Burnt Basque cheesecake (2024)

FAQs

How to know when basque cheesecake is done? ›

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cheesecake until deeply golden brown on top and still very jiggly in the center, 60–65 minutes.

The texture of your burnt basque cheesecake is reliant on the overall bake time. Using room temperature ingredients gives you optimal control over the baking. If you use fridge cold ingredients the batter will be colder and will have to bake for longer making it harder to get the perfect texture.

Why did my cheesecake crack in the center? Cracking is caused by a difference in moisture between one part of the cake and the other. It is normal for burnt cheesecake to crack around the edges where the batter has formed a crust. If your cheesecake cracked in the center, it means it was overcooked.

What Is Basque Cheesecake? Unlike classic New York cheesecake, Burnt Basque cheesecake isn't smooth or dense; instead, the dessert—baked at a high temperature—is light and scorched and caramelized on the top with a rich, gooey interior.

Avoid Overcooking

DON'T overbake. Overbaking a cheesecake can cause cracks on the surface.

Why does my Basque Cheesecake taste eggy? The cheesecake will become eggy and dense if baked too long or too many eggs are used. To preserve the right taste and texture, be sure to check the cheesecake after 40 minutes.

The burnt basque cheesecake can be kept at room temperature, under a cake dome or a large bowl turned upside down, for 1 day. After that, place any leftover slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

If it is grainy/curdled and releases a lot of liquid after it's been chilled, then the oven was either too hot, the cheesecake was over-baked or both. If it's perfectly set and custardy after being chilled but it's seeping liquid – this is normal but it shouldn't be a lot.

Chef Santiago Rivera originally created it for La Viña de la Parte Vieja restaurant in San Sebastian, and has since had to build a bakery solely for satisfying local demand. There are no frills at all to this cheesecake and it's just what it says it is: a cake of cheese.

The steady blast of heat gives the cheesecake its iconic burnished top, sets the outer edges, and also browns the bottom, giving what is otherwise a crustless cake a crust of sorts. The pleasant bitterness of the barely-set burnt top gives way to the sweet richness of the custardy center.

Is Basque cheesecake same as Japanese cheesecake? ›

Basque cheesecake: This is a crustless cheesecake, just like a Japanese one, but it has a burnt top layer that adds a distinctive caramel note. The cheesecake, which has the usual suspects like eggs, cream cheese, sugar, vanilla essence, is intentionally left in the oven for the top layer to scorch.

Liquid can also come out of a cheesecake if it is overbaked as the proteins in the cream cheese mixture start to tighten too much and squeeze out the water. The cheesecake should still be quite jiggly when it comes out of the oven, even though it will have risen and formed a crust on the surface.

Overcooked cheesecake will be dry and grainy instead of silky and smooth, which nobody wants to serve their diners. If you're not 100% certain of your oven's temperature calibration, as a general rule of thumb, you can start performing wobble tests up to 10 minutes before a recipe's minimum recommended cooking time.

An underbaked cheesecake will ripple and jiggle noticeably. The key to a perfect cheesecake is a subtle wiggle—not a sloshy jiggle. Because cheesecakes are part of the baked custard family, you can use this technique not just for them, but for classic creme brulee and old-fashioned baked custards.