King Vatrushka (Cheese Cake)

Meet King Vatrushka, a dessert fit for royalty. Imagine a buttery, flaky crust cradling a light-as-air cottage cheese soufflé—gentle, rich, and utterly comforting. It’s the kind of cake that whispers nostalgia with each tender bite. Whether you’re treating yourself to a quiet afternoon or sharing sweet moments with loved ones, this cake offers a regal pleasure that feels both timeless and effortlessly homey.

Is there anything more delicious than homemade pastries? Of course not. And if it includes a fermented milk product such as cottage cheese, it becomes simply unmatched in taste. Today we decided to treat ourselves to such an amazing delicacy as a royal cake.

• It is recommended that you do not use low-fat cottage cheese when preparing such pastries (the filling will not turn out as tender as you would like), but at least with a fat content of at least 5%. And most importantly, it should not be sour.
• Instead of margarine, butter (or a mixture of these two products) will suffice in this case. This ingredient can be used either softened or frozen.

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  Mix the flour with the sugar and add the baking soda. Then add the chopped margarine (or grated with a grater).
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  Mix all ingredients until crumbly. It is most convenient to do this using a blender with a bowl attachment. We will also add salt. The base for the dough is ready.
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  To prepare the filling, simply mix the filling ingredients together, again using a blender.
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  Now that we have two mixtures (the crumbly pastry mixture and the smooth filling), let’s move on to shaping the royal cake.
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  But first, let’s prepare the mold. Since we don’t have a mold of the right size (and it’s much easier to remove such delicate pastries from it), we will cover the metal container (its dimensions are 18 x 8 x 5 cm) with well-greased baking paper.
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  Spread about two-thirds of the crumbly dough into the mold, making sure to make small sides.
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  Pour the filling on top and smooth it out using a silicone spatula or spoon.
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  Cover the filling with the remaining crumbly dough.
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  Place the mold in an oven preheated to 190 °C. After 40 minutes, the royal cheesecake will be ready. Remove it from the mould only after it has cooled completely (otherwise it will fall apart).
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  Serve this wonderful delicacy cold.