San Sebastian is the place where the now very famous Basque Burnt Cheesecake is from and it seems that with each year, this only gets more famous and popular. Have you tried Basque Burnt Cheesecake friends? Let me know are your thoughts on this in the comments below!
If there’s an It crowd of dishes that is seemingly being made by people everywhere then this cheesecake is it! In addition to being so simple to make, is requires little effort and yields such incredible results.
Why you’ll love this
It’s foolproof
If cheesecake isn’t something you’ve made before then this is a wonderful place to start as it’s incredibly simple and you need to burn it for the best results!
That burnt exterior!
The burnt exterior is effectively caramelized giving the ‘crust’ this flavor that binds beautifully with the rest of the cheesecake in a way you just don’t get with any other cake like this.
The creamy interior
A great cheesecake should have a slightly creamy interior and this one is luxurious and addictive in that you’ll want another piece!
A great make ahead
This is best served chilled so you can easily make this several hours or even the day prior and this will taste so good people will likely crave another slice several days later.
Ingredients and substitutions for Basque Burnt Cheesecake
- Cream cheese: The most important ingredient and what makes our creamy cheesecake is room temperature cream cheese, because this helps give us a light cheesecake that is easy to mix until smooth. However, you could substitute or use mascarpone which has a high fat content alongside cream cheese which would result in an equally creamy cheesecake.
- Sugar: Superfine or caster sugar is best here because it dissolves into the cream cheese best during whipping. You could half and half the sugar with raw sugar or light brown sugar and caster sugar, as I do not recommend substituting a completely different type of sugar in this cheesecake.
- Salt: Sea or kosher salt is used because it balances out the sweet, whilst additionally adding a depth of flavor.
- Eggs: As well as adding structure to the pudding, the eggs will bind everything together so are essential.
- Cream: Heavy cream is used here to help thicken and smooth out the chessecake batter, additionally it helps to give our cake it’s smooth texture.
- Flour: Though only a little flour is needed it, however, this helps to set your cheesecake, and you could substitute with cornstarch to make this gluten free.
Equipment needed to make this
Greaseproof paper: Lining your tin will make getting this cheesecake out a breeze!
Mixing bowl: A medium to large mixing bowl is needed to whip up this cake.
Hand or stand mixer: To whip the cake to create a smooth batter, though this can be done by hand.
Sieve: Sifting the flour helps ensure it is easier to fold into the cheesecake batter because the lumps are removed thanks to sieving.
Springform tin: A springform tin helps you get the cooled cake out easily before peeling those layers of greaseproof paper. This cake is best baked in a 25cm or 10 inch tin.
FAQ’s for the best Burnt Basque Cheesecake
What is the difference between Basque cheesecake and regular cheesecake?
Basque Burnt Cheesecake has a deeply caramelized burnt exterior unlike a New York style cheesecake that is lightly golden on top, in addition the Basque Cheesecake requires no water bath. It is from the Basque region of Spain, specifically San Sebastian, a city in the northern part of the country.
What if my Basque cheesecake doesn’t look burnt properly by the time baking time is finished?
This is a problem that crops up with this cake, especially if your oven doesn’t have a consistent temperature throughout. If the cheesecake is still jiggly in the center, you can continue baking at the same temperature for a further 10-15 minutes until truly golden, if it is still somewhat jiggly and only a little golden you could bake for a further 5 minutes and place under the grill to develop that deep color.
What is the liquid weight of the eggs and cream?
The large eggs weigh between 63-67 grams each or 2.22-2.36 ounces and the heavy cream weighs 480 grams or 16.93 ounces.
More cheesecakes you’ll enjoy
Käsekuchen - German Cheesecake
How to make:
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F and line a springform cake tin with two layers of greaseproof paper ensuring the paper comes outside the tin at least 2 inches.
Place the cream cheese and sugar into a bowl and beat on low until well combined and smooth, approximately 3 minutes.
Add the salt and beat until just combined.
Add 1 egg and beat on medium until combined, approximately 30 seconds.
Repeat with each egg and combining and mixing until the batter is smooth.
Pour in the heavy cream and beat on medium until smooth and combined, approximately 3 minutes.
Sift in the flour and fold through until smooth and fully incorporated.
Pour the batter into your prepared cake tin and smooth out on top.
Place in the oven and bake until truly golden, approximately 50 minutes.
Remove and allow to cool to room temperature.
Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve to set it.
Slice and serve.
Basque Burnt Cheesecake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: Serves 12
- Category: Cakes
- Cuisine: Spanish
Description
Probably the easiest of cheesecakes with it's caramelized exterior and creamy interior make Basque Burnt Cheesecake memorable for a reason!
Ingredients
1 kilo / 2.25 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
350 grams / 1 ¾ cups superfine/caster sugar
¼ teaspoon sea or kosher salt
5 large eggs, room temperature
480 milliliters / 2 cups heavy cream
30 grams / 3 ¼ tablespoons plain flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F and line a springform cake tin with two layers of greaseproof paper ensuring the paper comes outside the tin at least 2 inches.
- Place the cream cheese and sugar into a bowl and beat on low until well combined and smooth, approximately 3 minutes.
- Add the salt and beat until just combined.
- Add 1 egg and beat on medium until combined, approximately 30 seconds.
- Repeat with each egg and combining and mixing until the batter is smooth.
- Pour in the heavy cream and beat on medium until smooth and combined, approximately 3 minutes.
- Sift in the flour and fold through until smooth and fully incorporated.
- Pour the batter into your prepared cake tin and smooth out on top.
- Place in the oven and bake until truly golden, approximately 50 minutes.
- Remove and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve to set it.
- Slice and serve.
Notes
Adapted from Tasting Table
Nutrition
- Calories: 578 calories per serve
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