The sweet cream cheese filling is used in the Czech Republic to fill sweet pastry such as „buchty“ or „kolache“. Quark (tvaroh) filling is very popular and easy to make.
To prepare the quark filling, use quark with more fat (in the Czech Republic, the fattiest quark contains about 10 % of fat).
Recipe
Tvarohová náplň - Farmer’s cheese filling
Tvaroh filling for sweet Czech pastry such as traditional kolache or buchty.
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Ingredients
- 16 oz (450 g) Farmer’s cheese or quark
- ⅔ cup (130 g) granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 egg white
- 2 Tbsp butter softened at room temperature
- pinch of salt
- raisins optional
Instructions
- Take the Farmer´s cheese out of the fridge beforehand because it needs room temperature to use in a filling.
- Beat egg white with a pinch of salt until it forms stiff peaks.
- Mix well Farmer´s cheese and sugar. Incorporate yolk and softened butter.
- Carefully stir in whipped egg white.
- Spread the quark filling on the surface of the sweet pastry.
- If you fill smaller spaces (kolache, for instance), add the filling using a spatula first in a decorating bag and then spread it on the surface.
Notes
TIP: Add raisins to the filling for more juiciness.
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 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.
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