My taste buds are loyal to my Slavic roots and this "cake" is a great example of it. We call it a "zapekanka" - Творожная Запеканка. This is my absolute favorite simple dessert. The best way I can think of to describe it, is to say that it reminds me of a combination of a cheesecake and a coffeecake. It's made with farmer's cheese, (tvorog) which gives it that creamy, cheesy texture and flavor and the addition of butter and eggs elevates it to a cake. I used semolina, (farina or mannka) instead of flour. If you're Slavic, you probably grew up eating it as a porridge for breakfast. It really contributes to give this Zapekanka a really awesome texture.
The gently cooked pears are infused with lemon and vanilla flavor and are an exclamation point to the whole dessert. It is such a perfect combination with the cake. Get your coffee or tea started, because anytime this glorious Pear and Cheese Coffeecake comes out of your oven, it's time to get the party started.
Ingredients:
1 stick of butter (8 Tablespoons), softened
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs, separated, room temperature
1 teaspoon baking soda, dissolved in 1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 cups farmer's cheese (15-16 oz)
¾ cup semolina (Cream of Wheat, Farina, манная крупа)
3-4 pears, peeled, seeded and sliced thinly
To cook the pears:
¼ cup water
sugar, to taste
½ Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon vanilla
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a 2.5 quart baking dish.
Cream the softened butter and sugar in a standing mixer using the paddle attachment or a large bowl and a hand mixer, until light and fluffy. 
Add the egg yolks and vanilla. Mix until incorporated. 
Add the baking soda that has been dissolved in the vinegar to the batter and mix to combine. 
Add the semolina to the mixture and mix to combine. 
Add the farmer's cheese and also mix to combine. (You can also use cottage cheese or ricotta cheese instead of the farmer's cheese, just make sure to drain it well first. Place the cheese in a cheesecloth (or coffee filter) lined strainer/colander and place some kind of weight on top of the cheese. Allow it to stand for a few hours until the cheese is very dry. 
In another bowl, using the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites with a little bit of sugar (a Tablespoon or so) until soft peaks form. 
Gently fold the egg whites into the batter with a rubber spatula. 
Peel and seed the pears. Slice them thinly. 
Place a layer of overlapping pear slices on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. You will use 1 ½ -2 pears for this, depending on the size of the pears. 
Spread the batter evenly over the pears. 
Bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and doesn't jiggle in the center. 
While the cake is baking, place the remaining pears slices into a small saucepan or skillet with the water (just enough to cover the bottom of the pan) the sugar, vanilla and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 3-5 minutes, just until the pears soften. The sugar and vanilla will infuse the pears with great flavor and the lemon juice will prevent the pears from browning, as well as bring a bright note to the pears. 
Scoop out the pears slices carefully from the water and drain on a paper towel. When the cake is baked and has cooled for about 15 minutes, sprinkle it with powdered sugar and serve with the rest of the cooked pears. 
Pear and Cheese Coffeecake (Zapekanka)
Ingredients
- 1 stick of butter 8 Tablespoons, softened
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 eggs separated, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 2 cups farmer's cheese 15-16 oz
- ¾ cup semolina Cream of Wheat, Farina, манная крупа
- 3-4 pears peeled, seeded and sliced thinly
To cook the pears:
- ¼ cup water
- sugar to taste
- ½ Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a 2.5 quart baking dish.
- Cream the softened butter and sugar in a standing mixer using the paddle attachment or a large bowl and a hand mixer, until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg yolks and vanilla. Mix until incorporated.
- Add the baking soda that has been dissolved in the vinegar to the batter and mix to combine.
- Add the semolina to the mixture and mix to combine.
- Add the farmer's cheese and also mix to combine. (You can also use cottage cheese or ricotta cheese instead of the farmer's cheese, just make sure to drain it well first. Place the cheese in a cheesecloth (or coffee filter) lined strainer/colander and place some kind of weight on top of the cheese. Allow it to stand for a few hours until the cheese is very dry.
- In another bowl, using the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites with a little bit of sugar (a Tablespoon or so) until soft peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter with a rubber spatula.
- Peel and seed the pears. Thinly slice the pears.
- Place a layer of overlapping pear slices on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. You will use 1 ½ -2 pears for this, depending on the size of the pears.
- Spread the batter evenly over the pears.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and doesn't jiggle in the center.
- While the cake is baking, place the remaining pears slices into a small saucepan or skillet with the water (just enough to cover the bottom of the pan) the sugar, vanilla and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 3-5 minutes, just until the pears soften. The sugar and vanilla will infuse the pears with great flavor and the lemon juice will prevent the pears from browning, as well as bring a bright note to the pears.
- Scoop out the pears slices carefully from the water and drain on a paper towel.
- When the cake is baked and has cooled for about 15 minutes, sprinkle it with powdered sugar and serve with the rest of the cooked pears.
Hello, Olga! I am really excited to try this recipe, but was hoping you could let me know what the dimensions of this dish make? For example, 9x9 square pan, 9x13 pan?
Hi Julia,
I used a 2.5 qt baking pan. The one I used was 9 X 7.5, which isn't a standard size. The main point is to use a baking pan that hold's approximately the same amount, which would be 2.5 quarts, but it could be several different sizes. A 9 X 9 Inch square baking dish or a 10 inch round baking dish would work also.
Hi Olga - love your great blog and amazing recipes that you share with us! I've tried many of them and have yet to be disappointed 🙂 Quick question on this one - can it be made ahead? What is the best way to store it overnight? Or is it best made and served right up? Thanks!
It's best served right away, Natalie, because the texture will be much softer. However, you can definitely make it in advance. I usually keep it at room temperature if it's not for too long, or in the refrigerator if it's for longer.
This is the best cake I've EVER had. I loved it and so did everyone else in the house! It was crumbly, but not dry, and it was sweet, but not overly sweet. Basically, it was perfect! Definitely going to become something I make again and again. I'd love to try it with cherries sometime! :))
Thank you so much for taking the time to write, Liza. Adding cherries is a wonderful idea.
Hi.....thank u so much for this recipe....am frm india living in uzbekistan....i tried some of uer recipe and all came out well and tasty.....my hubby loved all those and he was impressed :)..this recipe is in my to do list nw :).....wen my hubby brings me tvorek....i dn kno wat to do with that.... but nw uer blog helped me to make delicious dishes out of it...thank u so much again 🙂
Hi Nada!
Welcome to the blog. I'm so happy to hear that you are enjoying the recipes here. I hope you will find many that your family will love.
Hi, Olga! Zapekanka is one of my favorite dishes and I couldn't make it for a long time in the US because I couldn't find the cottage cheese that would be dry enough. Finally I found some farmer's cheese by the same company that makes Kefir and finally made it. It tasted different than any zapekanka I had before (outside the US) and I just had four (!) pieces of it! I put apples on the bottom and some dried cherries in the batter, I LOVED how the apples turned out - it is such a good idea to add a fruit to this dish. Should try pears next time. Thank you for the recipe!!!
PS. And one question - when you do it is it moist inside? My turned out moist - with a very buttery taste like you find in some cakes.
Hi Yulia!
Yes, the Zapekanka is moist:). Apples and dried cherries is a great idea.