Zapekanka is a kind of Russian cheesecake. It’s a baked version of syrniki, which are Russian cheese pancakes. I was really craving an easy dessert one night, and this filled the need because you just mix the ingredients and bake in the oven!
Thoughts on Ingredients
The traditional filling is raisins, but I experimented with mini chocolate chips here – my recommendation is to stick to the raisins, because they become really nicely soft during the baking process – the zapekanka is also meant to have a really delicate taste, and the raisins are better for that. The chocolate chips were almost too sweet.
This recipe is a bit egg heavy, because I like an eggy cheesecake. You could balance this out with more flour or farmer’s cheese if you like.
I used flour because that’s what I had on hand, but this recipe is traditionally made with cream of wheat – cream of wheat is a common breakfast in Slavic households (mannaya kasha!), so this would be a commonplace ingredient for Russian families.
I like using honey / maple syrup as sweeteners in baking when I can, because I think it gives the flavor more depth – to replace 1/4 cup of honey, you can use 1/2 cup of sugar.
What You Need
- 5 eggs
- 16 oz farmer’s cheese (not ricotta or cottage cheese – this should be farmer’s cheese!)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/4 cup raisins
- Butter (for greasing the pan)
- 9″ x 13″ or similar-sized pan
- Mixer (optional)
The Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
- Mix all the ingredients except the raisins very well – a mixer is helpful here, but not necessary
- Fold the raisins into the batter mixture
- Pour into a well-greased pan and bake for 35 minutes
- Remove from the oven, and let cool to room temperature. Enjoy!