Sernik (Polish cheesecake)
Ingredients
Method
- For the pastry, rub the flour, cold butter and sugar together with your fingertips, add the egg yolk and form a ball. Chill for 30 minutes.
- Press the pastry into the base of a buttered 24 cm springform tin, prick it and blind-bake for 15 minutes at 180 °C. Lower the oven to 160 °C.
- Beat the softened butter with the sugar, then add the eggs one at a time. Mix in the ricotta, starch, lemon zest and vanilla on low speed, then the raisins.
- Pour the filling onto the pastry base and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake for 60 minutes at 160 °C, until the edge is set and the centre still slightly wobbly. Turn off the oven and leave to cool inside for 1 hour with the door ajar.
- Leave to cool completely, then chill for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, before unmoulding and slicing.
Notes
Soft, lightly lemony and set on a thin shortcrust base: sernik is Poland’s favourite cake for holidays and Sundays. Here is our traditional sernik recipe, with raisins, adapted with ricotta, which is easy to find everywhere.
The history of sernik
Sernik, from ser, “cheese”, is one of Poland’s oldest cakes. Fresh cheese cakes were made in the countryside long before American cheesecake arrived. Today sernik is a must at Easter and Christmas, and every family guards its own recipe.
Polish sernik
Polish sernik differs from New York cheesecake in its texture. It is lighter and less dense, because it is made with fresh curd cheese rather than cream cheese. It often sits on a shortcrust base, sometimes on sponge, and is flavoured with lemon and vanilla.
Twaróg, the cheese in Polish cheesecake
Real Polish cheesecake with twaróg uses a curd cheese that is drained and fairly dry. In Poland, people buy twaróg made specially for sernik, already very finely ground. Outside Poland it is hard to find, which is why our recipe uses well-drained ricotta.
How to replace twaróg
To replace twaróg, ricotta is the simplest option: its fine texture gives a smooth, soft sernik. Drain it overnight in the fridge in a sieve lined with a cloth. You can also use quark or fromage frais drained for 24 hours, then pushed through a sieve.
An easy sernik recipe
Our easy sernik recipe needs no food processor and no special skills: an electric whisk is enough. Mix on low speed so you don’t beat in too much air. That is the key to a smooth sernik without cracks.
Sernik z rodzynkami
Sernik z rodzynkami, with raisins, is the classic version of our recipe. Soak the raisins for 10 minutes in hot water, dry them well and roll them in a little starch: they won’t sink to the bottom.
Sernik krakowski
Sernik krakowski, from Kraków, is recognisable by its pastry lattice on top. Keep a third of the shortcrust, roll it out and cut it into strips, then lay them crosswise over the filling before baking.
Sernik wiedeński
Sernik wiedeński, or Viennese sernik, is made without a pastry base. The cheese is folded with stiffly whisked egg whites, which makes it very airy. It is often topped with a chocolate glaze.
Chocolate glaze
For a chocolate glaze, melt 100 g of dark chocolate with 100 ml of single cream. Let it cool slightly and pour over the cold sernik. Leave to set for 1 hour in the fridge.
Sernik z rosą
Sernik z rosą, “with dew”, is topped with meringue. As it bakes and cools, little golden sugary droplets bead on the surface, like dew. Spread 3 egg whites whisked with 150 g of sugar over the baked sernik and return it to the oven for 20 minutes.
Sernik z brzoskwiniami
Sernik z brzoskwiniami, with peaches, is the summer version. Arrange well-drained tinned peach slices on the filling, or cover the cooled sernik with a clear jelly and the fruit.
Sernik na zimno
Sernik na zimno is a no-bake sernik. The cheese is mixed with sugar, whipped cream and gelatine, then poured onto a crushed biscuit base. It sets in 4 hours in the fridge and is often decorated with red berry jelly.
Sernik in a Thermomix
In a Thermomix, make the pastry for 20 seconds on speed 5. For the filling, mix the butter and sugar for 30 seconds on speed 4, then add the eggs, ricotta, starch, zest and vanilla and mix for 40 seconds on speed 4. Fold in the raisins with a spatula and bake as in the recipe.
Why does my sernik sink?
A sernik that sinks usually has too much air or a temperature shock. Mix on low speed, bake at 160 °C at most and let it cool in the switched-off oven with the door ajar. Cheese that is too wet also makes it collapse: drain it well.
Sernik calories
A slice of sernik contains about 470 kcal, for 12 slices, with 14 g of protein. It is a rich cake, best served in thin slices. With reduced-fat ricotta and a little less sugar, it gets noticeably lighter.
What to serve with sernik
Sernik is served cold, with coffee or tea, or with a few red berries. After a Polish meal, it follows pierogi ruskie perfectly, which are also filled with fresh cheese. If you like Central European desserts, also try apfelstrudel or kaiserschmarrn, and for a Spanish touch, crema catalana. Our spice guide gives you ideas for flavouring your desserts.
Frequently asked questions
How do you stop sernik from cracking?
Bake it at a gentle temperature without opening the oven, and put a dish of hot water on the bottom shelf. Moisture and slow baking prevent cracks.
How long does sernik keep?
Sernik keeps for 4 days in the fridge, well wrapped. It also freezes in slices for up to 2 months: thaw overnight in the fridge.
