Whenever I visit my sister I get a real kick from watching her baking some of the simplest "Mama" cakes, they remind me of my pastry days at the Drake Hotel making tartes and cakes with an American who had apprenticed in Austria. The Swiss confections are similar with nuts ,chocolate,  candied citrus  and lightened with egg whites. Rachel has old notes and books filled with collected recipes from her Grandmother, hand written with real retro pictures that look hand painted.
One afternoon she was baking with abandonment, kids playing outdoors, my niece Carla holding on to her leg and me snapping shots of each ingredient! This special cake I found interesting and well delightfully light considering the ingredients! Quark is a sort of cream cheese, but better! Lots of butter, eggs, sugar, etc. The texture is so light you can forgive yourself for indulging in one, two no, three pieces! it’s like that usually when we are eating Rachels goodies! She made a meringue covered cake with currants we demolished in a single seating!

Quarkkuchen mit Schokolade streisel (Quark cake with chocolate sprinkles)

Serves 12-14 portions

150g Butter
150g Quark
150g sugar
150g ground almonds
4 egg yolks
1 pinch salt
4 egg whites
Apricot jam
Chocolate sprinkles

Combine butter and quark with mixer add sugar and continue beating.
Add yolks mix and fold ground almonds, pinch of salt.
Whip egg whites until they are  stiff, fold into the mix until just incorporated.
Put mixture into pan and bake.
Cool cake and carefully remove from pan,apply some apricot glaze which you make by adding some water and heating in a pan on the stove. Glaze the top of the cake and take some chocolate sprinkles and cover the glazed top of the cake.

Use a greased and parchment papered 9" spring form  pan
572 F (300 c) pre-heat and cook for ten minutes, turn oven down to 320 for 35-40 minutes