Dresdner Eierschecke

The Dresdner Eierschecke is a three-layer baked cake that is popular in Dresden, in the state of Saxony in eastern Germany. A layer of quark goes on a thin base, and a thick egg-based layer goes on top before the cake is baked. In a cut slice, the thin base and the thick yellow top layer stand out.

Baking Three Layers Together

Quark is a soft fresh cheese made by curdling milk with acid. The middle layer, made with quark, adds a dairy tang, and the egg layer above it bakes up light and fluffy. In one example, egg yolks, butter, sugar and a vanilla-flavored cream are combined, and whipped egg whites are folded in. Because the airy egg mixture and the dense quark layer bake together, the texture changes within a single slice.

In the method presented by the Eckert bakery, the top layer uses egg yolks, butter, sugar and vanilla pudding, and the middle layer also combines quark with pudding. The base can be made from a yeast dough, a simple stirred batter, a rubbed-in shortcrust dough or other doughs, so there is no single recipe. The State of Saxony’s description also lists versions that add almonds, raisins or chocolate.

According to state materials, the current form, with a thick egg layer on top, became widespread from around 1925. The materials also describe it as a relatively expensive cake that uses plenty of egg and quark, and they link it to Dresden’s prosperous middle class and its café culture. If you order it with coffee at a café and push your fork through from top to bottom, you can taste all three layers at once.

In Freiberg, Without Quark

Freiberg, also in Saxony, has its own Eierschecke. According to the state’s regional product materials, the Freiberg version puts an egg mixture on a thin yeast dough, uses almonds and raisins, and has no quark layer. A cut slice looks different from the Dresden cake, which has a thick yellow layer over a dairy layer. In Freiberg, too, each bakery has its own recipe handed down over time, and a local bakers’ association protects the name and quality.

One story explains the missing quark: when the town walls were built, clay mixed with quark was used, so none was left for cakes. The State of Saxony and the bakers’ association present this as a legend. It has not been confirmed that building the walls gave rise to the cake made today.

Glossary