Date Cheesecake from Morocco

Ingredients

• 250 g flour
• 75 g sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 egg
• 160 g cold butter
• flour (for work surface)
• butter (for baking tray)
• 80 g dried, pitted dates
• 4 eggs
• 1.5 kg quark
• 150 g liquid honey
• 2 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1 packet vanilla pudding powder
• 80 g raisins
• powdered sugar (for dusting)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Mix flour with sugar and salt, sift onto a work surface, make a well in the center and crack the egg into it. Distribute butter flakes around and crumble all ingredients with a knife. Quickly knead into a smooth dough by hand, shape into a ball, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 180°C (convection). Roll dough thin on floured surface. Grease a baking tray and line it with the dough, lifting up a rim.

2. 2.

   For the filling dice dates finely. Separate eggs; beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. Mix quark with honey, lemon zest, yolks and pudding powder. Fold in dates, raisins and meringue, spread smoothly over the crust. Bake in preheated oven for about 60 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes in turned‑off oven, cover with foil to prevent browning. Cool, cut into pieces and dust with powdered sugar before serving.