Sernik
Photo: Aw58 · CC BY-SA 4.0

History

Sernik is the Polish baked cheesecake tradition, distinct from the German Käsekuchen by its use of twaróg curd cheese rather than quark and its eggier, denser texture. The Warsaw version typically uses raisins and vanilla; the Cracow version adds lemon zest. Cukiernia Wedel, Cafe Bristol and A. Blikle bake the canonical Warsaw versions. Sernik has been on Polish tables since the 16th century when twaróg became a household staple.

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Warsaw

Guided tour · 3h 30m

Warsaw: Polish Food Tour

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Common allergens: Gluten, Egg, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 10Hands-on 45 minTotal 3 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • For the pastry base: 250g plain flour
  • 80g icing sugar
  • 150g cold butter
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tablespoon cold water
  • For the cheese filling: 1kg dry twaróg (Polish curd cheese), passed twice through a sieve
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 8 egg yolks
  • 8 egg whites
  • 100g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 100ml double cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 100g raisins soaked in 2 tablespoons rum
  • 30g potato starch (or cornflour)
  • Pinch of salt

Method

  1. Make the pastry: rub the cold butter into flour and icing sugar to breadcrumbs. Add the yolk and water and bring together. Wrap and chill 30 minutes.
  2. Roll the pastry to 5mm thick and line a 24cm springform tin, reserving 100g for the lattice. Blind bake at 180C for 15 minutes.
  3. Pass the twaróg through a fine sieve twice to make it absolutely smooth.
  4. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and ribboned.
  5. Beat the sieved twaróg with the melted butter, cream, vanilla, lemon zest, potato starch and yolk mixture until smooth.
  6. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt to stiff peaks. Fold gently into the cheese mixture in three batches.
  7. Stir in the drained rum-soaked raisins.
  8. Pour into the baked pastry case. Cut the reserved pastry into 1cm strips and lay over the top in a lattice.
  9. Bake at 160C for 60 to 75 minutes until just set with a slight wobble. Cool fully in the tin then refrigerate 4 hours before slicing.

Tip from the editors. Twaróg is irreplaceable; quark or ricotta are too wet, cream cheese is too dense.

Where to eat sernik

Sernik in Warsaw

A. Blikle (Nowy Swiat) ★ 4.5

$ BakeryWarsaw paczki, faworki, cream cakesWalk-in only

A. Blikle on Nowy Swiat in Warsaw has sold rose-filled paczki since 1869. Five generations of the Blikle family across 157 years, fifteen Warsaw locations.

Worth the queuePaczek z konfiturowa roza

Directions

Lukullus (Mokotowska) ★ 4.7

$ BakeryWarsaw doughnuts and laminated pastryWalk-in only

Lukullus on Mokotowska in Warsaw is the third-generation Warsaw patisserie family business since 1946. Open mon-sat 09:00-20:00, sun 09:00-18:00.

Worth the queuePaczek z roza (rose-filled doughnut)

Directions

Cafe Bristol ★ 4.2

$$ 70-150 zlBrunchViennese coffee-house brunch

Cafe Bristol on Krakowskie Przedmiescie in Warsaw runs Sunday brunch from the 1901 dining room of the Hotel Bristol. Open mon-sun 08:00-19:00.

OrderEggs benedict and a hot chocolate with kremowka on the side

Directions

Charlotte (Plac Zbawiciela) ★ 4.8

$$ 40-80 zlBrunchFrench bakery brunch

Charlotte on Plac Zbawiciela in Warsaw is the city's flagship Saturday-brunch room, a French boulangerie with a glass-roof terrace under fairylights.

OrderEggs Benedict on croissant, sourdough toast with French jam

Directions

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