Burnt Basque Cheese Cake

Creamy vanilla cheesecake with the perfect balance between jiggly and firm

Basque Burnt Cheesecake is an incredibly impressive dessert to serve yet deceitfully simple to make. It can be your little secret! Think of all the best puddings you have ever eaten, custard, flan, egg tarts. What do they have in common? Creamy vanilla flavour, glossiness, and a perfect titillating balance between jiggly yet firm. 

The Basque cheesecake is all of that only each quality is intensified. There is no crust or pastry to break through to get to the ‘good part’,  it is ALL good part. You won’t be searching for a sweet delicate centre each piece is wondrously full to the brim. Pure unctuous glory each mouthful is light and airy akin to a soufflé. The burnt appearance adds colour yet the flavour is subtle like a slight caramel edge. 

The beauty of this recipe is once you’re confident with the recipe (which I promise is really simple!) you can add to this and get creative with fun toppings or flavour combinations. Sweet even salty (think salted caramel) you can genuinely come up with your own unique savour.   

I have made a few varieties and will update this page in future if I make any more.  Feel free to post any suggestions in the comments!

Strawberry puree 

I’m really into strawberries at the moment. I believe they tend to elevate a plain cake to fancy instantly. Making a strawberry puree is a bit like making a chunky jam. Leave the fruit whole (but hulled) so as the syrup stews the pudgy shape remains visible only a little more compressed. Once  the puree and the cake are  cool  pour the sticky, shiny, squishy concoction into the concave middle of the cheesecake. When you slice into your creation wow your guests as the ruby coloured syrup dribbles over the pale velvety cheesecake. 

Cookies and cream For an indulgent experience à la American; crumble Oreo cookies and mix it gently through the batter before baking. Once cooled crumble more Oreos and pour into the centre for extra crunch and a nice presentation. This version is fun on the  palate  as  you get smoothness and broken biscuits intertwined.    

Creme brûlée Let’s be honest this cake is not far off from a giant creme brûlée  so why not go all out and add a real caramelised crown of hardened sugar. Let the burnt brittleness crack under the knife gently like a crisp sheet of ice in unknowing directions, nobody minds so long as they get a shard of stiff toffee, a perfect opposition to the lusciousness of the cheesecake.

Burnt Basque Cheesecake Recipe

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Serves 6 Serves

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time50 minutes mins

Cooling Time3 hours hrs

Equipment

• 8 inch tin with 3 inch sides- spring form tin or removable base

Ingredients

• 4 250g Cream cheese blocks
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups thickened cream
• 2 tsp vanilla essence

Instructions

• Preheat the oven at 200C Fan forced (210 Convection)
• Take a large mixing bowl and add the softened cream cheese, add the sugar and vanilla essence mixing well with a spatula.
• Then add the cream in stages mixing well in between each stage, smoothing out any lumps.
• Crack the eggs in a separate bowl and beat with a fork. Add the egg mix into the cream cheese mixture in two stages, mixing well to combine in between.
• Line your baking tin with double the baking paper crosswise, making sure your paper sits upwards vertically 2cm over the tin.
• Bake in the oven on the middle rack 45-50 minutes. (Make sure the baking paper doesn't touch the elements). Rotate the cake after 40 minutes so the top browns evenly. The cake is ready when the cake has a deep brown top.
• Cool in the tin for 1 hour on the bench then refrigerate for 2 hours keeping it still in the tin. You can then serve for the optimal oozy creamy texture or take it out of the fridge until you are ready to serve it. If you prefer a set cheesecake then refrigerate for an additional 2 hours or overnight.

Notes

1. When cutting the cake – use a hot sharp knife, boil the kettle and dip your knife into the hot water, after each slice wipe the blade with a clean tea towel then dip the knife in the boiling water again and keep repeating every time you slice.

2. This cake has eggs and dairy so it will need to be refrigerated if not serving within 4 hours after taking out of the fridge

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Another one of our favourite cakes we recommend is our Lemon & Ricotta cake