Burnt Basque Cheesecake

Perfectly creamy and smooth in the center with dark, caramelized edges, burnt Basque cheesecake (also known as San Sebastian cheesecake) is famous for a reason. This small-batch, gluten-free recipe makes a six-inch cake, so you don’t have to commit to pounds of cream cheese. Burnt Basque cheesecake has no crust and doesn’t require a water bath. Just mix all the ingredients and bake briefly at a very high temperature. The hardest part is waiting for it to chill overnight! Serves 6-10.

Ingredients:

• 450 grams full-fat cream cheese (two 8 oz bricks), room temperature
• 120 grams granulated white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 15 grams cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 2 large eggs (120-130 grams), room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk (15-20 grams), room temperature
• 230 grams heavy whipping cream

Instructions:

1. Line a 6 inch (15 cm) pan with two large pieces of parchment paper – press the paper into the corners and leave about an inch of paper extending above the edges of the pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, salt, and cornstarch with a whisk until totally smooth. It’s best to do this by hand with a whisk to avoid overmixing, but it can be done in a mixer on low speed.
3. Add the eggs and egg yolk one at a time, mixing in between. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is fully combined.
4. Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract and whisk well. At this point, the batter can be refrigerated for up to 12 hours until you are ready to bake.
5. When you’re ready to bake, heat your oven to 240 Celsius or 465 Fahrenheit. I recommend using an oven thermometer for this recipe, as ovens can fluctuate greatly – a thermometer ensures your oven is fully preheated.
6. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve and into the prepared cake pan. Tap the pan on your counter a few times to get rid of any large bubbles.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is deep brown, almost black, but the cake is still very wobbly (more wobbly than you might feel comfortable with! Don’t worry! This is the key to a creamy basque center). If you’re baking batter that has been refrigerated overnight, the bake time will be closer to 30 minutes.
8. Let cool at room temperature (the cake will deflate as it cools) and then refrigerate overnight.
9. Enjoy! Burnt basque cheesecake can be stored in the fridge for up to a week. Slices of cheesecake can be frozen, tightly wrapped, for up to a month and defrosted in the fridge overnight.

adapted from just one cook

Notes:

• Cream cheese: If you can’t find bricks of cream cheese, this recipe will work with cream cheese that comes in tubs, preferably Philadelphia brand – just make sure it isn’t low-fat or whipped cream cheese.
• Bake time can vary greatly depending on your pan, oven, and ingredient temperatures, so it may take a few tries as you learn your oven and preferred texture. Underbaked cheesecake will be liquid in the center; overbaked cheesecake will be grainy and curdled.
• Pan size: I have not tested this recipe with any other pan sizes (yet!), but it should work well in an 8 inch (20 cm) pan – double all of the ingredients and start checking after 35 minutes in the oven.