“All of us have moments in our lives that test our courage. Taking children into a house with white carpet is one of them.”
Erma Bombeck
Sorry I’ve been missing yet again and feel like I fell off blogland with life testing me at every level. A mothers life is tough, and know I am not alone. For times like this, this gorgeous moorish Vanilla Quark Cheesecake {Vanilla Quarktorte} with Roasted Balsamic Strawberries offers a perfect boost to the senses!
A celebration of surviving motherhood, being alive and knowing that food brings ultimate comfort! I love a good cheesecake. Who doesn’t?
Living in India, a cheesecake was quite an alien concept about 10 years ago. The internet brought with it delicious food blogs with myriad cuisines and delightful desserts, one of which was a cheesecake. Ingredients like Philly cream cheese were difficult to come by and very expensive locally, so began the quest for an easier option.
That brought me to discover a most wonderful curd cheese, quark, which is far easier an option IMHO. I have repeatedly made it at home successfully, with varying degrees of fat, and love experimenting with it. The good thing is that you can plan ahead and make it 2-3 days before you intend to use it and its an inexpensive option, and possibly lower in calories too.
Strawberries have all but disappeared but I had a jar of roasted balsamic strawberries in the fridge. Fruit in desserts still is one of my favourite experiments, whether baked like here, or then in frozen desserts like in this Strawberry Fro Yo. As the mercury rises, the very fragile strawberry is hardly visible at the fruit vendor, but delightfully enough, cherries ave begun to make an appearance!
You can make this with a balsamic cherry topping, like the topping I used in this Bittersweet Chocolate Marquise with Crème Chantilly & Balsamic Cherry Sauce about a year ago, last Mothers Day! 
The quark in this Vanilla Quarktorte lent beautiful texture and flavour to the cheesecake, as Mr PAB commented … quite like the cheesecake we had in Toronto in 1996! Some tastes linger on and it is always rewarding to hear a positive recollect!
The colours and flavours all come alive in this remarkably easy preparation. The base is simple, and made a little more yummy {and healthier} with some almonds thrown in. The batter too is very simple and made in a jiffy. Its a great make ahead dessert that rests overnight. If you have time, do top it with roasted sweet strawberries or cherries. I would love to do a chocolate variation one day, hopefully soon!
Until then, enjoy this beautiful dessert. A Happy Mothers Day to all you wonderful women … it’s just round the corner! 
Summary: A Vanilla Quarktorte or a baked quark cheesecake, cooled then chilled overnight. Serve topped with luscious roasted balsamic strawberries!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- Crust
- 200gm digestive biscuits
- 50gm whole almonds
- 75gm unsalted butter, melted
- Filling
- 500g quark cheese (I used homemade full fat quark}
- 3 eggs, separated
- 40g cornflour
- 130g (40g+90g) Castor sugar
- 1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder
- 200ml low fat cream, room temperature
- Roasted Balsamic Strawberries
- 250g strawberries
- 2-3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 200C. Keep a 9″ spring form tin ready.
- Crust
- Run the biscuits and whole almonds in food processor until ground. {Thermomix: Speed 8, 10 seconds, repeat once}
- With the processor on low speed, pour the butter in and process until a moist crumb forms.
- Turn into the baking tin and press the crumbs into the base, building up the sides a bit if desired.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Cool for 20-30 minutes while you prepare the filling.
- Filling
- Place the quark cheese, egg yolks, cornflour, 40g Castor sugar, scraped vanilla bean, cream and vanilla bean powder if using into the bowl of your food processor and run on medium speed till smooth. {Thermomix: Speed 6, 10 seconds}
- Beat the whites with the remaining 90g sugar to firm peaks. Gently fold this through the quark cheese mixture and pour over baked base.
- Bake at 200C for 15 minutes, and then at 180C for 30-45 minutes until firm.
- Allow to cool completely in oven, leaving the door ajar.
- Cover well and chill before serving, preferably overnight. Serve topped with roasted balsamic strawberries.
- Roasted balsamic strawberries
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Toss all the ingredients and bake in a non reactive baking dish {preferably glass} for 45 minutes to an hour, until bubbly and thick. Stir once or twice.
- Cool completely and store in a glass jar in the fridge. Keeps for a week.
- Note: You can make the strawberries alongside the base as it bakes, and then for a while with the cheesecake. Stir once after you take the base out after 15 minutes, and once again when you reduce the oven temperature to 180C.
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Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India
I keep seeing your recipes with quark… and keep saying I have to make one of them… maybe this one!!
baker in disguise´s last [type] ..Hungarian Shortbread : "TWD : Baking with Julia"
I’m thinking if I can made one of it.Hope I can.Thanks for sharing your recipes.
So delicious! I am a big fan of quark cheesecakes. I’ve added your link to my list of strawberry recipes (http://rosas-yummy-yums.blogspot.com/2012/05/strawberry-picking-around-web.html)…
Cheers,
Rosa
Strawberries are out of season here in the south
Got Balsamic Vinegar last week, wonder if you were my inspiration 
Got to try this, looks tempting.
