higher)
150 g sugar
100 g butter
4 eggs
1 tbsp semolina
1 handful of raisins (30 g)
zest of 1 lemon
Glaze:
5 tbsp sour cream
3 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp butter

How to cook Lviv cheesecake

Zest one lemon using a fine grater.

Separate the eggs into yolks and whites (place the whites in one bowl and the yolks in another). Beat the egg whites with a mixer until stiff peaks form, then set aside.

Beat the yolks with the sugar for 3–5 minutes until the mixture is pale and thick.

Add the softened butter and cottage cheese. If your cottage cheese is not smooth, be sure to press it through a fine-mesh strainer first. Beat the mixture until smooth.

Add the semolina, rinsed raisins, and lemon zest, then beat again.

Fold in the beaten egg whites in two or three additions, gently folding from the bottom up with a spoon or spatula.

Generously grease your baking pan with butter (I used a 24×10 cm pan). Transfer the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C for 50–60 minutes.

During baking, the cheesecake will rise considerably and then fall — this is completely normal. Let the finished cheesecake cool completely.

Make the glaze. Combine the sour cream, cocoa, sugar, and butter in a small saucepan and place over low heat. Stirring constantly, heat until smooth and uniform, then remove from heat.

Gently loosen the cheesecake on all sides with a spatula and transfer it to a serving plate. The cheesecake is quite moist and soft, so handle it very carefully.

Pour the warm glaze over the cheesecake and spread it over the top and sides. You can do this with a spoon, a silicone spatula, or simply with a gloved hand (that's what I did). Be sure to refrigerate the finished cheesecake for 4–5 hours or overnight — it will taste so much better chilled.