Basque cheesecake is an iconic baked cheesecake hailing from San Sebastian in Spain's Basque County (hence the name!) It's a crustless cheesecake ( I promise you won't miss the biscuit crust!) with a signature "burnt" surface. To me, Basque Cheesecake taste like crème caramel, with the caramel flavour of the golden surface and patchy sides, and vanilla cheesecake underneath.
The texture of Basque Cheesecake is unique, much lighter than most cheesecakes.
Everything about this cheesecake recipe is unique, starting with how you prep the pan. You coat the entire pan with butter. Then press in one layer of baking paper so the sides stick up. Smear on another layer of butter and press in one more layer of baking paper.
You want to make sure the paper reaches about 2 inches above the pan as this cheesecake puffs up quite a bit as it bakes. Also fold in the wrinkles to get the edges as smooth as possible. It doesn't have to be perfect. The more "rustic" style looks good on this cheesecake!!
To make the burnt cheesecake, you mix up all the ingredients, pour it into your pan, and bake. No water bath, no temperature changes, just let it do it's thing. Talk about a low maintenance recipe.
It's traditional to serve this cheesecake at room temperature as opposed to regular cheesecake. Let it cool in the pan, remove, slice and serve. This is where I didn't stick to tradition. I let my cheesecake chill in the fridge out of habit. It still gave me a super creamy centre. Top it with fruit, chocolate, whipped cream, caramel, or any fruit compote. This cheesecake is a blank slate that can be enjoyed alone or with a little something extra!
Ingredients:
- 600g full fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 175g castor sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 300ml sour cream, room temperature
- ¼ tsp salt
- 25g corn flour
For the Blueberry Compote:
- 300g blueberries, fresh or frozen
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp water
Method:
Heat the oven to 200ºC or 180ºC for fan assist oven.
Get a 20cm springform pan, coat the entire pan with butter. Then press in one layer of baking paper so the sides stick up. Smear on another layer of butter and press in one more layer of baking paper. You want to make sure the paper reaches about 2 inches above the pan as this cheesecake puffs up quite a bit as it bakes. Also fold in the wrinkles to get the edges as smooth as possible. It doesn't have to be perfect.
You could easily use a large mixing bowl, wooden spoon and elbow grease but I use a freestanding mixer fitted with the flat paddle. First beat the cream cheese with sugar until light and smooth, for about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, waiting for each one to be incorporated before adding the next, and when they are all mixed in, pour in the sour cream.
Once that is also incorporated, you can slow down the mixer a little and beat in the salt, followed by the cornflour, one teaspoon at a time. Remove the bowl from the mixer, scrape down the sides with a spatula and give everything a good stir.
Pour into the lined tin and then rap the filled tin on the work surface about 3-5 times to get rid of any air bubbles.
Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, by which time the cheesecake will be a burnished bronze on top, even chestnut brown in places, and it will have risen, like a dense soufflé. It will however, still be very jiggly. It's meant to be. You will think it is undercooked, but it will carry on cooking as it cools, and it should have soft set, anyway.
Remove the tin to a wire rack and leave to cool. It will sink in the middle a little, but that too is part of its traditional appearance. I reckon it's cool enough to eat after 3 hours, although you may need to leave it for a little longer.
Make the blueberry compote: Once the cheesecake is out of the oven. Add the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and water to a pot, stir and bring to the boil. Allow it to boil for about 5 minutes, stirring often to stop it from scorching.
Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer and thicken for 10 minutes. It will thicken further as it cools. If necessary, stir 1 teaspoon cornflour into 1 teaspoon water, add it to the blueberry compote and cook for a further minute. Let the compote cool.
Before serving, unclip and lift the sides of the tin up and away, and then lift the cheesecake up with the edges of the baking paper. Place this on a board, and peel the paper back, and take it like that, rustically beautiful, to the table, along with the blueberry compote. Just drizzle over the slices of the cheesecake as you hand them out.
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