Burnt Basque Cheesecake
A crustless cheesecake with a deeply browned top, softly set creamy centre and gently caramelised flavour. Baked in one parchment-lined pan and chilled before slicing. Batch yield: 1 deep 20 cm cheesecake, cut into 8 slices. One serving: 1 slice, approximately 160–165 g after baking and cooling. Allow approximately 10 hours 10 minutes from starting to soften the ingredients to serving. The 560 non-oven minutes comprise 60 minutes softening, 15 minutes preparing the tin and batter, 120 minutes cooling, 360 minutes chilling and 5 minutes unmoulding and slicing. Active work totals about 20 minutes. Preheating overlaps the 15-minute preparation period and is not counted again. Cook time is one approximately 50-minute oven bake, with no sequential batches; oven variation may require extra time. Appliances: Oven; Electric hand mixer; Refrigerator. Equipment: 20 cm / 8 inch springform tin, at least 7.5 cm / 3 inches deep; Rimmed baking tray; Baking parchment; Digital kitchen scales; Measuring jug; Large mixing bowl; Silicone spatula; Fine-mesh sieve; Digital food thermometer; Wire cooling rack; Cover or food wrap; Sharp knife. Allergens: Contains milk from butter, cream cheese and cream; eggs; and wheat from flour. Nutrition is estimated per one-eighth of the cheesecake using full-fat block cream cheese and 36% cream. Rounded macros provide approximately 600 kcal per slice. Storage: Refrigerate after the two-hour cooling period. Keep covered at 4°C or below and eat within 4 days of baking. Once chilled, limit subsequent room-temperature exposure to 2 hours in total. For longer storage, wrap individual chilled slices and freeze at −18°C for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Freezing may slightly soften the texture.
560 min
Prep
50 min
Cook
8
Serves
600
Calories
Macros · per serving
9g protein
34g carbs
48g fat
Ingredients
For 8 servings
- 5 g Unsalted butter
- 680 g Full-fat block cream cheese
- 200 g Granulated sugar
- 10 ml Vanilla extract
- 3 eggs Large eggs
- 2 g Fine salt
- 360 ml Heavy whipping cream, 35–36% fat
- 40 g Plain all-purpose flour
Instructions
- 1
Allow 60 minutes for the cream cheese and butter to soften at room temperature. Take the eggs and cream out of the refrigerator for the final 30 minutes of this period. The cream cheese should yield easily when pressed.
- 2
Preheat the oven to 220°C conventional / 425°F, or 200°C fan / 390°F. Position a rack in the middle. Spread all the softened butter inside a 20 cm / 8 inch springform tin at least 7.5 cm / 3 inches deep. Press two overlapping sheets of baking parchment into the tin, covering the base and sides and extending about 5 cm above the rim. Creases are expected. Set the tin on a rimmed baking tray.
- 3
Using an electric hand mixer on low to medium speed, beat the cream cheese and sugar for about 3 minutes, scraping the bowl with a spatula, until smooth with no visible cheese lumps. Avoid whipping in lots of air.
- 4
Beat in the vanilla extract and salt. Add the eggs one at a time on low speed, mixing just until each disappears and scraping the bowl between additions.
- 5
Gradually mix in the cream on low speed. Sift the flour over the batter in two additions, mixing briefly after each. Finish by scraping and folding with the spatula until the batter is smooth and pourable, with no flour pockets. Do not taste batter containing raw eggs and flour.
- 6
Pour all the batter into the prepared tin and gently tap the tin on the tray to release large air bubbles. Bake for approximately 50 minutes. The top should be a very deep brown, the edges visibly set and slightly puffed, and the central 8–10 cm should wobble together like soft custard rather than ripple like liquid. A probe inserted into the centre should reach at least 71°C / 160°F. If necessary, continue in 5-minute intervals to reach these cues; additional oven time is beyond the stated estimate.
- 7
Place the tin on a wire rack and cool for 2 hours. The cheesecake will sink as it cools; leave it in the tin. Once no longer warm, cover without touching the surface and refrigerate for at least 6 hours to set fully.
- 8
Allow about 5 minutes to release the springform ring, carefully peel back the parchment and cut the cold cheesecake into 8 equal wedges. Wipe the knife between cuts. The finished cheesecake should weigh approximately 1.3 kg after baking and cooling, giving slices of about 160–165 g.
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