Romanian Pasca is a traditional Easter dessert made with sweet yeast dough and a rich cheese filling. It is prepared once a year, for Easter, and it belongs on the holiday table next to red eggs, cozonac, and the foods that make this celebration feel complete. In this recipe, I’m sharing the classic cottage cheese version, plus a dairy-free Pasca with vanilla cream and blueberries.

Pasca is one of the most important Romanian Easter desserts. It is not an everyday cake and it is not a cheesecake you bake whenever you feel like it. It has its place, its season, and its meaning.

The traditional version is made with a soft sweet dough, a cheese filling flavored with lemon and vanilla, and a braided edge or cross on top. In many Romanian homes, it is baked before Easter and served as part of the holiday meal, together with red eggs, cozonac, lamb dishes, and other festive foods.

This article includes the classic Pasca with cottage cheese and a dairy-free version with vanilla cream and blueberries. The dairy-free version is not traditional, but it keeps the spirit of the dessert for people who cannot eat dairy and still want something special on the Easter table.

Pasca carries a lot of Easter symbolism. The round shape is linked to life, renewal, and eternity, while the cross on top reflects the Christian meaning of the holiday. Even the braided edge makes it feel more ceremonial than a regular cake. It is not something you bake casually during the year. It belongs to Easter, and that gives it a different kind of importance.

Recipe with Cottage Cheese

Ingredients:

For the Dough:

  • 300 g flour
  • 180 ml warm milk
  • 40 g powdered sugar
  • 4 g dry yeast
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 60 g melted butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp lemon extract or peel from half a lemon

For the Cheese Filling:

  • 350g fresh cottage cheese (brânză dulce, not ricotta)
  • 40 g sour cream (thick and fatty)
  • 3 eggs
  • 100 g sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • Zest of 1 lemon or 1 tsp lemon extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 100 g raisins (optional)
  • 30 g semolina (gris)

1 extra egg for brushing before baking

Note: I don’t make overly sweet desserts. If you prefer a sweeter version, feel free to add 10–30g more sugar.

Instructions:

🥣 Prepare the Dough:

  1. Dissolve the yeast in warm milk with a tsp of sugar. Let it foam.

2. Mix flour, sugar, and salt. Add yeast mix, yolks, melted butter, vanilla, lemon.

3. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

(I knead it by hand for ~10 min. You can use a mixer with dough hook for ~5 min.)

Ball of traditional Pasca dough with milk and butter, placed in a glass bowl before rising
Classic
Fluffy risen dough for traditional Romanian Pasca resting in a glass bowl after two hours
Classic after 2 h

🧁 Prepare the Filling:

Mix all ingredients until creamy.
👉 Make sure the cheese is fresh, sweet (not salty), and very well drained.
Avoid wet textures — it’ll ruin the consistency!

Close-up of crumbled fresh cottage cheese in a metal bowl, ideal for Romanian Pasca filling
well drained cottage cheese
Pasca filling mixture in a metal bowl, made with cottage cheese, eggs, sour cream, sugar, and raisins

Dairy-Free Pasca with Vanilla Cream & Blueberries

This year, I made two versions. One for me (because cheesy sweets = love), and one for a friend who’s lactose-intolerant — because no one should miss out on Easter joy.

Adjustments – Dough:

  • Replace milk with lactose-free or plant-based milk
  • Replace butter with margarine (or vegan butter)

Note: Dairy-free dough is slightly stickier, but still works great.

Ball of dairy-free Pasca dough resting in a colorful ceramic bowl before rising
Dairy-Free
Dairy-free Pasca dough risen in a colorful patterned bowl, ready for shaping and filling
Dairy-Free after 2 h

Dairy-Free Vanilla Cream Filling:

  • 500 ml lactose-free milk
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 100 g sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla pod
  • 60 g flour or 40 g cornstarch
  • Pinch of salt
  • Blueberries (added right before baking)

Instructions:

  1. Heat the milk with vanilla in a saucepan (bring to a boil if using a vanilla pod).
  2. In a bowl, whisk yolks, salt & sugar until light and creamy.
  3. Gradually add warm milk to the yolks, stirring constantly.
  4. Pour back into the pot, add flour/cornstarch while whisking.
  5. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. If you’d like, you can skim off any unappealing foam with a spoon (I did).
  6. Cool slightly. Add blueberries right before baking.
Foamy, pale-yellow mixture of egg yolks and sugar whipped to a thick consistency in a mixing bowl
Whipped Egg Yolks with Sugar
Smooth mixture of whipped egg yolks combined with lactose-free milk and vanilla, ready to be cooked into custard
Mixture with Lactose-Free Milk
Vanilla custard base with lactose-free milk, yolks, and sugar heating in a white saucepan
Beginning Stage
Custard mixture bubbling gently at the center, forming a light foamy ring as it begins to boil
Starting to Boil
Thick, glossy vanilla custard stirred with a whisk, ready for cooling and Pasca filling
Finished

