I learned about Basque Burnt Cheesecake when I was back in Japan over the summer of 2019. It seemed like every Japanese Instagrammer I followed was sharing their version of this cheesecake. I made a mental note to find out more about the craze, but 2 years went by, and it had totally slipped off my radar. Thanks to my friend Sophia, I finally had a chance to eat the famed cheesecake this summer. She adapted her Basque burnt cheesecake from this recipe and kindly shared it with us. Her cheesecake was beautiful! It had the perfect burnished, deep brown top, with the dreamy creaminess and a slight ooze in the middle. Since then, I’ve made more than 10 different basque burnt cheesecake, fiddling between slightly different methods and ratios. Among the methods, I also made “Japanese-style” Basque Burnt cheesecake which was actually preferred by my family and some friends. This Burnt Basque Cheesecake recipe is what’s considered typical Basque cheesecake, and next week I’ll share the Japanese-style recipe.
What is Basque Burnt Cheesecake?
Originates in the Basque region of Spain (hence the name), Basque cheesecake (also known as Tarta de Queso) was created in 1990 by chef Santiago Rivera of a restaurant called La Viña in San Sebastián. If you’re interested, read this article or this article that explains how this cake was invented and became popular. Besides its obvious “burnt” look, here are some of the characteristics of this cheesecake:
Texture: Creamy in the middle, firmer cheesecake texture on the exterior. Unlike American cheesecake, it does not have a crust. Flavor: Simply put, it tastes like a caramelized cheesecake in one bite. It has a good balance of bitterness from the burnt exterior and sweetness from the creamy custardy interior. Difficulty: This is absolutely the easiest cheesecake I’ve ever made. I told Mr. JOC that a man who had never baked in his life can impress loved ones with this cheesecake! Baking: The cheesecake is finished baking in half the time compared to regular cheesecake! Bake at a higher temperature to achieve that rich, dark caramelized exterior surface, yet the center of the cheesecake is still jiggly. Time: Mix ingredients, bake for 30-35 minutes, and chill. Fast and easy!
Ingredients You Need
If you look up this recipe online, you will realize that most recipes are pretty simple and straightforward. They all have the following ingredients, with slightly different ratios according to the baker’s take.
Cream cheese (Philadelphia, NOT whipped cream cheese or reduced-fat) Sugar (Standard granulated sugar, I used organic cane sugar) Eggs (Large eggs, 50 g each without shell) Heavy (whipping) cream (36-38% fat) Flour (I used cake flour)
Some people would also add vanilla, lemon juice, and salt, and that’s it.
Overview: How to Make Basque Burnt Cheesecake
The full printable/written recipe with step-by-step pictures is below.
Just 3 Tools You Need
1. 6-inch (15-cm) Round Cake Pan
As it’s a relatively heavy dessert (2 blocks of cream cheese in this tiny cake!), I find this 3-inch deep 6-inch round cake pan with removable bottom perfect for 6 people.
A taller cake looks more elegant and pretty when you think about the per-serving size. It’s easier to sustain/control the creaminess when it’s small and tall (a flat cake will cook too fast). Recommend baking multiple cheesecakes if you’re baking it for more than 6 servings. If your cake pan is 2-inch deep, you need the parchment paper to stay up to sustain the cake batter.
The baked cheesecake will rise above the cake pan rim. As such, it is important to use a cake pan at least 3-inches deep. Why a small cake pan? You’ll find a lot of recipes use springform pan, which you could use. However, a larger size pan (say 8-inch or 9-inch round) will create a short and shallow cheesecake. It will not produce the same rich and lusciousness, especially if you wish to achieve a melty molten-like texture in the center. Multiply the recipe by 1.5 to accommodate for a 3-inch deep 7-inch round pan, or multiply the recipe by 2 to accommodate for a 3-inch deep 8-inch round pan.
2. Parchment Paper
Be sure to use parchment paper, not wax paper. Some parchment paper is wide (like one from Costco) but typical parchment paper is not wide enough, so use two sheets to cover the shorter side of parchment paper.
3. Silicone Spatula
You can make this dessert with a good-old silicone spatula and a large bowl. The original cheesecake at La Viña was made with just a spoon! Of course, you can use a stand mixer, electric mixer, or blender, if you have one. This is an excellent recipe for any beginner to try. You can do this!
Doneness: Creamy vs. Dense
One of the unique features of this Basque Burnt Cheesecake is the doneness. You can totally customize it according to your preference, whether it’s creamy, or creamy with an oozy ‘raw’ center, or a firmer texture, like the regular cheesecake. To achieve a creamy texture:
Bake at a normal time in the oven. The cheesecake filling will firm up as it cools to create a creamy yet firm texture. You can serve once it’s at room temperature. If you chill, take out 30 minutes prior to serving.
To achieve a firmer texture:
Bake a bit longer time in the oven. Chill in the fridge for a longer time. Take out 10 minutes before serving or serve it cold.
To achieve a “raw” creamy texture:
Bake the cheesecake for a lesser amount of time. Chill overnight. To slice a cake nicely, refrigeration is necessary.
Read These Helpful Tips Before Making
I have some tips to share from my trials and errors. Initially, I really wanted to make this recipe work using a conventional oven (no fan). However, after testing many times, I realize it would be challenging to achieve the ideal ‘burnt’ look using the no fan oven. As soon as I started using the convection oven (with a fan), I was able to attain the nice glossy brown top right away.
To Preheat the Oven
IMPORTANT: Preheat the oven for a long, long time so the oven is HOT. Use the convection bake (oven with fan) if you have one. If you only have the conventional (regular) bake option, bring the rack higher. Heat rises so the upper oven is supposed to be hotter. However, if your oven is top heating, make sure the parchment paper is not touching the heating element/ceiling.
To Prepare The Cake Pan
Line your cake pan with parchment paper. Don’t skip this. Unless your parchment paper is wide/large, double line it to ensure that there aren’t any unlined parts. In my recipe, I show you how I line my cake pan. Depending on the position of the oven rack, you can keep the excess parchment paper up or fold down, or trimmed. I fold down mine as I use a 3-inch deep cake pan that can support the height of the cake.
To Prepare the Ingredients
Make sure cream cheese, eggs, and heavy cream are at room temperature. Room temperature ingredients blend together very easily, creating a smooth batter. A smooth batter will yield a uniformly textured baked good. Cold ingredients do not incorporate together as easily. When you press down the cream cheese with a spatula against your bowl, it should smoosh easily without resistance. Alternatively, you can microwave the cold cream cheese with half power (50% power) for 45 seconds. To avoid heating up cream cheese by accident, microwave it in 15-second increments and press the center of the cream cheese to check softness. After multiple testings, I find 100 g (½ cup) sugar is perfect for this cake. Crack eggs into another bowl and whisk well (instead of adding to the cream cheese one at a time). I find this extremely helpful to blend in nicely with cream cheese. For the flour, I use cake flour because it has less gluten and I typically use cake flour when making cakes. I assume all-purpose flour will be fine. Since I don’t want to introduce more gluten to the batter, I substitute some of the flour with cornstarch, making the cake lighter and less chewy. Flour or starch binds moisture in the cheesecake and holds the structure, but you do not want to introduce too much (it becomes firm). If you want to make it gluten-free, you can substitute the flour with rice flour. American heavy (whipping) cream is 38 % fat. I like adding lemon juice for lightening up the cake and salt to intensifying the flavor. The Japanese don’t add vanilla extract to cheesecakes and don’t mind the eggy-taste; however, from the feedback I received in the past, the majority seem to prefer adding vanilla. Please do so, if you prefer.
To Make The Batter
IMPORTANT: It’s easier to prevent creating lumps than getting rid of them. Therefore, when you add each ingredient, blend everything completely and thoroughly before adding the next. Press the spatula down in a rubbing motion to remove cream cheese lumps. Further steps go, the batter gets more liquid, which means it’s harder to get rid of lumps. So if you see any lumps, get rid of them as soon as possible. IMPORTANT: Scrape off the batter from the spatula with a knife or offset spatula frequently. When you scrape off the chunk of cream cheese from the spatula, this ends up with a big lump in the batter! If you only use a silicone spatula, the batter is super smooth, and there are not many air bubbles in the batter. You can tap the cake pan filled with the batter a few times on the countertop and run a skewer in the batter and pop them before baking.
To Bake
It’s a fact: every oven is different, and this can ultimately influence the result of the cheesecake. Even if you follow my recipe to the T, you may not get the exact same texture as mine. I’ve used: convection (fan), middle rack, top, and bottom heat to finalize the best method for the cheesecake. Please use your judgment and close observation as you bake. Put the cake pan into the oven FAST. Don’t lose the hot air! Observe the color of the top surface while you check on your baking time. Sometimes, you may have to give up on the color as you can’t keep baking. Sometimes you have to reduce the oven temperature because your cake burns too fast. Like I said earlier, every oven is different, so test and adapt. I recommend NOT opening the oven (which loses heat) at all, and don’t worry about turning the cake pan. Avoid any hot spots and find an even heating spot so the entire cake gets cooked at a consistent temperature. Once your cheesecake achieves a dark surface on top, immediately take it out of the oven. Give the cake a jiggle to test: it should still be wobbly in the middle. NEVER overcook the cheesecake by extending the baking time (even if the top doesn’t turn dark after 30-35 minutes). Overcooked filling resembles curdled eggs, and you can’t fix it.
