Are you looking for the perfect weekend dessert that will fill your home with a wonderful aroma and disappear from the baking tray in no time? This butter cake with quark and blueberries is a guaranteed winner. It combines incredibly delicate buttery pastry, a rich creamy filling made from three types of quark, and sweet-tart blueberries hidden under a blanket of crunchy homemade crumble.
The recipe uses a great baking trick – a combination of smooth quark in a tub and firmer block quark. Thanks to this, the filling is velvety smooth yet firm enough so it doesn’t run out of the cake after slicing. Plus, you can save time by simply grating the dough onto the tray instead of rolling it out. Let’s bake this delicate treat step by step.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Preparation time | 20 minutes (+ 1 hour resting in the fridge) |
| Baking time | about 45 minutes at 180 °C |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Tray size | Classic large tray (about 30 × 40 cm) |
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the delicate butter pastry:
- 250 g butter: (1 whole pack) Cold and cut into cubes.
- 450 g plain flour: Sifted.
- 100 g icing sugar and 1 packet vanilla sugar: For gentle sweetness.
- 1 whole egg
- 1 small plain yogurt (about 150 g): Adds moisture so the dough isn’t too crumbly.
- 1 packet baking powder
For the stable quark filling:
- 2 tubs of full-fat quark + 1 block quark: The perfect mix for a creamy yet firm texture.
- 2 whole eggs: To set the filling in the oven.
- 1 packet vanilla sugar + icing sugar: To taste.
- Lemon zest: Grated from half a lemon for a fresh aroma.
- 2 teaspoons corn starch (Solamyl): Helps absorb any excess moisture from the quark.
To finish and for the crumble:
- Blueberries: Fresh wild or garden, or frozen if needed.
- Traditional crumble: Semi-coarse flour, butter and icing sugar mixed by eye.
Step-by-Step Preparation
1. Making and resting the dough
Sift the plain flour with baking powder and both sugars into a large bowl or onto a work surface. Add the cold butter cut into pieces, one egg and the plain yogurt. Quickly work by hand into a smooth and supple dough. If it sticks, dust lightly with flour. Wrap the finished dough in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour so the butter firms up again.
2. Preparing the base on the tray
Prepare a classic large baking tray (about 30 × 40 cm). You don’t need to grease or line it, as the dough contains enough butter and won’t stick. Take the chilled dough from the fridge. You can either roll it out or grate it directly onto the tray and press it evenly with your fingers to cover the bottom and sides to a height of about 1 cm. Then prick the whole base thoroughly with a fork to prevent bubbles during baking.
3. Whipping up the quark filling
In a bowl, mix the two tubs of quark and one block quark. Add two eggs, the vanilla sugar, icing sugar to taste, grated lemon zest and two teaspoons of Solamyl. Mix or beat everything with a hand mixer until smooth and fluffy. Spread the filling evenly over the prepared dough using a spatula.
4. Blueberries, crumble and baking
Generously sprinkle fresh or frozen blueberries over the quark layer. In a small bowl, use your fingers to mix semi-coarse flour, butter and icing sugar into a classic crumble and sprinkle it evenly over the cake. Place the tray in an oven preheated to 180 °C and bake for about 45 minutes, until the edges and the crumble on top turn golden.
5. Cooling and serving
Remove the baked cake from the oven and let it cool completely before slicing. The quark will still be slightly runny when warm, but once cooled at room temperature (or in the fridge) it will firm up perfectly and the cake will cut into neat, clean squares.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The dough comes from a recipe for grated pie, so there may be a bit more on the baking tray if you prefer a thinner base. If you don’t want the crust to be too high, simply cut off a piece of dough, shape it into small patties or cookies on a separate tray, and bake them for the kids – they are wonderfully crispy and buttery.
Yes, you do not need to thaw frozen blueberries beforehand. Just sprinkle them on the cheese layer while still frozen. However, you can lightly mix them in a bowl with one teaspoon of Solamyl or plain flour beforehand, which will prevent the blueberries from coloring or soaking the cheese too much when they melt in the oven.
Classic shortcrust pastry tends to be drier and crumbles a lot when rolled out. Adding a little white yogurt or kefir gives the dough the necessary elasticity, making it more pliable, easy to work with, and it retains its tenderness after baking without becoming hard.
This delicate butter cake with quark and blueberries is clear proof that honest ingredients like butter and quark can create the very best homemade dessert right on your tray. Enjoy!
