Under the blistering ‘burnt’ exterior is the smoothest, richest and most divine interior that you’ll ever taste in a cheesecake. The Basque ‘burnt’ cheesecake is from the Basque region in Spain and was developed by chef Santiago Rivera in 1990; meaning this cake is a fairly new dessert.
I’ll warn you it’s difficult to watch your cake burn in the oven. My natural reaction as a baker is to pull my baking out of the oven when I see something burning! I’ll be honest with you, I could probably afford to let the Basque cheesecake bake longer to burn the top more but I get nervous and pull the cake every time. I feel that this recipe takes a little time to adjust to that unnatural reaction of letting something ‘burn’ in the oven. Other than that, this will be the easiest cheesecake you’ll ever make.
Ingredients
A Basque cheesecake only has a few ingredients and those ingredients are key to a successful, smooth and rich cheesecake. Make sure to use good quality cream cheese that is full fat and buy heavy cream over whipping cream if you can.
- Cream cheese
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Heavy cream
- Salt
- All-purpose flour
Substitution
Omit the flour and make it gluten free. The flour is used to help stabilize the cheesecake but it isn’t a must for a successful cheesecake.
Tips For a Perfect Basque Cheesecake
- **Prep your ingredients well in advance. Make sure your cream cheese, eggs and heavy cream are at room temperature. This is so important to achieving a smooth, creamy texture. And don’t try and speed things up by microwaving the cream cheese!
- Prep your pan properly for a successful release. Use two pieces of parchment paper and overlap them making sure they cover the entire pan.
- Use good quality cream cheese and make sure it’s full fat. This recipe isn’t the place to count calories and cut back, if you do you’ll notice a big difference in taste and texture.
- Use heavy cream if you can find it. The key to a creamy Basque cheesecake is using a high-fat content; heavy whipping cream. Whipping cream is 35% fat and heavy cream is 40%, definitely stay away from anything lighter than 35%.
- Beat the ingredients completely and until smooth after adding each addition. You want to have a smooth cheesecake without any lumps so make sure to beat the ingredients well before moving on to the next stage.
- Sift the flour and fold it into the batter. Overmixing the flour into the batter will overdevelop the glutens which can cause a firmer cheesecake.
- Avoid opening up the oven. You want to keep the oven at a consistent temperature so resist the urge to open up the oven to keep checking on the cake. Colour and time are really the best measures to check for doneness. You want the top to be completely dark and if it’s not the cheesecake is not ready!
- Make sure to let the cake cool for at least an hour before cutting and serving.
How To Make a Basque ‘Burnt’ Cheesecake
Step One: Prep your pan using two pieces of parchment paper by overlapping the paper over each other (so none of the pan is exposed). In a stand mixer add the cream cheese to a large bowl. Beat on medium speed until it’s creamy and smooth and there are no lumps.
Step Two: Add the sugar and beat until well combined. Then, add the eggs and egg yolk one at a time and beat until completely smooth and well incorporated.
Step Three: With the mixer running on low, add the heavy cream at a slow steady speed. Once smooth, sift in the flour and salt and fold to combine.
Step Four: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and gently bang it on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles and to flatten the top. Bake for 60-65 minutes; until the top is completely burnt. Let the cheesecake cool at room temperature for 1 hour.
Basque Cheesecake
This crustless, classic Basque ‘burnt’ cheesecake is hands down one of the easiest and most delicious cheesecakes you’ll ever make! It’s rich, ultra creamy and so sophisticated!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 1– 8” Cake 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Spanish
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 3 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs and 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ËšF and arrange the oven rack to the middle. Using two large pieces of parchment paper line an 8″ springform pan by overlapping the paper over each other (so none of the pan is exposed). Fold the extra overhang of paper over the edges of the pan. Note: If you crumble the parchment paper up first it will be easier to mold around the pan. Â
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment add the cream cheese to a large bowl. Beat on medium speed until it’s creamy, smooth and there are no lumps. Add the sugar and continue to beat until well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you work. Add the vanilla extract.
- Add the eggs and egg yolk one at a time and beat until completely smooth and well incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as you need.
- With the mixer running on low, add the heavy cream at a slow steady speed (avoiding the beater). Once smooth, sift in the flour and salt and fold to combine (do not stir).
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and gently bang it on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles and to flatten the top.
- Place the pan in the middle of the oven and bake for 60-65 minutes; until the top is completely burnt.
- Let the cheesecake cool at room temperature for 1 hour. Once cooled place the cake on your serving dish and remove the pan. Note: you will not be able to move the cheesecake once it’s placed, it’s more delicate than it looks.Â
- Serve slightly warm, at room temperature, or chilled from the refrigerator.
Notes
Store at room temperature for 1 day or in the refrigerator covered in plastic for up to 4 days. Â
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 of 16
- Calories: 258
- Sugar: 12.7g
- Sodium: 160mg
- Fat: 20.5g
- Saturated Fat: 12.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 14.5g
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 5.2g
- Cholesterol: 122mg
FAQ’s
A Basque cheesecake is crustless compared to a regular cheesecake, it’s baked until the top is completely burnt and doesn’t have any fruit or added layers. It’s much lighter and more souffle-like than a regular cheesecake which can be dense and heavy.
Whipping cream and heavy cream are essentially the same thing. Both are dairy cream, the difference is in the fat content. Whipping cream has a 35% fat content and heavy cream is 36% and higher.
It’s normal to have condensation or a ‘wet’ basque cheesecake as it sits in the pan and parchment paper to cool for quite some time. The only way to avoid this is to remove the pan and paper sooner, although it’s not recommended. The moisture will subside once it’s removed and after a day.
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I love hearing from you! Leave a comment with any questions or how your recipe turned out (your email address will not be published)!
The Basque Cheesecake was so light and airy and really delicious. I’ll be making this soon. So glad to have this recipe now.
Cathy, I heard everyone loved it at the dinner, so happy to hear! And glad to know you’ll be making it too! Happy Baking.
I served this dessert to guests and they loved it! It was so easy to make, didn’t have a million ingredients or steps and was a bit different (there were some raised eyebrows about burning your dessert)! And it’s gluten free! All the boxes were ticked!!!
Susan I know the feeling about the ‘burnt’ top, lol! Feels weird to actually ‘burn’ a dessert when that’s exactly what we are normally trying to avoid. Happy hear the dessert was it! Thanks for sharing.