Many of you are probably familiar with the dish known as royal pie or royal vatrushhka. It usually has a simple cottage cheese filling in the middle, with shortcrust pastry grated on the top and bottom. I have that recipe on my site — Cottage Cheese Pie with Shortcrust Crumble. Today, however, I'm presenting you with an upgraded version of that classic. Instead of a plain light dough, I made it with cocoa for a better flavor contrast. I also elevated the filling by adding heavy cream and shredded coconut. I also prepared the filling more along the lines of a cheesecake — meaning I didn't beat the filling mixture, just mixed it thoroughly, and baked it at a lower temperature. This gives the filling a more delicate, creamy, and smooth texture. The finished pie turned out incredibly delicious — this isn't just some ordinary pastry, it's truly a royal pie! I am beyond pleased with the result!
Ingredients:
- 250 g flour
- 120 g butter
- 100 g powdered sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 2 tbsp cocoa
- 0.5 tsp baking powder
- Filling:
- 1 kg cottage cheese (soft, smooth, and creamy; I used 9% fat)
- 400 g heavy cream 30-33%
- 200 g sugar
- 5 eggs
- 60 g shredded coconut
- 30 g starch (I used cornstarch)
How to cook royal cottage cheese pie
Place the flour, powdered sugar, cocoa, and baking powder in a food processor, then add the softened butter cut into cubes.
Pulse in the food processor until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. You can also do this by hand — it works just as well. Simply rub the flour and butter together with your fingertips, or chop them together on a cutting board with a knife.
Add the egg yolk and sour cream, then pulse again. Next, bring the dough together by hand into a ball. Do not knead — handle it as little as possible, just enough to bring it together. Divide the dough in half and refrigerate for one hour, or freeze for 20–30 minutes.
Make the filling. Place the cottage cheese and heavy cream in a bowl and blend together thoroughly with an immersion blender until completely smooth and uniform. If your cottage cheese is not smooth, press it through a fine-mesh strainer first. It's best to use room-temperature ingredients, as they blend together more easily.
Add the eggs, sugar, and starch, then blend everything together well with the immersion blender. The finished mixture should have no lumps of cottage cheese! Add the shredded coconut and fold in with a spatula. If you'd rather skip the coconut, simply leave it out — the pie will still be delicious. The filling is ready.
Grate the first half of the dough on a coarse grater and spread it over the bottom of the pan (mine is 25×25 cm), pressing it down lightly.
Bake in an oven preheated to 160°C for approximately 50–60 minutes, or adjust based on your oven. When you tap the pan, the filling will jiggle in the center — just like when baking a cheesecake — and that's completely normal. Let the finished pie cool completely. It's good while still warm, but I personally liked it best right after it cooled down. After a night in the refrigerator it becomes a bit firmer — more like a cheesecake — but no less delicious.
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