Basque Cheesecake Recipe

A basque cheesecake with a size cut out and another slice still attached.

Creamy and light with a caramelized surface, you will not be able to get enough of this flavorful Basque cheesecake!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Spainish

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Chill Time 5

Total Time 6

Servings servings

Calories 586kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

9 inch springform pan

Ingredients

3 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese room temperature (678g)
1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
¾ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½ cups heavy cream (360mL)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a 9-inch springform pan with a 12x17-inch sheet of parchment paper, pressing into the bottom and up the sides and letting the excess hang over the edge. Place another parchment sheet in the pan, overlapping the first, pressing it into the pan to make sure the entire pan is lined with paper. (Don’t worry about creases in the paper. It gives character to this rustic cheesecake!) Place the pan on a baking sheet.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and salt on medium-low speed until very smooth, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl between additions. Sift in the flour and beat just until combined.
With the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour in the cream. Once it’s all added, scrape down the bowl, and beat on low speed until smooth and well combined, about 30 seconds more. Gently tap the bowl on the counter several times to help remove any potential air bubbles in the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until the cheesecake is very puffy and the top is dark brown (somewhere between milk and dark chocolate). Place the cheesecake on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. (The cake will fall as it cools.) Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 5 hours or up to 2 days.
When you’re ready to serve, unlock the sides of the springform pan and remove. Carefully peel back the parchment paper away from the cheesecake before slicing.

Video

Notes

Use room temperature ingredients. For a smooth, lump-free batter, set your refrigerated ingredients out on your counter in advance. The heavy cream and eggs only need about an hour, but the cream cheese may need several hours at room temperature. To speed things up, you can heat the cream cheese in the microwave for 20 seconds at 50% power. To quickly warm up cold eggs, place them into a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
Add citrus zest to flavor the batter. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon zest or orange zest to the cheesecake batter for a subtle citrus element that really makes the vanilla pop.
Use the broiler. If the top of the cheesecake is not browned enough to your liking, you can turn on the broiler at the end of baking. Keep a very close eye on it, as the top can go from deeply browned to very black in a few quick seconds.
Chill uncovered. If you cover the pan with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, condensation may form and will ruin the look of the cheesecake’s surface. And don’t skip the chilling, either! For the flavors to fully develop and the middle to set, it needs to be refrigerated for several hours.
Keep the cheesecake in the springform pan until it has chilled. Do not take it out of the springform pan until it thoroughly chills in the refrigerator. You want to ensure the cheesecake keeps its shape until it’s completely set.
For neat slices, use a sharp knife and wipe it clean between slices.

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