Czech Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

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

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake – Czech Tvarohový koláč

Here I am presenting you 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".

Print Pin

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings: 12 slices

Calories: 316kcal

Author: Petra Kupská

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Course: Sweet Pastry

Cuisine: Czech

Keyword: Fruit cake, Strawberry Recipes

Ingredients

For the crumble part:

• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour (260 g)
• ▢ 1 and ⅓ sticks unsalted butter (150 g)
• ▢ 1 and ¼ cups powdered sugar (150 g)

Cream cheese filling:

• ▢ 18 ounces farmer's cheese (500 g) in Czech tvaroh
• ▢ 1 cup milk (240 ml)
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla paste
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar

Misc.

• ▢ 2 cups fresh strawberries (500 g) sliced
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon butter to grease the baking sheet
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon sifted breadcrumbs or coarse flour to dust the baking sheet

Instructions

• First, grease a baking tray with butter, then dust with breadcrumbs or coarse flour.
• Preheat the oven to 360 °F (180 °C).
• Put the farmer's cheese (tvaroh) in a bowl, add the sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Mix by hand and gradually add the milk until a creamy semi-liquid mixture is formed. Finally, beat everything shortly with an electric mixer on low speed to remove any lumps.
• In another bowl, mix the flour and sugar and add the cubed butter. Using your fingers, work it into loose crumbs.
• Pour about ⅔ of the crumbs into the prepared baking tray and spread them evenly across the bottom of the tray.
• Carefully pour the cream cheese filling over the entire surface, smoothing the top.
• Cover the cheese filling with pieces of strawberries or other fresh fruit.
• Finally, top the cake evenly with the remaining ⅓ of the crumbs.
• 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.
• 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.

Notes

1. Makes about 12-15 slices.
2. SERVING: Cut the cooled cake into slices about 3 inches in size. Serve on a dessert plate with a cup of coffee or tea.
3. 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.
4. EQUIPMENT: I baked the cake from the basic recipe on a 10x12 inch (25x30 cm) baking tray with higher rims.
5. According to this recipe, warm coffee cake tends to fall apart; it is better to eat it with a dessert spoon. 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!

DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:

Conversion chart

Nutritional Estimate pro portion

Calories: 316kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 198mg | Potassium: 103mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 418IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1mg

Do you like the recipe?I would be happy for your feedback! Please, rate the recipe and share your opinion or questions in comments bellow. Thank you very much.