Basque cheesecake is not your typical cheesecake. For one, it doesn’t have a crust like a New York-style cheesecake. It’s also less fussy to make than your typical cheesecake. My version is not the most authentic, but adding a bit of lemon zest and vanilla bean paste brings a great depth of flavor to this dessert! And somehow, making it to fit a 6-in springform pan (instead of the standard 10-in) makes it feel less unhealthy. That’s how it works, right?
The Basque-style burnt cheesecake originated from a place called La Viña in San Sebastian, Spain. The original recipe only consisted of five ingredients: cream cheese, heavy cream, sugar, eggs, and flour. However, I like put my own spin on things (as usual), so I decided to add lemon zest and vanilla bean paste (you can also use vanilla extract instead).
This was sooo delicious!
Tools you’ll need
Ingredients
- 16 oz cream cheese, softened
- 160 g sugar
- 3 eggs, room temp
- 230 g heavy cream, room temp
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
- 10 g all-purpose flour
- softened unsalted butter (for greasing the pan)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven 400 degrees.
- Grease a 6-in springform pan with a bit of softened butter. Line it with two to three parchment paper. It's ok to fold and make creases where they overlap. Make sure there's about 2 inches of parchment paper sticking out the top of the pan.
- Beat the cream cheese and sugar in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on medium until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is smooth. I like to use this one because the silicone helps scrape the bowl as it beats.
- Add the eggs one at a time, making sure that you let each egg fully incorporate with the cream cheese before adding the next one. Make sure you give a quick scrape down the sides of the bowl every time as well.
- Add the heavy cream, salt, lemon zest, and vanilla, and mix until well-combined.
- Sift the flour into the mixture, and mix on low until there are no more flour spots. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Pour the mixture into your lined springform pan. It's okay if it some of it go into the creases of the parchment. Bake for 40-45 minutes.
- When you take it out, it will be jiggly, but that's expected! Now comes the hard part. Let it cool and set on the counter for at least 2 hours so the cheesecake kinda sinks into itself.
Notes
If you don't end up up finishing the entire thing after it sets, you should, of course, store it in the fridge. It should last 5 days. However, let it sit on the counter for 15 minutes after taking it out of the fridge before serving again.
// ON THE SCENE
- Back backdrop: Replica Surfaces — White Brick
- Bottom backdrop: Replica Surfaces — Cement
- Props: linen towel, pie server