Follow our simple recipe and you are sure to make an amazing Basque cheesecake. With a creamy, sweet, nutty flavor you are sure to love this cheesecake recipe. Discover the step-by-step guide to making the perfect Basque cheesecake.
When asked the question what do I love cooking the most, I often say cheesecake. There is something so beautiful and special about a cheesecake. I have a ton of cheesecake recipes on my website, 25 +, check out all my cheesecake recipes.
This Northern Spanish cheesecake was developed thirty years ago in San Sebastian, Spain by Chef Santiago Rivera.
This Basque-style cheesecake is quite different than a normal American-style cheesecake. A Basque cheesecake has no crust, is baked quickly at a high temperature, and is served warm. While an American cheesecake is smooth and dense the Basque-style cheesecakes are much more of a light, eggy, soft texture and have a nutty aroma thanks to the burnt top. A Basque cheesecake is typically served at room temperature or warm, not chilled like an American-style cheesecake. And there is no need for a hot water bath while baking the cheesecake!
As it is still cream cheese-based you must store it in the fridge so when you go to take a slice I recommend letting it sit at room temperature for a while before enjoying it.
Let's get to the recipe
Ingredients
You'll need these seven ingredients to make your homemade basque burnt cheesecake:
- Cream Cheese. Your cream cheese needs to be completely softened to room temperature so that it forms a smooth cheesecake batter with no lumps.
- Granulated Sugar. The sugar sweetens the cheesecake.
- Salt. A bit of salt enhances the flavor profiles of all of the other ingredients.
- Pure Vanilla Extract. The vanilla gives the rather mellow flavor of cream cheese a nice little warmth.
- Large Eggs. Your eggs should be at room temperature, this helps them properly incorporate into the rest of the ingredients.
- Heavy Whipping Cream. Make sure you use heavy whipping cream, it has a higher fat content than normal whipping cream.
- All-Purpose Flour. I suggest weighing your flour as you will always be accurate, measuring flour cups (volume) can give you varying results. You could use 1-1 gluten-free flour if you wanted.
Adding fresh lemon zest or orange zest would also be a great addition.
For ingredient quantities please reference the recipe card below. On the recipe card there is a button for US or M (Metric) measurements.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 410F/210C and line a 9-inch springform round cake pan with two sheets of parchment paper so that the parchment overhangs on all sides of the pan, this will help you remove the cheesecake from the pan and prevent it from sticking.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or large bowl with a hand-held electric mixer beat the cream cheese, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Mix on medium-low speed for a minute or two until fully combined.
Now add the eggs one at a time to the cream cheese mixture until fully combined, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl so everything is combined.
Next, add the heavy cream and mix until fully combined.
Now gently fold in the flour, I like to sift it over a fine-mesh sieve to prevent any potential lumps. Once everything is combined. scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure you have a combined mixture then pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 60-65 minutes, the top of the cheesecake will be very dark brown and if you move the pan it will have a slight jiggle. I like to use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature is 185F/85C- but be careful when you poke as if you are not covering the top in whipped cream you will see the mark. Take the cheesecake out of the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool for a few hours.
Basque cheesecake is traditionally served warm so you can just cool it for a few hours at room temperature then slice it into the cheesecake. I prefer to cool it at room temperature for about an hour or two then chill it in the fridge for another hour or two to speed the process up. Then slice into it and enjoy. Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
A drizzle of chocolate sauce would be delicious or some of my raspberry coulis.
How to freeze basque cheesecake
Cheesecake is a great candidate for freezing. To freeze a whole cheesecake let it chill in the fridge overnight, then wrap in plastic wrap twice, then foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw the cheesecake place it in the fridge overnight.
You can also freeze cheesecake slices. To do this the cheesecake should have already cooled, slice the cheesecake slices and wrap in plastic wrap twice then place in a freezer-safe bag and stash for up to three months. To thaw the slices you can let them sit at room temperature for about an hour, depending on how large the slices are, OR you can plan the night before and let them thaw in the fridge.
More cheesecake recipes
The cheesecake I grew up with was blueberry cheesecake and it's one of my favorites still today!
This easy chocolate chip cheesecake recipe is a reader favorite!
I made this recipe more for my sisters but I fell in love with this peanut butter cheesecake recipe.
★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!
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PrintRecipe Card
Basque Cheesecake
Follow our simple recipe and you are sure to make an amazing Basque cheesecake. With a creamy, sweet, nutty flavor you are sure to love this cheesecake recipe. Discover the step-by-step guide to making the perfect Basque cheesecake.
Ingredients
Cheesecake
- 32oz (2 lbs) Cream Cheese, completely softened to room temperature
- 300 grams (1 ½ Cup) Granulated Sugar
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 5 Large Eggs, at room temperature
- 12oz (1 ½ Cups) Heavy Whipping Cream
- 31 grams (¼ Cup) All-Purpose Flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 410F/210C and line a 9-inch springform pan with two pieces of parchment paper so that the parchment overhangs on all sides of the pan, this will help you remove the cheesecake from the pan and prevent it from sticking.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or large bowl with a hand-held electric mixer beat the cream cheese, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Mix on low-medium speed for a minute or two until fully combined. Now mix in the eggs one at a time until fully combined, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl so everything is combined.
- Next, add the heavy cream and mix until fully combined. Now gently fold in the flour, I like to sift it over a fine-mesh sieve to prevent any potential lumps. Once everything is combined pour it into the parchment-lined baking pan.
- Bake for 60-65 minutes, the top of the cheesecake will be very dark brown and if you move the pan it will have a slight juggle. I like to use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature is 185F/85C- but be careful when you poke as if you are not covering the top in whipped cream you will see the mark. Take the cheesecake out of the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool for a few hours.
- Basque cheesecake is traditionally served warm so you can just cool it for a few hours at room temperature then slice it into the cheesecake. I prefer to cool it at room temperature for about an hour or two then chill it in the fridge for another hour or two to speed the process up. Then slice into it and enjoy. Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour
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Andrew says
I grew up in Bakersfield so as soon as I saw you post it I knew I had to make it ASAP! My partner and I loved it and shared it with our neighbors!
★★★★★
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thank you so much for the lovely review Andrew, so glad you enjoyed the cheesecake! XX Liz