Basque Cheese Cake
Unlike American cheesecakes, there’s no crust to this cake. It’s actually just a few simple ingredients that caramelize in the hot oven to create a crust-like exterior, housing a luxurious and not-too-sweet creamy interior. When cool and settled, this cheesecake is almost impossibly gorgeous. In our house, we’re purists. We only serve this cheesecake chilled with no accompaniments, except perhaps a shot of espresso on the side.
My recipe is based on the classic recipe from the bar La Viña in Donostia (San Sebastian) that appears in one of my favorite cookbooks ever: “Basque Country: A Culinary Journey Through a Food Lover's Paradise” by Marti Buckley.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups sugar 350g
- 2¼ pounds cream cheese, room temperature 1kg
- ¼ tsp salt
- 5 eggs, large
- 2 cups heavy cream 480ml
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour 30g
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
-
Prepare a 10-inch springform pan by covering the bottom with a piece of parchment and then attaching and tightening the ring of the pan to hold the parchment in place. Cut a strip of parchment taller than the pan and line the sides with it. Grease the parchment lightly with butter or cooking spray.
-
In a stand mixer, cream the cream cheese and sugar on medium for about 5 minutes.
-
Add salt and eggs one at a time with the mixer on low.
-
Slowly add the heavy cream, and finally the flour and mix until fully incorporated. It's crucial to scrape the bottom of the bowl with a spatula to incorporate any cream cheese that may have gotten stuck.
-
Pour batter into the prepared springform pan.
-
Bake for 50 minutes until medium-brown and nearly burned-looking. The cake will still have a bit of a wobble.
-
Remove from oven and cool completely on a rack. The center will drop, and a lip will develop on the edges. Remove the springform and serve.
-
Serve at room temperature or chilled. Condiments aren’t necessary, but lightly sweetened whipped cream and/or a dollop of your favorite jam would be lovely.