This cheese strudel is an old, authentic, European family recipe that was brought over to Canada by my great, great grandparents. A fine cheese filling with raisins and cinnamon is wrapped in golden, flaky, phyllo pastry.
This dessert is also known as topfenstrudel, a German word which translates to "cheese swirl". It's one of my all-time favorite homemade desserts and I'm excited to share it with you!
It's a little different than your typical cheesy desserts like these mini cheesecakes and pumpkin cream cheese bread, because it uses dry cottage cheese, which provides a really nice texture.
I learned how to make it in my mom's kitchen and she helped me tweak the recipe a bit to make the measurements and directions easier to understand. My family would make the phyllo pastry from scratch, stretching it incredibly thin across an entire table without tearing. It was absolutely amazing to watch!
Today, however, we are going to use pre-made phyllo to make it a lot easier and quicker for you.
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Ingredients
- dry cottage cheese - It is also known as Farmers' cheese and I literally get it from local farmers. What's nice about it is: 1. it is already fine in texture and ready to add straight into the filling mixture and 2. you can freeze the leftovers and it thaws just fine. If you're lucky, you can find it at farmers' markets, local food stores, meat markets and some grocery stores. You can also buy 'dry cottage cheese' in most grocery stores, but it needs to be put through the food processor to get finer cheese crumbles for this recipe.
- raisins - These are optional. I love adding them for myself but my husband can't stand the texture so be warned that it's possible not all guests are going to love having the raisins in there.
- breadcrumbs - Make sure they are plain-not seasoned.
- frozen phyllo pastry sheets - They should measure about 12" x 16" each.
*Check recipe card for ingredient amounts.
Serving Size
This recipe makes 4 strudels at 4 servings each. I usually bake two and freeze the other two for later but if you're having a large gathering, this recipe can feed 16 people.
If you need to accommodate more people, you can double or triple the batch size.
How to Make Cheese Strudel
Before you begin: If your dry cottage cheese isn't in fine crumbles (which look similar to ricotta or cornmeal in size), then it needs to be processed further. Don't worry, it's easy and quick. Add the dry cottage cheese to a food processor and process for about 2 minutes, until you get finer crumbles. You can skip this step if the dry cottage cheese is already fine enough.
Step 1. Make Cheese Filling. Transfer the cheese to a large bowl and combine with the rest of the filling ingredients. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to firm up.
Step 2. Preheat Oven & Prep Phyllo Sheet. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lay one sheet of phyllo pastry out on a large piece of parchment or wax paper. Lightly brush the sheet with some melted butter, making sure to get right to the edges as well.
Chef's Note: Wax paper is my preference because it's cheaper and does the job just as good as parchment paper.
Step 3. Brush With Butter. Add another layer of phyllo pastry on top and lightly brush with butter. Repeat one more time (3 layers of phyllo in total).
Step 4. Add Filling. Add half of the cheese filling to one end of the phyllo sheets (the wider end).
Chef's Note: If you prefer a thicker pastry for your cheese strudel, you can do 4 layers of phyllo instead of 3.
Step 5. Roll. Roll it up into a log, leaving the ends open. Cut the log in half. If some pastry falls out, just push it back in. Repeat with the remaining 3 phyllo sheets/filling. It will make 4 strudel logs in total.
Step 6. Add to Pan. Carefully place each cheese strudel in a buttered bread pan. Brush the top of the pastry with some more melted butter.
Step 7. Bake. Bake the cheese strudel in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 45 minutes.
Step 8. Serve. Let it sit for about 10 minutes before slicing. Serve the cheese strudel.
Alternative Rolling Method
Here is the traditional way to roll up the cheese strudel that creates a 'swirl' of pastry and filling. We switch back and forth between methods but ultimately prefer rolling it up like a log instead of being spread out because it is easier and doesn't make a difference in the end when it comes to texture and flavor.
Step 1. Spread. Spread the cheese filling out over the entire surface of the phyllo pastry layers.
Step 2. Roll. Use the parchment paper to help roll up the strudel, creating layers of pastry and filling.
Here is an image of the "cheese swirl'" that is achieved through the traditional way of rolling--which doesn't make a difference with the end result.
How To Bake Cheese Strudel From Frozen
- Thaw the cheese strudel in the fridge overnight.
