Here I bring a delicious Czech cream cheese coffee cake recipe, which is not quite traditional but will surprise you with its juiciness and great taste. This sweet pastry made on a baking sheet in the Czech Republic is called "tvarohový koláč".
➜ About This Recipe
According to this recipe, coffee cake is made from a mixture of flour, sugar, and butter processed into powdery crumbs (in Czech "drobenka").
The dry mixture is spread on a prepared baking sheet tray, topped with a creamy curd cheese filling, covered with fruit, and finally sprinkled with dry crumbs again.
When baking, everything combines beautifully, resulting in a moist and soft cake containing no artificial leavening agents like baking powder.
In Czech, we sometimes call this coffee cake "drobenkový koláč" (crumble cake).
MY TIP: Do you have fresh strawberries available? Try this for a typical Czech summer dessert: Strawberry dumplings (jahodové knedlíky)
See what a Czech cream cheese coffee cake looks like baked, cut into slices:
➜ Ingredients
To make the cake, you need to prepare the cream cheese filling, and the drobenka crumble separately. I've divided the ingredients for each part of the recipe individually for better clarity in the list.
For the crumble part:
- All-purpose flour
- Unsalted butter; take the butter out of the fridge about an hour before you start baking
- Powdered sugar; if there are lumps in the sugar, sift it
For the cream cheese filling:
- Farmer's cheese; in the Czech Republic, this coffee cake is made with tvaroh, a type of fresh cream cheese. In the USA, tvaroh is usually replaced by farmer's cheese, so I used it in the recipe.
- Milk; at room temperature
- Eggs
- Vanilla paste; or vanilla essence. In the Czech Republic, vanilla sugar is usually used, sold here in small sacks. It is a mixture of classic white sugar and vanilla essence.
- Powdered sugar
Fruit:
Sliced strawberries; instead of strawberries, you can use fresh raspberries, cherries, currants, or blueberries
To grease the baking sheet
- butter
- sifted breadcrumbs or coarse flour
✅ You'll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
➜ Instructions with Photos
STEP 1: First, grease a baking tray with butter, then dust it with breadcrumbs or coarse flour.
STEP 2: Preheat the oven to 360 °F (180 °C).
STEP 3: Put the farmer's cheese (tvaroh) in a bowl, and add the sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Mix by hand and gradually add the milk until you have a creamy semi-liquid mixture. Finally, beat everything quickly with an electric mixer set on low speed to remove any lumps.
STEP 4: Mix the flour and sugar in a separate bowl and add the cubed butter. Using your fingers, work it into loose crumbs.
STEP 5: Pour about ⅔ of the crumbs into the prepared baking tray and spread them evenly across the bottom of the tray.
STEP 6: Carefully pour the cream cheese filling over the entire surface, smoothing the top.
STEP 7: Cover the cheese filling with pieces of strawberries or other fresh fruit.
STEP 8: Finally, top the cake evenly with the remaining ⅓ of the crumbs.
STEP 9: Bake in the preheated oven for about 40-50 minutes until the center of the cake is firm. If you carefully touch the center of the cake with your finger, it will not be runny but slightly springy.
STEP 10: Let the baked cake cool slowly in a slightly open oven for at least an hour. Only then remove it to the kitchen counter and let it cool completely before cutting into it.
➜ Serving
Cut the cooled cake into slices about 3 inches in size. Serve on a dessert plate with a cup of coffee or tea.
➜ Storage
Let the remaining cake cool completely, cut into slices, and place in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator where it will keep for up to 5 days.
➜ Cooking Tips
- The amount of milk you add to the farmers' cheese (tvaroh) filling will be determined by how dry the cheese is. In the Czech Republic, tvaroh either has a soft, creamy consistency (it has more liquid) or is a bit drier, with lumps. Depending on which farmers' cheese/tvaroh you use, adjust the amount of milk. The cheese filling should be creamy, semi-liquid, and easy to spread.
- According to this recipe, warm coffee cake tends to fall apart; eating it with a dessert spoon is better. A cooled cake then holds together without any problem. The temperature does not affect the flavor at all, and the cake tastes great every time!
- Equipment: I baked the cake from the basic recipe on a 10x12 inch (25x30 cm) baking tray with higher rims.
More Czech sweet pastry
- Strawberry coffee cake - jahodový koláč
- Bublanina - fluffy fruit cake
- Buchty - sweet-filled yeast buns
- Zucchini spice cake - cuketovy pernik
- Chocolate coffee cake - with sour cream topping
Tried this recipe?
Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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📖 Recipe
Cream Cheese Coffee Cake - Czech Tvarohový koláč
Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
For the crumble part:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ⅓ sticks unsalted butter
- 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
Cream cheese filling:
- 18 ounces farmer's cheese in Czech, Tvaroh
- 1 cup milk
- 2 medium eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla paste (or vanilla extract)
- 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
Misc.
- 2 cups fresh strawberries sliced
- ½ Tablespoon butter to grease the baking sheet
- 2 Tablespoon sifted breadcrumbs to dust the baking sheet
Instructions
- First, grease a baking tray with ½ Tablespoon butter, then dust it with 2 Tablespoon sifted breadcrumbs. Preheat the oven to
360 °F. - Place 18 ounces farmer's cheese in a bowl and add 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla paste, and 2 medium eggs. Mix by hand, gradually adding 1 cup milk until a creamy, semi-liquid mixture forms. Finally, beat the mixture briefly with an electric mixer on low speed to remove any lumps.
- In another bowl, mix 2 cups all-purpose flour and 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar, then add 1 ⅓ sticks unsalted butter. Use your fingers to work it into loose crumbs. Pour about ⅔ of the crumbs into the prepared baking tray, spreading them evenly across the bottom.
- Carefully pour the cream cheese filling over the entire surface, smoothing the top. Cover the cheese filling with pieces of 2 cups fresh strawberries.
- Finally, evenly sprinkle the remaining ⅓ of the crumbs over the top of the cake.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 40-50 minutes, until the center of the cake is firm. When you gently touch the center with your finger, it should feel slightly springy, not runny.
- Let the baked cake cool slowly in a slightly open oven for at least an hour. After that, remove it to the kitchen counter and let it cool completely before cutting.
Notes
- The basic recipe makes about 12-15 slices.
- SERVING: Cut the cooled cake into slices about 3 inches in size. Serve on a dessert plate with a cup of coffee or tea.
- STORAGE: Let the remaining cake cool completely, cut into slices, and place in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator where it will keep for up to 5 days.
- EQUIPMENT: I baked the cake from the basic recipe on a 10x12 inch (25x30 cm) baking tray with higher rims.
- According to this recipe, warm coffee cake tends to fall apart, so it's better to eat it with a dessert spoon. Once cooled, the cake holds together well. The temperature doesn't affect the flavor, and it tastes great every time!
kristena says
I will be trying this one today! In the past, I've been told that Czech powdered sugar does not contain starch the way ours does in the states. I will powder my own sugar in a high speed blender and I"ll check back in with the results. Thank you for sharing this lovely recipe.
Petra Kupská says
Oh, I didn't know that fact about powdered sugar (the difference between the US and the Czech type). I really hope you will like the cake, it's super moist and it doesn't contain baking powder (it's not needed in the recipe). Please let me know how the cake turned out!
Harshad says
I am tempted to make this but it will have to wait a few day. Recipe looks easy, doable and delicious.
Will revert when l am done trying it.
Petra Kupská says
Fingers crossed, I believe you will like the cake! And of course, I would be glad for your feedback.
Marta says
Ahoj Petra,
I could not wait until Easter and I already baked your Bublanina (the recipe which separates egg whites from yolks) for Valentine's Day. The cake is heavenly, fluffy & light. I made it with blueberries. My husband's only complaint was that I did not give him a big enough piece! We loved it.
As you know, I am studying your recipes very diligently. My next project is your cheesecake. In her comment to you, Kristena was correct that powdered sugar in the US contains cornstarch. My husband & I are very health conscious and try to avoid it. Do you think the texture of the crumble would be that much different if I used granulated sugar? But then, would it still be the same amount to replace powdered sugar?
Please advise me. Thank you so much for sharing your delicious Czech recipes.
Petra Kupská says
Ahoj Marta,
Thank you for your comment. The issue of icing sugar is so interesting to me that I researched how it is in the Czech Republic.
Interesting fact: Czech producers also add starch to icing sugar! The reason is that without starch, the sugar would harden and be unusable. The starch serves as a protection against the formation of hard lumps. Some manufacturers add wheat starch, others potato starch.
As for a substitute, feel free to swap the powdered sugar for the coarse one in the crumble part. If you use the same amount, the crumble will be sweeter. I think 1 cup of coarse sugar will do fine instead of 1 1/4 cups of powdered sugar.
Cream cheese filling: I only add powdered sugar to the cheese filling, I have no experience with coarse sugar. I am concerned that it will dissolve less easily and might be noticeable in the texture of the filling.
Otherwise, this cake tastes absolutely delicious and is also simple to prepare. If you try it, I firmly believe that you will like it!