To Cool
Let the cheesecake rest and set as it sinks down. It will continue to slowly bake and solidify with residual heat. Refrigerate only after the cake is at room temperature. The hot/warm cake will spoil other foods in the fridge.
To Serve
Serve it at room temperature for a softer, custardy filling, or take out the cheesecake from the fridge for 30 minutes before serving, or serve it cold for a firm filling. Warm your knife with hot water. I fill a tall mug cup with boiling water and dunk the knife before each slice. Bring a towel or paper towel to quickly wipe the knife. Cut in one slice motion and pull out the knife so each slice of the cake has a clean cut. If your cake is chilled/cold, may I suggest warming it up a little in the microwave? We thought it brings out the flavor of the cream cheese and it’s actually very delicious! Basque cheesecake is best to enjoyed plain, so no fresh berries, compote, or chocolate sauce but you can serve it however you like it.
I can’t get the top to burn nicely. What can I do? I can relate, and I really struggled with my oven too. What helped me are:
Use the convection oven (as I mentioned earlier). Preheat at a higher temperature. I’ve tried preheating my oven to the hottest 550ºF (290ºC) for a long time, and it seemed to help. Bake at a higher temperature. Bake at a higher rack as heat rises so the upper oven is supposed to be hotter. However, if your oven is top heating, make sure the parchment paper is not touching the heating element/ceiling.
Can I use a bigger cake pan size? You can multiply the recipe by 1.5 to accommodate for a 3-inch deep 7-inch round pan, or multiply the recipe by 2 to accommodate for a 3-inch deep 8-inch round pan. You will need to increase the baking time, but since I’ve never tried it, I am not sure how long you will need to bake. As I mentioned in the post, I still recommend this 6-inch cake and bake two cake pans if you want to increase the serving size. It will take slightly longer to bake as you have multiple cake pans in the oven. My cake cracks on top. What can I do? When I made my cake batter with a stand mixer or a hand-held whisk, the cake batter seemed to rise higher, sometimes unevenly, and then collapsed, which created some cracks. It seemed inevitable as more air bubbles were trapped inside. I’ve tried tapping the cake pan, popping the air bubbles, and resting the batter before baking, which seemed to help a little. Since I switched to using only the spatula, I had no issue with cracking at all. When I am mixing/blending the ingredients, I don’t see many air bubbles too, so you may want to try using a spatula if these cracks bother you. How can I achieve a smooth, shiny surface? Mine looks bubbly. I baked a few cheesecakes with tiny bubbles on the surface before. I’m sure the batter in your cake pan had tiny bubbles before baking it too, or they rose while baking. Follow the same method I shared in the previous Q&A. Why my cheesecake has a gooey, raw texture in the middle? I assume you get the gooey texture even after you chill the cake. Then you have to bake the cake for a little longer next time. My oven doesn’t work the same way as yours, and I can only provide suggested baking time or baking temperature using my own oven.
Pair the Cheesecake with Sparkling Sake
One of the more unique celebratory drinks we like to introduce our friends to is sparkling sake. It is quite popular in Japan and slowly getting more popular in the US. If you haven’t tried sparkling sake before, the taste profile for sparkling sake is nothing like traditional sake. It’s sweet, fruity, and really gentle on the palate. It also has a much lower ABV than traditional sake (5% ABV similar to a beer). We would recommend enjoying this cheesecake with a glass of sweet wine and we paired it with our favorite Mio Sparkling Sake (part of Sho Chiku Bai Shirakabegura series). The sweetness and the bright notes of the sparking sake complemented the sweet and caramel flavor of the cheesecake really well. The addition of tiny bubbles adding just a bit of texture accentuates the creamy texture as you sip on this delightful drink. When we introduce our friends to Mio Sparkling Sake, many of them surprised by what a fun and delicious drink it is. If you’re looking for a new celebratory drink to try and like sake’s depth of flavors, give Mio sparkling sake a try!
Where to Buy Mio
You can find Mio Sparkling Sake in your local Asian supermarkets and wine stores. You can also purchase them from Takara Sake (21 years old and over only).
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