Mallika´s last [type] ..Lime n’ Mint Spiced Drink
Delicious kind of dessert..I cant wait to make this one I really appreciate the recipe..
WOW!!! The cheese cake looks way too tempting. I must try this sometime. Great recipe Deeba
Nandita´s last [type] ..Jaisalmeri Kala chana
As always you make food look the best. I saw some recipes from my daughter’s kids cook book about quark.
I have to try to make quark cheese soon, I love everything you’ve made with it. This cheesecake looks divine, love the strawberry topping.
Poornima´s last [type] ..The Birthday Cakes
No doubt that in this global world, we are all interconnected, even in foods. Today are desserts and dishes that can be found on places that you never expect.
Fruity desserts are superb….well desserts in general are superb
Really this cheesecake is scrumptious
Have a great weekend!
Gera
Gera@Sweets Foods Blog´s last [type] ..25 Food Additives You Always Wanted To Know About, But (Forgot) To Ask – (Part 1)
This looks incredibly delicious! Happy mother’s day to you
Zee´s last [type] ..Dubai Trip 2012
I love this type of cheese-fruit cakes, beautiful
Tamara´s last [type] ..Košarice s jajima / Egg toast cups
It looks really delicious:) I’d like to know what size of baking tin do you use?
Thank you Alina. I forgot to add that, didn’t I? I used a 9″ spring form tin.
I love cheesecakes and this one sounds divine! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Lizzy (Good Things – Australia)´s last [type] ..Smoky Roast Capsicum Harissa
Oh.. all those strawberries – how perfect for the season! Your blog always makes me hungry
cookingrookie´s last [type] ..Pan Fried Trout Filet, Apples and Pears, Lingonberry-Glazed
this is soooooooo good!……i love cheesecakes..have never tried quark..will remedy this soon…the snaps are, as usual, awesome!!!!!!
Very tempting cheese cake! Every time I see a recipe with quark cheese by you I think of making them at home… I think now its high time I have to experiment and make some of these beautiful desserts
….
Happy Mothers Day to you too Deeba!
Swapna´s last [type] ..Chicken Tomato Curry Recipe / Chicken in Tomato Gravy
Your take on cheesecake is very unique! I had not even heard of quark until just now and I love the idea of combining strawberries with balsamic vinegar. What a delicious dessert! Hope you’re having a fun weekend!
Julia {The Roasted Root}´s last [type] ..Mexican Chocolate Chunk Cookie Squares
What an awesome cheesecake! I’ll have to do that too!
Hello Deeba:
This is my first time on your blog. I like what I see and will be back.
I live in Canada and have access to Philadelphia cream cheese.
I find it much too rich and prefer Quark, Ricotta and Marscapone Cheese.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I have been looking for one for quite a while.
Have a Joyful Day
Charlie
Hi! This is also my first time on your blog. Will be back for sure. This looks stunning!
Dear Deeba always I enjoyed your blogs pictures are amazing! and love this with strawberries!!
)
gloria´s last [type] ..blueberry and lemon traybake
You had me rolling with those quotes
I am so glad you shared this recipe. Cheese cakes have been a bit of an uphill task for me, this one seems easy to put together. Gonna be trying it out soon. Also i made tiger loaf and it came out amazingly good. Mentioned you This is a great recipe, one i can follow and finally make a cheese cake.
Pan Cuisine´s last [type] ..Glazed Key Lime Cake
This seemed for me to be the right recipe to attempt a cheese cake again.
Pan Cuisine´s last [type] ..Bread Obsession – Dutch Crunch Bread/Tiger Bread
Happy Mother’s Day to you too Deeba! And kudos to you for being so regular with feeding PAB gorgeous stuff, am barely able to do anything with my kids around! Philadelphia Cream cheese is horribly expensive and I have not tasted success with baked cheesecake yet, this looks delicious and very do-able. I shall try this soon!
Suma´s last [type] ..Granola Bars (Eggless)
Another yummy and delicious cake recipe! I’m not really sure if I can get the procedure right but I hope I can at least perfect the cheesecake.
Thanks for sharing this!
Ohmy, those strawberries! I can still remember how my mother used to bake a strawberry pie when I was little. I guess it’s time to reciprocate the deed. I’ll surprise her with this on Mother’s Day! Thanks for the share!
Brett Chan´s last [type] ..The Eco-Bride
I can still remember how my mother used to bake a strawberry pie when I was little. I guess it’s time to reciprocate the deed. I’ll surprise her with this on Mother’s Day!
Barry´s last [type] ..Spring Allergies Symptoms
Awesome recipe thanks for sharing i can now baked this and give as a gift for my mom this mothers day.
Joanne´s last [type] ..Protein Diet Plan
I was very pleased to find this site. I wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post. Big thanks for the useful info…..
Great post Deeba! I ‘ve never tried to make quark cheese! Your pics, as always, are magic, everything looks perfect and this slice of cheesecake is so tempting! You’re right being a mother, is not always that easy, but we try our best! Big hug and have a great day.
Cheers
Mamatkamal
Wow! what a mouthwatering cheese cake. I have to make it tonight. Thanks for sharing your recipe!