For another summer-inspired cheesecake, take a look at our Raspberry Cheesecake Bars. I get really excited when I get to share a recipe from my childhood. The one I am about to share with you is one of those recipes. The first time I made it I was in my early teens and since then I’ve made it hundreds of times…literally! It was my mom and my go-to recipe when there was only about half an hour between a phone call and guests appearing on our doorsteps. We made it so many times we used every kind of fruit filling possible. I thought we exhausted all the options but I was wrong! I found myself with an urge to bake and a pound of farmer’s cheese. With perfect timing, I also found several recipes passed on to me by my mum! The recipes were a collection of our family’s favourite recipes were sent to me when I left for college in America. Bingo! That’s exactly what I needed.
Still, even the most traditional recipes can be fun to play around with. What started out as my mom’s favourite recipe became highly experimental at some point of the process. Fortunately it all worked out, and I was beyond pleased when I cut into my crumb apricot cheesecake and found out the risk payed off! The original recipe was essentially a seasonal fruit encased in rich and buttery pastry. Somehow I ended up with a fruit cheesecake with a buttery crust and almond crumb topping. Pure luxury!
How to make Crumb Apricot Cheesecake
This recipe starts off in the food processor where the flour, cold butter, sugar and baking powder are pulsed until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Then add the egg and pulse again until just combined. It’s also really easy to do this in a regular bowl with a pastry blender. The pastry will now be soft and can be taken out of the food processor. Pinch off ⅓ of the pastry, wrap it in a plastic wrap and put in the freezer. Wrap the rest in the plastic wrap as well and put this portion in the fridge for 30 minutes. Now let’s take care of the filling. Cut your apricots in half, take the pits out and set them aside. (I planned to also use red and black currants at first but changed my mind and that is why they are in the picture!) Combine the farmer’s cheese or cream cheese, eggs, sugar, semolina and vanilla bean seeds in a large bowl using a hand mixer until smooth. You can also use a food processor if you want your farmer’s cheese to be less grainy. I processed mine in a food processor for a beautiful silky consistency.
Assembling the cheesecake
The pastry will be finished chilling after 30 minutes and can be taken out of the fridge. Roll it out to fit an 9″ springform pan lining the bottom and the sides all the way to the top. Don’t worry if your pastry tears, just take the overhanging pieces and patch up the holes! That pastry is very pliable and forgiving. When you have finished lining the springform pan, put it back in the fridge for 20 minutes. Then take it out of the fridge and fill it with the cheese filling and top with apricots. Now it’s time to get your crumb topping out of the freezer. In Russia this dessert is called “Tertiy Pirog”, which literally means “Grated Pastry”. This funny name comes from the top pastry being frozen and then grated directly on the filling with a vegetable grater. I decided to toss my crumbs with ground almonds for an extra indulgence. Trim off your overhanging sides and press them gently in to blend with the crumb topping. When the pastry casing bakes it magically all blends together beautifully. Put it in the preheated oven at 350F/180C and bake for 50 minutes or until golden. Let it sit for about an hour or until cool to the touch. Then chill it in the refrigerator for at least 2 more hours to ensure the cheese filling in cooled completely. Waiting for it was the hardest part for me! Dust with additional powdered sugar if you like a little bit of drama and enjoy with a cup of tea!
More cheesecake recipes
Lemon Curd Cheesecake Rustic Plum Cheesecake Strawberry Meringue Cheesecake (No Bake) Burnt Basque Cheesecake with Raspberry Compote
