For another Easter dessert, take a look at our Easy English Trifle or explore our Easter recipe collection. I’ve been sharing so many sweets lately. It’s not really me but when an occasion like a major holiday or a birthday calls for it I have to oblige. This sweet cheese pudding Paskha, aka no bake cheesecake, I am sharing today is might not be that well known outside of Eastern Europe. But it is very traditional for Russia and Ukraine during the Easter holiday. The date for Easter is a bit different in the Orthodox calendar, so this might be a bit early for some. But whenever it falls for you, Pashka will be a wonderful addition to your Easter spread, alongside Kulich and decorated eggs!
What is Paskha?
I would say paskha, sometimes spelled pashka, is a most similar to a no bake cheesecake. What is so cool about this dessert is the mold it’s made in, which gives it this unusual shape. The mold is traditionally made out of wood and not so easy to come by nowadays. I’ve wanted to make and blog this recipe ever since I started Vikalinka but I didn’t know where to look for the mold. Turns out it isn’t actually that hard to find, with plenty of online shops offering, which is how I sourced mine. It worked absolutely beautifully! It’s also more practical than a wooden one for rainy England where things tend to go moldy! (Pun intended)
How to make it
Traditionally this cheese pudding is made with a blend of farmer’s cheese, called Tvorog in Russian, fresh eggs, sugar and dried fruit and nuts. However I modified the recipe by omitting the eggs for food safety reasons and ditching dried fruit and nuts for “we hate them” reasons. Fine, I don’t hate all dried fruit and I definitely don’t hate nuts. But I don’t like them in baked goods. I also think the texture of this cheese pudding, which is like a cheesecake, clashes with fruit and nuts. To compensate for those ingredients I added vanilla bean, crème fraîche and lemon zest and juice. We absolutely loved the result, served with blackcurrant preserve my paskha still tasted very authentic and crazy delicious!
Farmer’s cheese (or tvorog)
If you are not familiar with farmer’s cheese you should definitely give it a go. It’s very similar to Italian Ricotta but has slightly bigger curds and a little bit of a tang. In the UK I was able to find it at major supermarkets as well as local Eastern European shops. It’s also easy to make your own, as in the Tvorog recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen.
Serving suggestions
With its tall structure, it might not be immediately obvious how to serve it, but it’s really quite simple. Just pull out a slice as you would any other cake or loaf. The best way to eat Paskha is slathered on a thick piece of crusty bread, but I like it on its own as well. It’s truly wonderful with an added dollop of jam.
Storage and leftovers
Paskha, like other unbaked cheesecakes, should be covered in plastic or added to an airtight container if you have one large enough. It can be stored in a refrigerator for 4-5 days. Wrapped in plastic wrap first, and aluminium foil after, and you can freeze paskha for up to three months. Let it fully thaw in a refrigerator before serving.
More Easter treats
Lemon Vanilla Posset Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Lemon Curd Cheesecake Basque Cheesecake with Raspberry Compote Lemon and Poppyseed Hot Cross Buns
