Ukrainian Cheesecake (Easter Syrnyk)

Ukrainian Cheesecake is a favourite for Easter dessert.

Dense, curd cake is also known as Ukrainian sweet cheese or Syrnyk. An eastern European cheesecake made with dry cottage cheese.

A delicious dessert from western Ukraine.

This traditional Ukrainian dessert recipe is totally different than no-bake or New York cheesecake made with cream cheese.

Have you tried any of the other Ukrainian recipes on my site?

• Egg Noodle Casserole – baba’s original version included homemade noodles. I make it with bought noodles.
• Green Onion and Dill Potatoes – this recipe has been in the family for decades.
• Kobasa Kapusta – Ukrainian comfort food.
• Ukrainian Lazy Cabbage Roll Casserole – all the flavour of traditional cabbage rolls without all the work.
• Pierogi Sauce – this is the ultimate topping for pierogies and more. Try it on steak too.

RECIPE and INSTRUCTIONS for this Ukrainian Easter cheese can be found at the bottom of this post.

I still have some Ukrainian Easter eggs from years ago. Once the grandkids get a little older, we will decorate some together. Preserving traditions is so important.

When I was a kid, my mom had a pickled eggs recipe she made for all the family events. I always thought they were Ukrainian lol.

What’s In Ukrainian Cheesecake?

• graham crumbs
• sugar
• butter
• eggs
• cornstarch
• lemon zest
• sour cream
• dry cottage cheese – more info below

Making Syrnyk (Ukrainian Cottage Cheese Cake)

This easy Ukrainian recipe is traditionally served as an Easter dessert. Since this is a much healthier version of cheesecake, I like to serve it all year long. Full instructions are in the recipe card below.

• Start by making the crumb crust.
• Pre-bake it before adding the cake batter.

• Beat the egg yolks.
• Add the sugar, sour cream, and cornstarch.
• Add the lemon zest.
• Mix in the cheese.

• Fold in the egg whites.
• Pour over the crumb crust.
• Bake until done.

• Cool completely before removing it from the pan. I like to place it in the fridge to get it really cold.
• Slice and serve topped with jam. Best served at room temperature.

Dry Curd Cottage Cheese

Suggestions/Recipe Tips

Topping – I used apricot jam, however, any jam will work. I like to warm it slightly to make it easier to pour. Not into jams? Use whip cream, vanilla yogurt or ice cream. It also tastes delicious without topping.

Serving – This cake is served best at room temperature. Take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving.

Graham Crust – Traditionally a no-crust cheesecake, I like to make mine with a graham crust. You could also bake this with an oreo crust. I like to prebake the crust for about 10 minutes before adding the cake batter.

Storage – Always store this in the fridge.

Baking Pan – I used a regular square baking pan. You can also make this in a round pan. Springform pans work great too.

Dry Curd Cheese – The traditional cheese for this cake. If you cannot find it, you can replace it with ricotta, but the texture will be slightly different.

Parchment Paper – I find lining the baking pan helps to release this cake. Let it cool before removing it from the pan.

Additions – You can add raisins, currants, cherries, blueberries, or even canned pineapple to the cheesecake batter before baking.

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Looking for more Ukrainian dessert recipes? Give these a try:

• Pampushky – traditional doughnuts.
• Medivnyk – also known as honey cake.
• Makivnky – poppy seed rolls.

Be sure to check out all the desserts on my blog.

Need a few more Easter food recipes? Here are a few of our favourites:

• No-Churn Easter Ice Cream
• Lemon Polenta Cake
• No-Bake Chocolate Coconut Nests
• Spring Delight