By Sarah Finnan
08th Sep 2024
08th Sep 2024
You've probably had cheesecake before... but have you had burnt Basque cheesecake? If the answer is no, prepare to be amazed. Here, Irish pastry chef Beth O'Brien shares her favourite take on the tasty after-dinner dessert.
Basque cheesecake
Ingredients
- 560g cream cheese
- 200g crème fraiche
- 100g cream
- 4 eggs plus 2 yolks
- 220g caster sugar
- 35g cornflour
- Pinch salt
- 2 lemons, juice and zest
- 2 tsp vanilla
Method
- Preheat your oven to maximum temp (at least 250C).
- Line a 7-8″ tin with 2 sheets of baking paper at perpendicular angles. There should be lots of overlap, just try and have the edges smooth so that the batter doesn’t escape into the tin.
- Beat the cream cheese with the sugar until very smooth and the sugar has dissolved. This is best done in a stand mixer, but you can do it by hand.
- Add the eggs and yolks one at a time, mixing fully each time and scraping down the sides.
- Add the crème fraiche and cream slowly, mixing all the time and then scrape down the sides again. Add the vanilla and lemon zest and juice and mix to combine.
- Put the salt and cornflour in a separate bowl and add a couple of tablespoons of the mixture in. Whisk until it’s really smooth, then add that back to the bowl and stir until completely combined.
- Pour the batter into the tin and tap hard against the counter a couple times.
- Put in the oven and drop the temp to 230C.
- Bake approximately 30 minutes, until there is a nice dark crust on top, but still a jiggle in the middle.
- Let it cool and refrigerate overnight. The next day, let it come back to room temp before slicing with a sharp knife.
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