Basque Cheesecake
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Basque Cheesecake is unique for its caramelized top and creamy center. It puts a new spin on classic cheesecake. Baked at high heat, it gets a signature burnt crust and is both rich and easy to make.
Table of Contents
- Here's Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients You'll Need
- In Photos: How To Make Basque Cheesecake
- More Recipes
Basque Cheesecake originated in San Sebastián, Spain, and has quickly gained fame. There's no crust, no water bath, just a beautifully imperfect cheesecake with an irresistibly silky texture.
Here's Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make: Just mix the ingredients, bake, and you can let the oven handle the rest.
- Rustic look: The golden, blistered top is eye-catching and tasty.
- Great texture: It's creamy, custardy, and melts in your mouth.
- Good for planning ahead: You can make this recipe a day or two in advance.
Ingredients You'll Need
The recipe card at the bottom of the post contains the full list with all of the amounts. Refer to that when you're cooking.
- Cream cheese: Choose full-fat cream cheese and let it soften at room temperature. This helps it blend smoothly and gives a rich, creamy texture.
- Granulated sugar: This sweetens the cheesecake and helps the top caramelize for more flavor.
- All-purpose flour: Add a small amount to help the cheesecake set, but not so much that it becomes heavy.
- Kosher salt: Use kosher salt and not table salt.
- Eggs: Farm-fresh eggs are nice, but regular store-bought eggs work too.
- Heavy whipping cream: Use only heavy cream, not half-and-half or milk.
- Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste: Use real vanilla for the best flavor. Avoid imitation vanilla.
In Photos: How To Make Basque Cheesecake
Step 1: Preheat and prep
Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C). Line an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper, leaving extra hanging over the sides to help you lift the cheesecake out. Don't worry if the parchment isn't perfect.
Step 2: Make the base
In a large bowl, add the softened cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt.
Step 3: Blend
Mix until the base is smooth and has no lumps.
Step 4: Mix in the eggs, cream, and vanilla.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing each in completely and scraping the bowl as you go. Gently stir in the heavy cream and vanilla until just mixed. The batter should be thin.
Step 5: Add to the pan
Pour the batter into the pan.
Step 6: Bake
Bake for 60 to 80 minutes, until the edges are set, but the center still jiggles a little. The top should be dark brown and may have some blisters.
Step 7: Cool & Serve
Let the cheesecake cool at room temperature, then chill it for at least 2 hours before slicing. It will become firmer as it rests.
Helpful Tips and Tricks
- Don't worry if the cheesecake puffs up or cracks. That's part of its rustic charm.
- Use plenty of parchment paper to make it easy to remove the cheesecake from the pan.
- Chill the cheesecake for a few hours before serving. Let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before slicing.
- Serve the cheesecake plain or with a bit of powdered sugar on top. It's rich enough to enjoy by itself.
More Recipes
- Strawberry Cheesecake
- Lemon Cheesecake
- No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake
- Caramel Cheesecake
- Red Velvet Cheesecake
- Pecan Pie Cheesecake
- White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 16 ounces (453.59 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (41.67 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (6 g) kosher salt
- 6 (264 g) eggs, large
- 2 cups (476 g) heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line an 8-inch diameter springform pan with parchment paper.
- Place the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt in a large bowl and blend together until smooth.
- Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, then work in the eggs, one at a time, allowing each egg to fully incorporate before adding the next.
- Slowly stir in the cream and vanilla.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and bake until set around the edges but still wobbly towards the center* (approx. 60 to 80 minutes).
- Allow the cheesecake to cool completely before removing from the pan and cutting into slices.
I am hoping this recipe is correct in using the 8 inch pan. That seems a bit small in relation to the amount of ingredients but I am going to give it a go this week! I love the parchment paper and wish I could find some with decoration or printing. All I ever see is white!
Just took a tape measure to my pan to double check- it does measure 8-inches in diameter. That's from the inside of the pan, so from outer edge to outer edge it's slightly larger but the well itself is 8-inches. And here's an Amazon affiliate link for printed parchment paper: https://amzn.to/4dIivFt. They have some cute options!
Hi again! I wanted to update on my results from making this cheesecake!
I made the cheesecake which we are happily devouring but I made a huge mistake and cannot believe that I did not even realize it until it was in oven baking and I had a laugh about it after.
So I said that this seemed like an awful lot of filling to use in 8 inch pan. Most of the cheesecakes I make will take 4 packs of cream cheese, so when I saw the ingredients here I just skimmed over and got the amounts of everything ready with those 4 packs of cheese(!). And sure enough the batter was too much for 8 inch so I used my 10 inch pan and got a nice tall big cheesecake out of it.
When it was baking and I realized my mistake it was too late and I thought when it came out of the oven I might have to put it in garbage. Heartbreaking but true.But quite the opposite. It is perfect in every way and I will say this is one tasty mistake. All the other ingredients were exactly as you stated so I am happy to say sometimes our mistakes are one way of discovering new possibilities!
Too funny! I'm glad the recipe still worked and tasted good in spite of the oversight! Thanks so much for sharing, Carol 🙂