Cream Cheese Cake with Sour Cherries

Ingredients

• 12 sheets gelatin
• 250 ml milk
• 1 vanilla bean (pulp)
• 4 eggs
• 150 g sugar
• 500 g quark
• 1 lemon (zest)
• 3 tbsp Lemon juice
• 1 jar sour cherries
• 500 g whipping cream
• Salt
• 400 g sponge cake base (3 layers, 1 Vienna layer)
• 50 g almond slivers
• powdered sugar

Instructions

1. 1.

   Soak 9 sheets gelatin in cold water. Bring milk with vanilla pulp to a boil. Separate eggs. Beat yolks and 100 g sugar until creamy. Gradually pour hot milk into the mixture while stirring. Return the mixture to the pot, heat gently and thicken (do not let it boil). Transfer the cream to a bowl. Squeeze out gelatin and dissolve in the cream while stirring. Mix in quark and lemon zest. Place the bowl in ice water. Let the cream cool, stirring several times.

2. 2.

   Soak 3 sheets gelatin in cold water, squeeze out, dissolve in warm lemon juice while stirring, fold in cherries (12–16 pieces for garnish) and chill. Whip 400 g cream stiffly. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt into clean meringue, allowing 50 g sugar to cascade, then beat for another 2 minutes. When the mixture starts to set, fold in cream and meringue, chill for 30 minutes. Set a Vienna layer on a springform rim. Spread a thin layer of cream on the base, arrange cherries, and carefully spread 1/4 of the remaining cream over them. Layer the second base and 3/4 of the rest of the cream. Cover with the third base and chill for at least 4 hours. Chill the remaining cream as well. Toast almond slivers in a dry pan. Whip 100 g cream stiffly, fold into the remaining cream. Remove cake from ring, spread cream on top, and decorate with a piping bag. Garnish with almond slivers and cherries, dust with powdered sugar before serving.