Austrian cream cheese strudel with raisins and vanilla in wafer-thin flaky pastry — a Viennese coffeehouse classic.
Topfenstrudel (cream cheese strudel) is one of the triumvirate of great Viennese strudels alongside apfelstrudel and Millirahmstrudel. A filling of Topfen (quark/fresh cheese), raisins, egg yolks and vanilla is wrapped in the same hand-stretched ultra-thin strudel pastry as apple strudel. Baked until golden and served warm with vanilla sauce or sour cream, it is a celebration of Viennese pastry craftsmanship.
Serves 6
Knead flour, water, oil and salt into a very smooth, elastic dough. The elasticity is crucial. Rest covered in a warm bowl for 30 minutes.
Mix quark with sugar, egg yolks, vanilla, raisins and lemon zest. Whisk egg whites to soft peaks and fold in gently.
On a large cloth-covered table, use your hands (knuckles, not fingertips) to stretch the dough from the centre outwards until it is paper-thin and you can read newsprint through it.
Brush dough with melted butter. Spread filling along one edge, leaving a border. Lift the cloth to roll the strudel over itself into a log.
Transfer to a lined baking tray, curve into a crescent. Brush with butter. Bake at 190°C for 30–35 minutes until golden. Dust with icing sugar. Serve warm.
The dough must be stretched slowly from the centre — rushing tears it.
Remove any thick edges — they stay tough after baking.
The filling should be quite thick (drained quark) — wet filling makes the base soggy.
Add a handful of chopped walnuts to the filling.
Serve with vanilla sauce (custard) instead of icing sugar for a restaurant-style finish.
Best eaten the day of baking. Refrigerate for up to 2 days; reheat in a warm oven.
Strudel pastry was introduced to the Habsburg court in Vienna via the Ottoman Empire (baklava dough). Topfenstrudel developed as a Viennese variation using local fresh cheese (Topfen), becoming a staple of the Viennese coffeehouse tradition from the 18th century.
Yes — layer 4 sheets of filo, brushing each with butter. It gives a flakier result rather than the chewy, stretchy authentic strudel texture, but is much easier.
Per serving · 6 servings total
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