Romanian Rose Sweet Cheese Pies – Brânzoaice

Romanian sweet cheese pie recipe with cottage cheese and raisins. Romanian Sweet Cheese Pies are a staple in the Moldavian or Moldovan cuisine. They are utterly anchored in the Moldavian food tradition, but so good that just about anybody in Romania knows them.

Dough ingredients

▫️450 g + 3 tbsp flour

▫️250 ml milk (or water, warm)

▫️1 tbsp sugar

▫️2 teaspoons active dry yeast

▫️80 ml vegetable oil (room temperature)

▫️ 1/2 teaspoon salt

Cheese filling

▫️400 g ricotta/ curd cheese / fresh cheese

▫️100 g of sugar

▫️2 eggs

▫️100 g raisins soaked in water and 1 tbsp of rum extract

▫️1 tsp grated lemon peel

▫️1 tbsp semolina course

Egg wash ingredients

▫️1 egg

▫️2 tablespoons milk

Icing sugar to powder.

How to make the dough?

1. Bring together in a large bowl the milk slightly warm, vegetable oil, sugar, yeast and 3 tbsp flour. Mix until well combined using a balloon whisk. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.

2. Add in the flour and salt.

3. Knead the dough using a stand mixer or by hand for 5-10 minutes.

4. Transfer on a work surface and shape it into a ball using a splash of oil. Place into a greased bowl, cover with clinging film and let it rise for 1 hour.

How to make the cheese filling?

Start by softening the raisins. Put them in a bowl and cover with warm water. Let them soak for about 10 minutes, then drain and squeeze very well. Add a splash of rum essence and set aside until used.

In a large bowl add all ingredients and mix until a homogeneous filling forms. Bring in the raisins and mix again. Set aside until used.

Shaping the Ricotta Cakes

1. Roll the dough on a work surface, lightly powdered with flour, in a rectangle 1.5 cm thick sheet.

2. Using a knife cut the dough into roughly 10 cm square. Place a small amount of filling in the middle of each square.

3. Cut each diagonal of dough from the filling outside. Take each part of the dough and bring it around the filling. Repeat the process with the remaining ones.

4. Place them on an oven tray lined with baking paper (leave a space of about 3-4 cm between the shapes).

5. Cover the tray with a towel and let them rise for another 30 minutes.

6. Bake them in the preheated oven at 180 ° C for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

7. Take them out of the oven, let them cool for a few minutes, then powder them with icing sugar.

8. Serve with a cup of coffee or tea!

Keep them in a sealed container or on a dish covered with clinging film up to 3 days.

How to fold the cakes.