Basque cheesecake

Introduction

This recipe is the result of about ten test cheesecakes, a lot of “just one more try,” and a period of time when we seemed to be taking cheesecake everywhere we went. Luckily, between us and our friends, none of it went to waste.

After testing quite a few versions, this became my final recipe. You mix everything together, bake it, and then comes the hardest part: waiting. You wait for the ingredients to come to room temperature, you wait for it to cool after baking, then you wait for it to chill overnight, and then finally, the next day, you are allowed to eat it!

The result is a creamy, slightly wobbly cheesecake with a deeply caramelised top and enough structure to slice properly without losing that soft centre.

Materials

Ingredients

750 g cream cheese, at room temperature
(I use Philadelphia, full fat)
400 ml whipping cream, at room temperature
6 eggs, at room temperature*
180 g caster sugar
50 g plain flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Tools

8 inch (or 20cm) cake tine

*ps: photo is missing 2 eggs oops 😬

Method

At least 2 hours before baking, take the cream cheese, whipping cream, and eggs out of the fridge so they can come to room temperature. This is very important for the texture, as it helps the cheesecake become smooth and creamy.

Preheat the oven to 220°C.

Line the 8-inch cake tin with two layers of baking paper. Scrunch the paper first, as this helps it fit more easily into the tin, especially where the base meets the sides. The paper does not need to look perfect, in fact, the more crinkled it is, the nicer the pattern on the sides of the cheesecake. Just make sure any large folds are pressed against the walls of the tin. If they stick out too much, they can catch on the cheesecake and cause it to break when you remove it after cooling (been there, done that lol).

Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese for 2–3 minutes, until it becomes smooth and slightly lighter in colour.

Add the sugar and mix for another 2–3 minutes, until the mixture becomes glossy and gloopy.

Crack all the eggs into a separate bowl first. Then add them to the cream cheese mixture one at a time, waiting for each egg to fully incorporate before adding the next.

Slowly pour in the whipping cream while mixing. Add the vanilla extract and salt.

Finally, add the flour gradually. If possible, sieve the flour first. If you do not sieve it, it still works but add it slowly so it incorporates properly. The mixture will start quite runny, but once the flour is added it will become slightly thicker and more cohesive.

Scrape down the bowl, mix one final time, and pour the batter into the prepared tin.

Tap the tin a few times on the kitchen bench to bring any air bubbles to the surface. Pop any visible bubbles with a knife.

Bake for 40 minutes at 220°C.

Remove the cheesecake from the oven and leave it at room temperature for at least 2 hours. It will still look wobbly in the middle, and that is perfect, this is what we want.

Once cooled, cover it and place it in the fridge overnight.

The next day, you are officially allowed to eat it. 🙂 Enjoy!

Discussion

This recipe is all about balance: you want a deeply burnt top, a creamy centre, and enough structure that the cheesecake holds together without becoming dense. It needs enough time in the oven to develop the classic Basque cheesecake colour, but not so much time that the inside loses its creaminess.

One of the most important steps is making sure the cream cheese, whipping cream, and eggs are at room temperature before you start. I take them out of the fridge at least 2 hours before baking. This makes a big difference to the final texture giving the cheesecake its smooth, creamy consistency.

That said, if you are in a hurry, or if you forgot and it is already too late, do not panic. The cheesecake will still taste delicious. You may compromise on the creaminess and smoothness, but it will still be very good 😊 (been there, done that lol).

I started by testing two recipes. The first was from Cupcake Jemma/Crumbs & Doilies, my favourite bakery in London. That recipe uses 600 g cream cheese, 4 eggs, 300 ml double cream and 40g of flour, and bakes at 200°C for 50–60 minutes.

The second recipe was suggested by my good friend Sandra (sandra_pstr) and comes from Michał Korkosz/Rozkoszny. This version uses 750 g cream cheese, 6 eggs, and 400 ml heavy cream, and bakes at 220°C for 35–40 minutes. It also includes yoghurt, does not include flour, and has a biscuit base.

In the end, I took most of the structure from the Rozkoszny recipe: the larger amount of cream cheese, eggs, and cream, as well as the higher oven temperature and shorter baking time. I found that this combination gave a richer, creamier cheesecake and created a better contrast between the burnt top and the soft centre. However, I decided not to include the biscuit base, because I personally associate a base more with a New York-style cheesecake than with a Basque cheesecake.

From the Cupcake Jemma recipe, I kept the flour. I tested the cheesecake without flour, but it leaked liquid after baking and cooling. I was not sure whether this was normal or whether the cheesecake was slightly undercooked, but either way, the flour helped a lot. I increased it slightly from 40 g in the Cupcake Jemma recipe to 50 g, because the overall quantity of batter in my version is larger. This gave the cheesecake better structure and helped absorb excess moisture, without making it feel heavy or taking away the creaminess.

I also swapped heavy cream/double cream for whipping cream. I found that whipping cream worked better for the texture I wanted. The cheesecake still felt rich, but not too heavy.

As usual, I reduced the sugar. Even with less sugar, the recipe still works and tastes sweet enough. The burnt top also brings some bitterness, which balances the sweetness nicely.

I tested yoghurt as well. It gives the cheesecake a slight tartness, which is nice, but very subtle. In the end, I removed it because I wanted the recipe to stay as simple as possible. It also made the batter volume a bit too much for my 8-inch tin.

So, the final version is really a combination of all the tests: more cream cheese, more eggs, more cream, a higher baking temperature, a shorter baking time, no base, reduced sugar, and a little flour for stability.

I feel like Basque cheesecake is one of those recipes where everyone has their own version and everyone thinks theirs is the best (a bit like spanakopita lol, for recipe click here). After around ten test cheesecakes, this is the version that worked best for me.

I hope you enjoy it!