Name: Chocolate cake „Morning Dew“ with curd cheese balls – an impressive dessert without complications
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 160 g butter (or margarine); 180 g granulated sugar; 3 eggs; 170 g sour cream; 3 tablespoons milk; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 2 tablespoons cocoa; 2 cups all-purpose flour (cup 250 ml); 250 g curd cheese; 3 tablespoons sugar; 1 egg; 5 tablespoons grated coconut; 500 ml milk; 1 egg; 3 tablespoons sugar; 2 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour

Preparation procedure

Curd cheese balls: In a bowl mix the curd cheese, sugar, egg and coconut. Shape the mixture into balls the size of a small plum and put them in the freezer to firm up for 20 minutes.
Batter – base: Cream the butter with the sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs and beat until smooth. Stir in the sour cream and milk. Fold in the sifted flour with the baking powder – you will get a thicker batter (thinner than shortcrust, thicker than pancake batter).
Two layers: Spread half of the light batter into a greased or parchment-lined pan (Ø 24–26 cm). Stir the cocoa into the remaining batter and spread it on top as the upper layer, smoothing the surface.
Inserting the balls and baking: Take the balls out of the freezer and gently press them through the batter down to the bottom of the pan (arranged evenly over the whole surface). Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 45 minutes. Let cool in the pan.
Vanilla cream: Whisk the egg with the sugar and vanilla sugar, stir in the flour. While stirring constantly, pour the milk in a thin stream. Cook over low heat for 3–4 minutes until thickened and let cool completely (cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming).
Finishing: Remove the cake from the pan, spread with the cooled cream and optionally dust the surface with cocoa through a sieve. Let rest in the fridge for at least one hour.

Number of servings: 10–12

Total preparation time: approx. 3 hours (active 45 minutes • freezing the balls 20 minutes • baking 45 minutes • chilling and resting min. 1 hour)

Tips

You can vary the curd cheese balls by adding lemon zest or vanilla.
For a more pronounced chocolate flavor replace 1 tablespoon of flour in the batter with good-quality cocoa.
The cream will be extra smooth if you replace the flour with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.

Conclusion

„Morning Dew“ scores with an impressive look and simplicity. The curd cheese balls give the slice its characteristic pattern, the cocoa batter is moist and the vanilla cream softens everything beautifully. The cake tastes best after resting – feel free to prepare it a day ahead and enjoy an effortless “wow” effect.