Sweet cheese and sour cream pie – easy Romanian dessert recipe
Sweet cheese and raisin pie with shortcrust pastry and a creamy filling. A homemade dessert that brings the taste of childhood in every slice.
Sweet cheese and sour cream pie
Course: DessertCuisine: RomanianDifficulty: Medium, Easy12
servings30
minutes50
minutes380
kcal1
hour20
minutesCheese pies are part of my childhood, whether sweet or savory. But the sweet version has a special place — its aroma always brings a smile to my face.
It was the Sunday dessert, prepared by my mom while we were busy with household chores. Most of the time, the cheese came straight from the yard, from “our cow,” and the recipes were simple, with no complicated ingredients or techniques. There was no starch, no food processor, and sometimes even the dough was made with lard.
Today, things have changed. We’ve adapted, simplified the steps, and brought these recipes into the present, without losing their essence. This pie is my version — with a shortcrust pastry, a creamy filling, and the perfect balance between tradition and modern comfort.
For baking, I used the Cooking by Heinner – Origini Chef Nicolai Tand oven tray, which distributes heat evenly and helps the pie bake beautifully, keeping the inside creamy and the outside lightly golden.
One thing remains certain: it’s the kind of dessert that brings everyone to the table and delights them every time.
Ingredients
- Pentru aluat:
450 g flour
20 g vanilla sugar
7 g baking powder
a pinch of salt
250 g cold butter (82% fat)
2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
220 g sour cream
lemon zest
- For the filling:
850 g sweet cheese
4 eggs + 1 egg white
200 g sugar
100 ml milk
50 g starch
a pinch of salt
vanilla + vanilla sugar
200 g raisins
rum essence (for the raisins)
- For finishing:
1 egg + a little milk (for brushing)
granulated sugar
powdered sugar (for decoration)
Preparation method:
- We need simple but carefully chosen ingredients to achieve a tender pie with a creamy and flavorful filling.
- For the dough, we need flour and very cold butter, ideally kept in the freezer for a short time. We mix them until we get a sandy, slightly moist texture. We add the eggs and egg yolk and continue mixing until the dough comes together, becoming tender but not sticky.
- We transfer it onto plastic wrap, loosely wrap it, and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. This dough can be prepared a day in advance and kept in the fridge until ready to use.
- For the filling, we soak the raisins in water and rum essence. In a bowl, we mix the sweet cheese with sour cream, sugar, eggs, and egg white until we get a smooth, lump-free cream.
- We dissolve the starch in cold milk and incorporate it into the mixture, then add the well-drained raisins.
- We take the dough out of the fridge and set aside about a quarter of it for the top layer. We roll out the remaining dough and transfer it into a baking tray lined with parchment paper. We pour the filling over the base and spread it evenly.
- From the remaining dough, we roll out a sheet and cut it into strips, which we place on top in a lattice pattern. We brush the pastry with beaten egg mixed with a little milk and sprinkle granulated sugar on top for a slightly crispy crust.
- We bake the pie at 170°C for about 50 minutes, or until it turns nicely golden on top.
- The pie is left to cool slightly before slicing, then dusted with powdered sugar and served plain or alongside a glass of milk or coffee.
It’s tender, creamy, and aromatic, and the texture becomes even better after a few hours. - It’s the kind of dessert that keeps the taste of childhood alive, while fitting perfectly into today’s pace. Simple to prepare, made with easy-to-find ingredients, yet delivering a result that always impresses. Enjoy!
