Cheese Easter Cake (Pascha)
A no-bake, pressed Easter cake made with farmer’s cheese, butter, sour cream, raisins, and dried apricots, set overnight.
- Time
- 12 h 30 min
- Serving
- 620 kcal
- Ingredients
- ≈ $2.38
- Protein
- 27 g
Ingredients
- 1 Cottage cheese 9% (tvorog)pack 300 g ≈ $3.00 150 g
- 2 Butterpack 180 g ≈ $1.58 20 g
- 3 Sour cream 20%pack 300 g ≈ $1.80 30 g
- 4 Sugar 15 g
- 5 Raisinspack 200 g ≈ $2.40 10 g
- 6 Dried apricotspack 200 g ≈ $3.80 10 g
- 7 Vanilla sugar 1 g
- 8 Walnutspack 150 g ≈ $4.00 8 g
Grey rows are pantry staples: salt, oil, spices. They are not counted in the serving price.
Method
Rub the farmer’s cheese through a sieve or blend until completely smooth—no lumps should remain.
Cream the softened butter2 with sugar and vanilla sugar, then fold in the sour3 cream and cheese until uniform.
Rinse the raisins5 and chop the dried6 apricots into small cubes; roughly chop the nuts, then mix into the batter.
Line a pascha mold or colander with two layers of damp cheesecloth, fill with the mixture, and level the top. Drape the cheesecloth over it.
Place a small plate and a light weight on top, then refrigerate for 12 hours to drain the whey. Invert onto a plate and remove the cheesecloth.
Tips
- Why it works
- Rub cottage cheese smooth to avoid graininess in the final texture. Lumps stay visible even after pressing.
- Substitutions
- Use dried cranberries instead of raisins for tartness; swap walnuts for walnuts if walnuts are unavailable.
- Common mistakes
- If the mixture is too wet after mixing, the paskha won’t hold shape. Check by pressing a spoonful; it should firm slightly.
- Storing and reheating
- Keeps 3 days in the fridge; reheat in the microwave for 10 seconds to soften if it hardens. Freeze for 1 month if wrapped tightly.
- Serve with
- Pair with strong black tea or coffee for a festive afternoon snack, especially during Easter or holidays.
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