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Royal Curd Pie in the Oven (Tsarskaya Vatrushka)
The royal curd pie in the oven (tsar cheesecake) is not an ordinary cheesecake in the conventional sense we are used to. It is actually a closed pie made of beautifully crumbly shortcrust pastry surrounding a tender cottage cheese filling baked together until properly golden. We already have a related version of the dough preparation on our website, the shortcrust pastry reference, but in this particular royal pie recipe the dough technique is quite different.
The pie is prepared remarkably quickly from quite accessible everyday ingredients. To cook a properly tasty royal curd pie in the oven, follow our step-by-step recipe with photos. The whole recipe takes about 90 minutes of active work plus several hours of resting time after baking, which makes this an excellent choice for preparing the day before a special occasion. The recipe yields 12 generous servings, perfect for feeding a large gathering.
Preparation time: 90 minutes + resting time (from 3 to 8 hours).
Caloric value: 302 kcal per 100 grams of the dish.
Ingredients
Show ingredients
For the dough:
- flour – 550 g;
- butter (from the freezer) – 180 g;
- sugar – 100 g;
- salt – one or two pinches.
For the filling:
- cottage cheese (9%) – 700 g;
- sugar – 200 g;
- large eggs – 4 pcs. (or medium – 5 pcs.);
- vanillin – 1 packet (or to taste);
- salt – a pinch.
Preparation
- Let's start by preparing the dough first. Prepare all the ingredients according to the list above on a clean work surface.
- Sift the flour through a fine-mesh sieve or a flour sifter into a large mixing bowl. The flour needs to be properly aerated for the lightest finished pastry texture.
- Add the measured sugar and salt to the sifted flour. Mix the dry ingredients together gently with a small whisk to distribute everything evenly throughout.
- To prepare the proper crumbly shortcrust pastry, you will need fully frozen butter, which must be grated rather than cut.
- Sprinkle the frozen butter from the freezer with a little flour to prevent the grated pieces from sticking together into clumps.
- Grate the frozen butter on the fine side of a box grater. Then quickly rub the grated butter together with the flour using your fingertips, working fast to avoid the butter warming up from the heat of your hands. The prepared shortcrust pastry crumbs are sent to the refrigerator while we prepare the filling.
- To prepare the cottage cheese filling, gather the ingredients according to the list. You can choose to add the vanillin or omit it as desired.
- Crack the eggs into a small separate bowl one at a time and check their freshness before adding them to the main mixture.
- Add the sugar, the pinch of salt, the vanillin and the prepared eggs to the bowl with the cottage cheese.
- The filling should be whipped properly with a hand blender or stand mixer until completely smooth and homogeneous throughout the entire mass.
- This is the smooth cottage cheese mass that we should now have. There should be no visible curds or lumps remaining in the finished filling at this point.
- Prepare a springform pan for baking the pie. Line the bottom with parchment paper, without covering or greasing the sides. The diameter of the pan should be twenty-two centimetres. You can choose a wider pan instead, which would result in a slightly shorter finished pie.
- Take the chilled shortcrust pastry crumbs out of the refrigerator. Visually divide the dough into three parts. We will form the base of the pie from one half of the dough. The second half is then visually divided into four parts. One quarter of this dough is needed for forming the sides of the pie, while the remaining three quarters will be reserved for the top crumble layer of the cheesecake.
- Form the base of the pie by pressing the crumbs evenly across the bottom of the pan using a smooth-bottomed glass. Compact the edges with the glass as well. The height and thickness of the pressed edges should be evenly laid out around the entire circumference.
- Fill the prepared pan with the prepared cottage cheese filling. The cottage cheese mass should fill the pan almost to the top of the pressed dough sides.
- Sprinkle the remaining shortcrust crumbs evenly over the top of the cottage cheese mass. Do this with a properly even layer to ensure that the filling is completely covered with the dough crumble.
- By this time, the oven should already be preheated to 180-190 degrees Celsius, depending on the power of your particular stove. Place the royal curd pie in the oven for forty-five to fifty-five minutes total. You may need a little more time, so keep an eye on the pie to ensure it is properly baked through and the crumble crust is beautifully browned across the surface.
