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.
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What you’ll need
10" Springform Pan
$19 $15 At Amazon
Stand Mixer
$330 $240 At Amazon
Mesh Sieve
$13 At Amazon
Rimmed Baking Sheet
$26 At Amazon
Parchment Paper
$3 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
75 minutes (plus cooling)
Yield
12–16 servings
Ingredients
2
1½
6
2
1
1
⅓
Special Equipment
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.
Editor’s note: This Basque-style cheesecake was first printed online in January 2019 as “Basque Burnt Cheesecake.” Head this way for more of our favorite Easter desserts →
Leave a Review
Reviews (559)
Back to TopEasily the best cheesecake I have ever made. The darker bits on the outside are a great contrast to middle, which has the perfect density. Simple, easy, wouldn’t change a thing.
Anonymous
Ridgefield CT
1/30/2019
mine is a Philly recipe that also doesn't have a crust. but it has 1 lb. each of cream cheese, ricotta cheese, and sour cream. i like that combo better than straight cream cheese, so i'll have to figure out how to twist this recipe to accommodate at least the ricotta. with all that cream, i may not need the sour cream. but i definitely like the approach.
hollis5
Vero Beach, FL
1/31/2019
Does this recipe really need the flour? I need to make a gluten free version. Will GF substitute flours work? Or may I omit it completely? Thanks in advance.
Anonymous
Philadelphia
2/4/2019
I halved the recipe (couldn’t justify buying 4 bricks of cream cheese) and made 12 muffins. Baked at 400 (convection) for 45 mins (could have probably taken them out a few minutes earlier) and they turned out fabulously - I wish I could attach a picture. This reminds me of baked European cheesecake with a little bit of flour for structure, the recipe is quick and easy to follow and the results are impressive!
Anonymous
Ontario
2/9/2019
I've never had this before, and I am curious in trying it but I am wondering if someone can describe the taste as I would hate to make something that tastes nothing like the real deal. Is it similar to a Japanese Cheesecake? Also is okay if I do not have a stand mixer and do it by hand? I am not much of a baker but this seems simple and looks amazing. Thank you.
Anonymous
Canada
2/14/2019
This was just perfect! Each bite was light and fluffy with a great mouthfeel. Best cheesecake I ever had. I will make this again and again. It is very much like the Japanese version but better!
Anonymous
Florida, USA
2/17/2019
Excellent recipe, even though I had to subdue a fair number of instincts in making it. The cheesecake is not naturally "light and fluffy" as another reviewer described it, but should be on the dense custard side once settled, unless you really beat the heck out of those eggs ala Japanese cheesecakes. The high temperature definitely cooks the eggs a bit more, and with the nutty/caramelly/bittersweet edges, the egg custard notes in the cheesecake definitely come out more than with other cheesecakes. And that really makes this cheesecake uniquely delicious. I made a lot more batter than necessary, so I made a cheesecake as described, and I cooked a second, smaller cheesecake with the water bath method to see the difference high heat makes. The burnt edges really round out the tang you would normally get in the cheesecake, balancing it out and gives it a lot more depth of flavor. As someone who is so accustomed to the tang of the more common cream cheese cheesecakes (...often due to the popularity of Philadelphia, which is saltier and more sour than other brands), you can't go wrong with this cheesecake. This is an excellent calorie bomb I would gladly make again.
Anonymous
Chicago, IL
2/18/2019