Are you about to bake a sweet pastry and wondering what to fill it with? Try this fantastic farmer's cheese filling. It tastes great and is easy to make. Success guaranteed!
➜ About the recipe
This recipe comes from the Czech Republic, where I was born and raised. In sweet baking, Czechs often use tvaroh, a fresh dry curd cheese made from cow's milk, known in the USA as "farmers' cheese." To prepare the filling, simply mix this fresh, creamy cheese with egg yolk, icing sugar, and cornstarch.
The filling is intended for sweet baked treats such as traditional Czech kolache and kolacky, buchty buns, cream cheese puff pastry, cheese Danish, various sheet cakes, or delicious desserts made with puff pastry sheets.
MY TIP: Want another great filling for sweet pastries? Try poppy seed filling, popular not only in the Czech Republic but also in other countries of Central Europe.
➜ Ingredient list
To make sweet filling for pastries, you need:
- Farmers cheese; an American variant of Czech tvaroh cheese. Can't find farmer cheese in your store? Make it yourself at home. The preparation is simple; you just need fresh cow's milk, lemon juice, and a little patience. Read on here: Tvaroh cheese recipe
- Egg yolk; helps to stiffen the cheese filling when baking and adds a lovely color. If you used a whole egg, including the white, the filling would be too runny.
- Powdered sugar; to sweeten the filling. Powdered sugar is preferable to regular granulated sugar because it is fine and does not contain crystals that may not dissolve in the filling.
- Cornstarch; the secret ingredient of master bakers! Similar to the yolk, cornstarch assists in firming the filling during baking and prevents it from leaking out of the pastry.
✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
Optional ingredients for extra flavor and aroma:
- Freshly grated lemon zest; gives your pastries a lovely bright citrus flavor. Preferably use organic lemon, or wash it thoroughly under warm running water.
- Vanilla paste; or vanilla sugar/vanilla extract
- Raisins; dried dark or golden raisins are a popular ingredient in cheese fillings; they complement each other perfectly. My tip: The day before, soak the raisins in spiced rum and let them sit overnight!
➜ Making homemade cheese filling
STEP 1: Place the farmer's cheese, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolk in a medium bowl.
STEP 2: Mix until everything is combined, and you're done!
➜ Useful tips
- Let the sweet cheese filling stand for a while on the kitchen counter at room temperature. Do not use it cold from the fridge; the dough under the filling might not bake evenly, especially if it is yeast dough.
- The resulting cheese filling should have a creamy but still firm consistency. Any small amount of extra moisture does not matter; the starch and egg yolk will stiffen it during baking.
- STORAGE: The sweet cheese mixture can be made ahead of time. Then store it in an airtight container in the fridge and use it within three days. Let the filling come to room temperature before spreading it on the dough.
Recipes with cheese filling
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Sweet cheese filling for baked pastries
Ingredients
- 1 pound Farmers cheese (450 g) or quark/tvaroh
- ¾ cup powdered sugar (120 g)
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Optional:
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest freshly grated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons raisins
Instructions
- Place the farmer's cheese, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolk in a medium bowl.
- Mix until everything is combined, and you're done!
Notes
- Makes about 1 and 1/2 pounds of filling.
- Let the sweet cheese filling stand for a while on the kitchen counter at room temperature. Do not use it cold from the fridge; the dough under the filling might not bake evenly, especially if it is yeast dough.
- The resulting cheese filling should have a creamy but still firm consistency. Any small amount of extra moisture does not matter; the starch and egg yolk will stiffen it during baking.
- STORAGE: The sweet cheese mixture can be made ahead of time. Then store it in an airtight container in the fridge and use it within three days. Let the filling come to room temperature before spreading it on the dough.
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
Monika Rojasova
Petra moc děkuji !! Jsem z Kutné Hory a žiji v Kolumbii 40 let a připravil jsem kolace vašeho receptu a jsou fantastické! Dá se tvarohová náplň vyrobit i bez rozšlehaného vaječného bílku?
Petra Kupská
Ahoj Monika, that's a nice comment from such a faraway land! This "tvaroh" cheese filling can definitely be prepared without the egg white, two egg yolks can be used instead. Whenever I make a sweet pastry filled with cottage cheese, I use some of the leftover egg if necessary (sometimes only the yolk is added to the dough, and I'm sorry to throw away the white). The egg has a firming function in the tvaroh; it makes sure that the filling sets and doesn't run when baking. I will rework this tvaroh filling recipe and add more tips to make it easier to understand. Best wishes from the Czech Republic, Petra
Ronnie Redig Barriga
Your written recipe for Kolache warms my heart. My grandmother, Bozena, taught me as a little girl to make them. Her pastry brush was turkey feathers bound together with twine. The written recipe was in Czech, which I couldn’t read, so it’s nice to have yours. The only fillings were prune, poppyseed, and a crumbly cheese I have yet to duplicate. She would be floored by all today’s flavors. Most commercial kolache are basically square, filled dinner rolls. Thanks again for reinforcing what I always knew was the authentic look and taste.
Petra Kupská
Ronnie, thank you for your kind words. Your description exactly fits the classic kolache in their most authentic Czech version. The details you mention are real Czech. Božena, your grandmother's name, is a beautiful Czech name. The pastry brush is called mašlovačka (maslovacka) in Czech, and you are absolutely right - it was made from real goose feathers tied with string. I remember that the string used to be red and it contrasted nicely with the white feathers. Traditional Czech kolace were and are always round, not square. On the other hand, I believe that even kolaches baked in a square taste delicious 🙂 Best wishes from Bohemia, Petra
Ben
So excited to see this recipe! Trying it out right now-- we are in America, so we don't have quark. Wonder if creme cheese or greek yogurt would be the better substitution.
Petra Kupská
Ahoj Ben, thank you for your comment. Fresh cheeses that have a firm consistency are suitable for this type of filling. Please try farmer's cheese if it is available at your local store. Many American people trying quark / tvaroh recipes say that farmer's cheese is similar in texture and taste to Czech cottage cheese. Wish you best luck! Petra
carmel andrs
Petra, I thank god I came across your page. Ive been with my husband Vlastimil for 22 years and felt bad that I couldnt cook czech food for him. I CAN NOW!!! thank you Petra Carmel Andrs
Petra Kupská
Hi Petra, thank you very much for your comment, I would be very happy if you find my site with Czech recipes useful!