Description
This Basque Cheesecake recipe delivers a rich, creamy, and perfectly caramelized crust cheesecake with a rustic, imperfect appearance that is impressively delicious and perfect for any party or special occasion. It’s made with full-fat cream cheese, heavy cream, and just the right balance of sugar, eggs, and flour, baked to golden perfection with a silky, creamy texture.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 32 ounces cream cheese, room temperature and full-fat only
- 1½ cups granulated sugar (300g)
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 1½ cups heavy cream (360mL), room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour, sifted
Instructions
- Prepare pan: Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a 9 or 10-inch springform pan with a criss-crossed double layer of parchment paper. Wet, scrunch, and dry the parchment to make it easier to handle, making sure it sticks up about 2 inches above the pan edge. Set aside.
- Whip cream cheese: In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cream cheese for 2 minutes until smooth.
- Add sugar: Add the granulated sugar while mixing on medium speed until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl sides as needed to remove lumps.
- Incorporate eggs: Add the eggs one at a time on low speed, mixing just enough so that only a little yellow from the previous egg remains before adding the next.
- Add cream, vanilla, and salt: On low speed, mix in the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt until fully incorporated.
- Add flour: Sift the all-purpose flour into the batter and mix on low speed for about 20 seconds to combine thoroughly.
- Pour into pan: Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan.
- Bake cheesecake: Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 65 minutes. The cake will puff up and then sink as it cools; the top should be golden brown and the center slightly jiggly.
- Cool cheesecake: Transfer the cheesecake in the pan to a wire rack to cool to room temperature completely.
- Chill cheesecake: Refrigerate the cheesecake (in the pan) for at least 8 hours or overnight to set fully. Remove it 1 to 2 hours before slicing to serve at room temperature.
- Slice and serve: Use the parchment paper edges to lift the cheesecake from the pan base. For clean slices, heat a large chef’s knife under hot water before slicing. Serve plain or with fruit compote or your favorite topping.
Notes
- Use farm-fresh double cream instead of regular heavy cream if available for richer flavor.
- Do not remove the cheesecake from the pan until it has completely cooled to avoid breaking.
- The cheesecake should be served at room temperature but stored in the refrigerator to maintain freshness.
- Store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- To freeze, cool completely, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Pay careful attention to mixing speed and time to avoid air bubbles—slow mixing helps achieve a silky texture.
- The recipe is forgiving with an intentionally rustic look but yields an impressive dessert.
- You can adjust sugar to 2 cups for more sweetness or reduce to 1¼ cups for less sweetness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (approximately 1/12 of cheesecake)
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 220 mg
- Fat: 35 g
- Saturated Fat: 22 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 160 mg
