”You have to taste a culture to understand it.”

– Deborah Cater

Goat cheese cheesecake

This moist, slightly tangy cheesecake is inspired by a Corsican pastry called Fiodone. With just a few simple ingredients like goat cheese, eggs, sugar, and lemon zest we can make a light, flavorful dessert, which is perfect for a special treat or a simple indulgence. This cake is also suitable to those who want a delicious treat made without flour.

Step by step video tutorial
Serving Size:
4 big or 8 small pieces of cake
Time:
Prep time: 15 min
Bake time: 40 min
Difficulty:
Easy

Equipment

  • 14 x 6 cm or 5.5 x 2.5 inches springform cake pan

Ingredients

  • 300 g / 0.66 lbs. fresh goat cheese / cottage cheese
  • 3 eggs (room temperature)
  • 120 g / 0.6 cups granulated sugar
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 tbsp brandy or cognac (optional)

Directions

  1. Put a piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the cake pan and grease the cake pan with a bit of cooking oil, bottom and the sides.
  2. Set the oven to heat to 160 degrees Celsius or 360 degrees Fahrenheit.
  3. Zest one washed lemon and add the zest to the cheese. Add also 1 tablespoon of brandy or cognac, and mix everything.
  4. Break 3 room temperature eggs in a large bowl. Add to them the sugar, and beat the eggs and sugar with a mixer till they are light and have increased in volume. It takes a few minutes and the eggs should be nice, foamy, and fluffy. The beaten eggs will give the cake airy texture.
  5. Add the cheese mix in the bowl with the eggs and fold it in. The batter does not need to be smooth, but make sure not to have any big lumps of  cheese in it.
  6. Pour the cake batter in the cake pan and gently shake to level the batter.
  7. Bake the cake for about 35 – 40 minutes, till the top has nicely browned, looks a little crusty and the cake feels just a little wiggly when touched.
  8. Turn the oven off, leave the cake in the oven with the door open for about 10 – 15 minutes so that it starts to cool slowly. Then, take it out of the oven to cool to room temperature, and afterwards put it in the fridge. The cake can be eaten warm. I prefer it cold though, after it has been in the fridge for at least a few hours. The flavours of the cheese and lemon are more noticeable then. But, try and see yourself how you like it better. Enjoy!

Notes

  • The goat cottage cheese or fresh cheese has very mild flavour and used in the cake it does not have a particularly noticeable goat milk flavour. But if you are not a fan of goat milk and cheese, the cake can also be made with fresh cow milk cheese / cottage cheese. It is very nice as well.
  • For best results, measure ingredients with a scale. All recipes are made with weighed ingredients using grams. Cup measurements are provided for your convenience.