I have no idea why sernik wiedeński (Viennese cheesecake) is called that. I couldn’t find it anywhere in Vienna, but maybe I was simply looking in wrong cafes and cake shops. So where that name came from, I am not really sure. What I am sure of is that this cheesecake is in fact very much Polish. Even though there are many other types of Polish cheesecakes, it’s sernik wiedeński that comes to most people’s minds the moment you mention cheesecake. I mean most Polish people’s minds, of course, though I am working very hard to include other nationalities, too.

So how does one make this super-fabulous cake? Supposedly, it’s super-difficult to make, at least that’s what I had been lead to believe. You see, my mom was a decent cook, her food was OK for the most part, because she stuck to the basics and never tried anything fancy. And it’s really hard to mess up meat and potatoes. Or chicken and potatoes. It worked fine for us, and if we wanted really good food, we went to grandma’s.

Things would get a lot worse when mom tried to bake. And that’s an understatement. Fortunately grandma was a killer baker, too. Yet even grandma couldn’t make a nice sernik wiedeński. And so I grew up believing that this sernik was something so extraordinarily difficult that mere mortals, like you and me, shouldn’t even dare to dream about attempting to bake it.

As any Polish cheesecake, it’s made with a special kind of cheese called “twaróg”. I don’t think you can buy twaróg anywhere outside of Poland. And what is it? You will see this word variously translated as “cottage cheese” or “quark cheese”, but in fact, it is neither. While quark is very similar to twaróg, proper Polish twaróg is much firmer and fattier. In Canada that firm type of quark cheese is known as “baking cheese.”

Oh yes, baking! So, back in the olden days, you took a lump of twaróg and your indentured servants ran it through a grinder several times to make it properly fluffy. Since these days servants are hard to come by and I don’t own a grinder, I use normal Philadelphia cream cheese. Saves me several hours of work.

I use two 300-gram packages and a little bit, which comes out neatly to three 8-oz packages. Make sure it’s the normal full fat version, because otherwise it will not work.
But before you start getting all cheesy, you need a crust. The original recipe calls for a special “kruche ciasto” (shortcrust pastry), which really, who has the time to make it these days? I make normal graham cracker crust and it works just fine. Except I use Marie biscuits, because I like them better than graham crackers.

A proper sernik wiedeński is made in a springform pan (the one with a removable bottom) but really, any old pan will do. I use a springform, but not because I’m such a traditionalist, but because I don’t own any other cake pan.

And speaking of traditional… traditionally, this sernik was made with 12 eggs. Yep. Twelve. The original recipe was obviously created in the blissfully ignorant days when cholesterol was still unknown.

I only use 4 or 5 eggs, depending on how big they are. The trickiest part in the whole sernik making process is separating the yolks and the whites. Once you’re done with that, it’s a (cheese)cake walk, really.

This is what you do:
The yolks go into a BIG bowl, the whites into a smaller bowl.
Beat the whites until they’re stiff. And I mean really stiff. (I can’t imagine how they did this in the days before electric mixers, those poor indentured servants…) When you’re done beating the whites, put them in the fridge until you’ll need them. Which will be soon.

Now I have a confession to make. I’m allergic to measuring cups. I don’t even own a set. I just add things until I either like the taste or have to throw out whatever it is that I’m making.

But to make it easy for you, I tried to measure today just how much powdered (confectioner’s) sugar (cukier puder) you’ll need. And the answer is: about 1 cup and a little bit, depending on how old and sour your cream cheese is and how sweet you like your stuff.

Add some of that powdered sugar to your egg yolks and beat them until they become white and fluffy. Start adding the cream cheese. Really, it doesn’t matter if you do it all at once, or bit by bit. I’m lazy, I do it all at once. Add some vanilla if you like; vanilla powder, vanilla extract, it’s all good.

The traditional recipe calls for orange peel, but a) I don’t like orange peel, and b) who has the time to peel, chop and gently roast that stuff, huh? Not me. The original recipe also calls for raisins. Those I do add, about a handful, which I guess would be about 1/3 cup. You can soak them in rum or bourbon, if you like. I don’t. Today I forgot to soak them even in water. It didn’t matter. Sernik turned out just fine.

Baking powder is another issue, I don’t know if it matters or not. I always add some, just in case. But then again, I add baking powder even to pancake batter, just in case, so maybe you shouldn’t take this point too seriously.

Ok, back to our cheese mixture. Dump the raisins in it, and add those stiff egg whites sitting in the fridge. And here’s the Most Important Ingredient: add a couple of spoonfuls (big!) of cream of wheat (uncooked of course). Use your mixer to mix it all nicely and pour into the pan. The mixture will be runny. Very runny. But no worries. That cream of wheat will work its magic. It will make for a wonderfully soft and mousse-like cake. I promise you!

Bake the whole thing at 350F or 175C first for about 30 minutes or until the top gets golden, then cover it with a sheet of aluminum foil and keep baking it for another 30 minutes. Then, because I’m lazy, I just turn off the oven and leave the cake there until it cools a bit. And voila. You’re done. You’ve just made an almost typical Polish cheesecake. It will be the fluffiest most amazing cheesecake you’ve ever tried. I guarantee it!

Now if you excuse me, I have some serious eating to do!

Words for today:

• ser biały, twaróg (masc.) = white cheese
• jajko (neuter, pl. jajka) = egg
• żółtko (neuter, pl. żółtka) = yolk
• białko (neuter, pl. białka) = egg white
• cukier (masc.) = sugar
• cukier puder (masc.) = powdered (confectioner’s, icing) sugar
• rodzynek (masc. pl. rodzynki) = raisin
• kaszka manna (fem.) = cream of wheat, semolina
• proszek do pieczenia (masc.) = baking powder

PS. If you want to make it look a bit fancier, you can sprinkle some confectioner’s sugar on top when the cake is cool. Enjoy!