Assembling Your Pasca

  1. Divide the dough into 3 parts: ~35% for the base, ~50% for the braided border, ~15% for the cross on top.
  2. Press the base into a greased roun pan.
  3. Form two long ropes, twist them into a braid, and place around the edge.
  4. Add the cheese or vanilla filling.
  5. Use remaining dough to shape a cross or decorative top.
  6. Beat one egg and brush all exposed dough.
  7. Let rest 20–30 minutes while the oven heats up (no need to cover).
Two springform pans lined with parchment paper, ready for assembling Romanian Pasca
Unbaked traditional Romanian Pasca with cheese filling and twisted dough cross on top.
Classic
Unbaked dairy-free Pasca with visible vanilla cream dollops and fresh blueberries, decorated with a twisted dough cross
Dairy-Free

Bake

  • Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 40–50 minutes, until golden and set.
  • Let cool in the pan for 5–10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to prevent condensation.
Top view of golden-brown Romanian Pasca with braided crust and dough cross, freshly baked in round pan
Classic
Golden-brown Pasca seen from the side, showing its tall braided crust and creamy baked filling
Top view of a baked dairy-free Romanian Pasca with twisted dough cross, golden crust, and creamy vanilla filling with visible blueberry spots
Dairy-Free

Note: Hot Pasca is delicate. Let it cool fully before slicing. The flavor deepens by the next day — if you can wait that long!

Tips for Success

  • Don’t use ricotta – it’s too watery and bland for this dessert.
  • Use very dry, sweet cottage cheese.
  • Don’t overload with sugar — let the flavors shine.
  • Let the dough rise in a warm, calm place (like wrapped in a blanket).
  • Add raisins soaked in warm milk or rum for extra depth.

Useful Notes About Romanian Easter Pasca

What is Romanian pasca?

Romanian pasca is a traditional Easter dessert made with sweet dough and a rich cheese filling. It is usually prepared for Orthodox Easter and served alongside other holiday foods. Depending on the region and family recipe, pasca can be round, braided, simple, very rich, or decorated with a cross.

What is pasca filling made of?

Traditional pasca filling is usually made with sweet cheese, eggs, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and sometimes raisins. The texture should be creamy but firm enough to hold inside the dough. Like many holiday recipes, every family has opinions, and naturally every family believes theirs is the correct one.

Is pasca the same as cheesecake?

Pasca is not exactly the same as cheesecake, although the filling can feel similar because it is sweet and cheese-based. Pasca usually has a yeast dough base or crust, while cheesecake has a different structure and texture. Pasca belongs more to traditional festive baking than to modern dessert menus.

When do Romanians eat pasca?

Romanians traditionally eat pasca at Easter, usually after it has been blessed with other Easter foods or served as part of the holiday meal. It is strongly connected to Orthodox Easter traditions, family tables, and spring celebrations.

Can pasca be made without lactose?

Yes, pasca can be adapted with lactose-free cheese or other suitable alternatives, depending on the recipe. The texture and flavor may change slightly, but the idea remains the same: a festive sweet cheese dessert served for Easter. The important part is not making it identical to every grandmother’s version. That battle was lost before we began.

Pasca is not a quick dessert, but it is worth making for Easter. Let it cool fully before slicing, and even better, serve it the next day, when the filling has settled and the flavors are deeper.

The classic cheese version is the traditional one. The dairy-free vanilla cream version is my practical solution for people who cannot eat dairy but still deserve something festive on the Easter table.

Make the version that fits your family, serve it with coffee, and enjoy it properly. Pasca comes once a year, after all.

Craving More Homemade Sweets?

If you love nostalgic homemade desserts, try my Easy Homemade Chocolate Recipe — simple, rich, and very good at disappearing from the fridge.

For another Eastern European-inspired treat, my Halva Cookies are crumbly, nutty, and easy to make when you want something homemade without starting a full kitchen opera.

🍲 Cook simply. Eat seasonally. Share generously. #SimplifyWithLela 🍲