Although I grew up celebrating mostly Italian customs in my family I am actually about 25% German as well. I don’t think there is much traditional German food I like, especially now that I’m mostly vegetarian, but desserts I can always get behind :O)
I started doing research into some traditional German desserts and I came across something called Quarkstollen. I had heard of Stollen before. It is a German bread-like fruit cake often made around Christmas. The dough is made using yeast and is formed by wrapping layers onto itself to symbolize the baby Jesus. Stollen dates back to 1329 but originally it was made only of water, oats, and oil due to restrictions on the use of butter in baked goods. In 1491 the Pope finally allowed the use of butter sending what is referred to as The Butter Letter. After that many additions were made to Stollen like raisins and almonds to make it the rich cake it is today.
Quarkstollen is a little different then regular Stollen. Mostly favored in Berlin it is made using baking powder instead of yeast and it also uses a type of German cheese called Quark. There are a few different types of Quark. One kind has a ricotta like texture while another kind is more creamy (due to the addition of cream). I had never heard of Quark before and I couldn’t find it at the grocery store. After a little research I found that many people substitute Farmers’ Cheese in place of Quark. I was able to find farmers cheese so I thought I would start there.
As a first pass for my Quarkstollen I used 8 ounces of farmers cheese in place of most of the milk in my usual recipe. For spices I chose ground cardamom and nutmeg as well as some almond extract and a little lemon juice (in place of candied citrus peel) and rum (what is a fruit cake without a little rum). I also used chopped almonds, raisins, and currant. The initial trial was very tasty, but I felt that the spices could be ramped up and the amount of raisins/currants reduced. I knew a second trial was needed.
A coworker of mine (who tried the cake) told me about a Vermont creamery that makes Quark. I discovered I could mail order it through Murray’s Cheese in Manhattan so I just had to try it! My cheese came very quickly so my second trial was on it’s way. I will say the Quark I got was more of the consistency of yogurt or sour cream than ricotta and it had a sour flavor. I think it gave the cake a much smoother texture than the farmers cheese, but to balance the sourness I topped the cake with a thick sugar glaze. My second attempt was definitely a keeper and my coworkers all agreed :O)
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