This cheesecake is made especially for Easter celebrations using traditional East European dry curd cheese (known as twaróg/ tvarog). If you live in the UK, twaróg can be found at your local Polish food-store or Asda/ Tesco. If you live in Oman, you can find it in Al Fair or Carrefour.

I have wonderful memories of making this cheesecake along with Easter breads with my grandmother, and taking them to the church to be blessed.

Image © Anne-Marie Bala

Ingredients

100g butter, softened. Plus extra for greasing

500g twaróg (curd cheese)

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

6 eggs, separated

150g caster sugar

2 tsp grated lemon rind

1 tbsp cornflour

1 tbsp semolina

50g raisins

Icing sugar, for dusting

Method

1) Pre heat oven to 200°C. Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm loose-based cake tin with baking paper.

2) In a mixing bowl, cream together the curd cheese, butter and vanilla extract.

3) Put the egg whites into a clean bowl and add 1 tbsp of sugar. Whisk until the whites form stiff peaks.

4) Whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until thick creamy. Add to the cheese mixture with the lemon rind, and stir to combine.

5) Gently fold in the egg whites, then fold in the cornflour, semolina and raisins.

6) Transfer to the tin and bake for about an 1 hour until the cake is set and golden brown.

7) Leave to cool in the tin. Once cool remove tin and paper and dust with icing sugar.