- Our pie was baked for one hour and fifteen minutes total. The top of the cheesecake rose perfectly and even cracked slightly during baking, which is exactly how it should be. The pie cannot be removed from the pan immediately, since baked goods with cottage cheese filling should be allowed to rest properly first.
- The royal curd pie cooled in the pan for about three hours total; during this time, it decreased noticeably in size, while the filling thickened beautifully. The cracks that appeared during baking also tightened up properly, making the finished top layer completely even. The royal curd pie can be baked in the evening and left to cool overnight, which will cause the pie to firm up even better.
- Cut the pie into wedges with a sharp knife. In the cross-section, the dense and uniform filling and the even crumble crust, which has taken on a beautifully caramel hue, are clearly visible.
- Brew fresh tea and call everyone to the celebration table.
The royal curd pie in the oven is a very tasty and beautifully striking pie that genuinely lives up to its proper royal name. The pie is structurally similar in approach to a cheesecake "New York".
Cooking video
Tips and Tricks
Tip 1. Use frozen butter rather than soft butter for the shortcrust pastry, since the frozen butter grates beautifully into uniform fine pieces that produce the most properly crumbly finished texture in the baked pie. Soft butter would simply combine into a smooth dough rather than the desired crumble. The brief planning step of freezing the butter the night before genuinely matters for the most authentic finished royal curd pie texture.
Tip 2. Allow the pie to cool completely in the pan for at least three hours before any cutting, since the freshly baked filling is quite soft and would simply collapse if cut hot. To pair this beautifully classic Soviet-era curd pie with another properly nostalgic baked dessert from the same culinary tradition, try our beautifully tender cottage cheese pastries classic recipe as a contrasting smaller-portion alternative for tea-time treats.
Tip 3. Use proper full-fat cottage cheese (9% or higher) rather than the low-fat version, since the higher fat content produces a noticeably creamier finished filling that holds together properly during baking. Drier or low-fat cottage cheese would produce a noticeably less satisfying finished texture in the baked cake. The brief search for proper full-fat cottage cheese genuinely matters for the most authentic finished result.
Tip 4. Serve thin slices of the chilled royal curd pie with hot tea or fresh coffee for the most properly traditional Russian tea-time experience. For another properly classic homemade dessert to add variety to your celebration menu, try our beautifully indulgent classic New York cheesecake as a contrasting American-style alternative for elegant celebration spreads.
FAQ
Can I use ricotta instead of cottage cheese?
Yes, good-quality whole-milk ricotta works absolutely brilliantly as a direct substitute for traditional cottage cheese in this recipe and produces a noticeably creamier finished filling. Drain the ricotta in a fine-mesh sieve for at least 30 minutes before using to remove any excess whey moisture, since wet ricotta would produce a runny finished filling that does not properly set. The finished flavour is slightly milder than the traditional cottage cheese version but still beautifully delicious for the home cook serving the curd pie at the family table.
Why did my pie crack badly during baking?
Some surface cracking during baking is genuinely normal for this style of curd pie and actually adds rustic character to the finished appearance. Excessive deep cracking usually means the oven temperature was too high or the pie was placed too close to the top heating element. Use a properly preheated 180-degree oven, place the pie on a middle rack, and reduce the temperature slightly to 170 degrees if your particular oven runs hot. The cracks will largely tighten up as the pie cools properly in the pan after baking.
How long does this pie keep?
Store the cooled royal curd pie covered loosely with cling film at cool room temperature for up to three days for best results, or refrigerate covered for up to a full week. The flavours actually improve slightly during the first 24 hours as all the various components properly merge into the harmonious whole. For longer storage, freeze whole or sliced portions wrapped in cling film and foil for up to two months. Thaw frozen portions overnight in the refrigerator before serving for the best finished texture.
Can I add other flavours to the filling?
Absolutely. Try adding a tablespoon of grated lemon or orange zest for citrus brightness, a small handful of plump raisins or dried cranberries soaked briefly in warm water, a few chopped walnuts or almonds for added crunch, a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract for extra fragrance, or even a small spoonful of fruit jam swirled gently through the filling for added sweetness. Each addition brings its own character to the finished pie. Avoid adding too many additions at once, since this can produce a muddled finished result that lacks any clear flavour identity.
