Dough:
150 g (about 5.3 oz) butter
3-3.5 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp sour cream (a thicker, tangier version of sour cream common in Eastern European cuisine)
1 tbsp cognac
1 tsp baking soda + vinegar
Cottage Cheese Filling:
1.5 kg (about 3.3 lbs) cottage cheese
2-3 tbsp semolina
2-3 tbsp cornstarch
5 eggs
1.5-2 cups sugar
vanillin
juice of one lemon
100 g (about 3.5 oz) raisins
Grate the chilled butter using a coarse grater, sprinkling it with flour as you go.
Add the baking powder to the dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg with the sugar, then add the sour cream, cognac, baking soda, and vinegar.
Knead the dough. Roll it out and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Grate 50 g (about 1.8 oz) of dark chocolate on top (if you sprinkle cocoa powder, the dough may separate from the cheese when cutting).
Pass the cottage cheese through a meat grinder, then add the semolina and cornstarch, along with a bit of vanillin or a packet of vanilla sugar.
Soak the raisins in boiling water, then drain and add them to the cottage cheese mixture.
Squeeze the juice from one lemon into the cottage cheese filling.
Mix well.
Beat the eggs with sugar and add them to the cottage cheese mixture.
Combine everything together.
Spread the filling over the dough with chocolate.
Even it out first with your hands, then use a knife to smooth it.
Bake for about 1 hour at 180 °C (350 °F).