Burnt Basque cheesecake is the antithesis of American-style or New York cheesecakes. It wants to cook at a high temperature without the protection of a water bath. It wants to get browned and crack, to soufflé high and then deflate. It eschews a crust, instead forming its own where heat and surface area meet. In essence, all the things that make BA’s Best Cheesecake so great are the exact wrong things to do here. What does that mean? It’s virtually impossible to mess up this easy recipe.
Molly Baz made a few tweaks to the famous version served at La Viña in Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain. She added a bit more flour to ensure the eggy cake’s center would set, dropped the sugar, and added some vanilla and salt. “The final recipe is jiggly and cloud-like, wet but not pudding-wet, burnt on purpose for a caramelized [surface], and barely sweet,” explains Alex Beggs. “Like a galette, it’s rustic and therefore perfectly imperfect. It forgives you for your sins. I need that kind of cheesecake in my life.” Don’t we all?
Cream cheese is key to the rich cheesecake batter—you will need two pounds of it (that’s four packages of Philadelphia’s finest), and don’t try swapping in low- or non-fat versions. Be sure to remove the cake from the oven while the center still jiggles; it will continue to cook and then set as it cools. In keeping with the theme of simplicity, you can make this a day in advance and refrigerate it—just leave time for it to come up to room temp before serving.
What you’ll need
- 10" Springform Pan
- Stand Mixer
- Mesh Sieve
- Rimmed Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 2 lb. cream cheese, room temperature
- 1½ cups (300 g) sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup (42 g) all-purpose flour
- Sherry (for serving; optional)
Special Equipment
- A 10"-diameter springform pan
Preparation
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 400°. Brush pan with unsalted butter, then line with 2 overlapping 16x12" sheets of parchment paper, making sure parchment comes at least 2" above top of pan on all sides. Because the parchment needs to be pleated and creased in some areas to fit in pan, you won’t end up with a clean, smooth outer edge to the cake; that’s okay! Place pan on a rimmed baking sheet.
Step 2
Beat 2 lb. cream cheese, room temperature, and 1½ cups (300 g) sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-low speed, scraping down sides of the bowl, until very smooth, no lumps remain, and sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes. (You can also use a large bowl with a hand mixer on medium low-speed, but you may need to continue beating for a few extra minutes to dissolve sugar.)
Step 3
Increase speed to medium and add 6 large eggs, one egg at a time, beating until each egg is incorporated, about 15 seconds, before adding the next. Scrape down sides of bowl, then reduce mixer speed to medium-low. Add 2 cups heavy cream, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 1 tsp. vanilla extract and beat until combined, about 30 seconds.
Step 4
Turn off mixer and sift ⅓ cup (42 g) all-purpose flour evenly over cream cheese mixture using a fine-mesh sieve. Beat on low speed until incorporated, about 15 seconds. Scrape down sides of the bowl (yet again) and continue to beat until batter is very smooth, homogenous, and silky, about 10 seconds.
Step 5
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cheesecake until deeply golden brown on top and still very jiggly in the center, 60–65 minutes.
Step 6
Let cool slightly (cake will collapse drastically as it cools), then unmold. Let cool completely. Carefully peel away parchment from sides of cheesecake. Slice into wedges and serve at room temperature, preferably with a glass of sherry alongside.
Do Ahead: Basque cheesecake can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Let cheesecake sit at room temperature for several hours to remove chill before serving.
Total Time: 75 minutes (plus cooling). Yield: 12–16 servings.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens