Sammy’s Basque Burnt Cheesecake

‘Burnt Basque Cheesecake is my favourite dessert ever! It’s so delicious! But the best thing – there truly isn’t an easier recipe out there! Simply mix all of the ingredients together in a large metal bowl and once mixed, line a springform pan with parchment paper, pour in the batter, bake, and less than an hour later your cake is done. This is a really hard recipe to mess up!’

Serves 6 – 10 (depending on how big you like your slices)

You can watch Sammy make this delicious cake here for all the tips and tricks to perfecting this delicious cake.

Ingredients:

  • Unsalted butter (for lining the pan)
  • 1kg of cream cheese, room temperature (I prefer Philadelphia)
  • 1½ cups of caster sugar
  • 6 large eggs
  • Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
  • Finely grated zest of 1 orange
  • 2 cups of thick cream
  • 1 tsp. good quality salt
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • â…“ cup all-purpose flour
Equipment:
20cm Springform pan; stand mixer (is really helpful) and a beautiful cake stand (trust me this cake deserves some pomp and ceremony).
Method:
  1. Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 200°C. Butter pan, then line with 2 overlapping sheets of parchment, making sure parchment comes at least 5cm above top of pan on all sides – this is because the parchment needs to be pleated and creased in some areas to fit in pan, you won’t end up with a clean, smooth outer edge to the cake (that’s how it is meant to be). Place pan on a baking sheet.
  2. Beat the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-low speed, scraping down sides of bowl, until very smooth, no lumps remain, and sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes.
  3. Increase speed to medium and add eggs one at a time, beating each egg 15 seconds before adding the next. Scrape down sides of bowl, then reduce mixer speed to medium-low. Add cream, salt, and vanilla and beat until combined, about 30 seconds.
  4. At this stage add the grated zest of the lemon and orange – and mix to ensure even distribution.
  5. Turn off mixer and sift flour evenly over cream cheese mixture using a fine-mesh sieve. Beat on low speed until incorporated, about 15 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl (yet again) and continue to beat until batter is very smooth, homogenous, and silky, about 10 seconds.
  6. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cheesecake until deeply golden brown on top and still very jiggly in the center, 60–65 minutes.
  7. Let cool slightly (it will fall quite dramatically as it cools), then remove it from the springform pan. Leave the cake to cool completely. Carefully peel away parchment from all sides of the cheesecake.
  8. Place the cake on your favourite cake stand (I use a Maxwell Williams White Cake stand it helps the caramelised colour of the cheesecake really pop). Slice into wedges and serve!

Top Tip Make Ahead of Time:

Cheesecake be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Before serving if made ahead – make sure to let cheesecake sit for several hours at room temperature to remove any of the chill before serving.

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