- Remove the strudel from the wrapping and place it in a buttered, bread pan. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 45 minutes, until golden brown.
Joss' Top Tip
When you're buttering and layering the pastry sheets for the cheese strudel, place a clean, damp towel on top of the unused pastry sheets so that they don't dry out. They dry out quickly because they're so thin.
Serving Suggestions
- This dessert can be served warm or chilled, depending on your individual preference.
- If you are serving it warm, it tastes excellent with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You could even try it with homemade banana ice cream or this homemade strawberry shortcake ice cream.
- Some people prefer to drizzle the top with fruit sauces like fresh strawberry compote or homemade strawberry purée.
- If you're serving the cheese strudel in the fall, add some seasonal flavor with a drizzle of pumpkin pie spice syrup. For the winter, gingerbread syrup is amazing.
Cheese Strudel Storage Instructions
For the Baked Strudel
- Leftover strudel can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat it in a 350°F oven or in the microwave, or simply serve it chilled.
- It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Wait until it's cooled, cover it well with plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag.
For the Unbaked Strudel
- To freeze the raw strudel before baking, wrap it up in wax paper or parchment paper and place it in a freezer bag.
- You can also freeze it directly in a buttered bread pan, as long as you place the bread pan in a freezer bag.
- It can be frozen for up to 3 months.
More European Family Recipes to Try
If you tried this Cheese Strudel Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. And please share the recipe!
📋Recipe
Cheese Strudel
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 4 cups dry cottage cheese
- 3 large eggs
- 3 fluid ounces heavy cream - 6 tablespoons
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons flour
- ½ cup raisins - optional
- ⅞ cup plain breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
For the Pastry
- 6 sheets frozen phyllo pastry - thawed (12" x 16" each)
- ⅓ cup butter - melted
Instructions
- Add the dry cottage cheese to a food processor and process for about 2 minutes, until you get finer crumbles. You can skip this step if the dry cottage cheese is already fine enough (about the size of ricotta).4 cups dry cottage cheese
- Transfer the cheese to a large bowl and combine with the rest of the filling ingredients. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.3 large eggs, 3 fluid ounces heavy cream, 1 ¼ cups sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons flour, ½ cup raisins, ⅞ cup plain breadcrumbs, ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lay one sheet of phyllo pastry out on a large piece of parchment or wax paper. Lightly brush the sheet with some melted butter, making sure to get the edges as well. (Place a clean, damp towel on top of the unused pastry sheets so that they don't dry out. They dry out quickly because they're so thin.)
- Add another layer of phyllo pastry on top and lightly brush with butter. Repeat one more time (3 layers in total).
- Add half of the cheese filling to one end of the phyllo sheets (the wider end). Roll it up into a log, leaving the ends open. Cut the log in half. If some pastry falls out, just push it back in.
- Repeat with the remaining 3 phyllo sheets/filling. It will make 4 strudel logs in total.
- Carefully place each strudel in a buttered bread pan. Brush the top of the pastry with some more melted butter.
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 45 minutes.
- Let it sit for about 10 minutes before slicing. Serve.
Equipment
Notes
- Wax or Parchment: Wax paper is my preference over parchment paper because it's cheaper and does the job just as good.
- Thicker Phyllo Option: If you prefer a thicker pastry, you can do 4 layers of phyllo instead of 3.
- How to Store the Cooked Strudel:
- The cooked cheese strudel can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Wait until it's cooled, cover it well with plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag.
- Freezing Instructions Before Baking:
- To freeze the raw strudel before baking, wrap it up in wax paper or parchment paper and place it in a freezer bag.
- You can also freeze it directly in a buttered bread pan, as long as you place the bread pan in a freezer bag.
- It can be frozen for up to 3 months. (I usually bake two and freeze the other two for later.)
- To Bake From Frozen:
- Thaw the strudel in the fridge overnight.
- Remove the strudel from the wrapping and place it in a buttered, bread pan.
- Bake in a preheated 350F oven for about 45 minutes, until golden brown.
Nutrition
Nutrition information on In the Kitch is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may not include toppings and/or sauces.
Monica Haas says
This was a very tasty dessert. Easy to follow your instructions.
Thanks Joss!
Joss Dyckson says
Thank you!
Joss says
This is such a delicious and unique dessert. It’s not overly sweet, which is a plus and it’s very easy to make.