Burnt Basque cheesecake? This fad has been going on for a year or so around the foodie scene. A crustless cheesecake that is almost charred on top and baked in parchment paper. It definitely looks like someone just threw it into a pan with some paper, burnt it, and then threw it back out onto the counter. I had hesitated to try it as it looks kind of like a mess. But I finally gave it a go. Now I see what this whole hoopla is about! Creamy smooth, and delicious. This cheesecake may be humble, but it is so satisfying and delicious..
It turns out that Burnt Basque Cheesecake is not really a new fad. It started around 45 years ago in a small pintxos bar called La Viña in San Sebastián, a little city on Spain’s northwest coast, almost to the French border. Pintxos or small skewered snacks are similar to tapas. They are little bites you have as an appetizer. These little bites on skewers or toothpicks are traditional in the Basque region of Spain. Philadelphia cream cheese was a new ingredient to the region in the 1970s, and they wanted to have a cheesecake on the menu. They tried several recipes, and one of them happened cooked at a high heat just plain in a parchment-lined cake pan. The cheesecake was delicious, and nobody seemed to miss the crust. The burnt Basque Cheesecake was born.
To start with, La Viña would make a few cheesecakes each week just for the locals. But eventually, word got out, and it became the spot of a foodie pilgrimage to this day. You can still order a slice at La Viña along with your pintxos, or at their now expanded restaurant. I had had great Basque food when I lived in Reno, Nevada, where there is a large Basque population, back in the 90s. Still, I never experienced pintxos or this marvelous burn cheesecake. I feel like I missed out.
Traditionally A Burnt Basque Cheesecake has just a few ingredients. The original recipe calls just for cream cheese, whipping cream, eggs, sugar, and just a little flour. I played around with it just slightly to add some vanilla, a dash of lemon juice, and salt to bring out the flavor. You could omit those, and it would be the original recipe. But if you know me at all, I couldn’t resist trying to improve in my own way!
Since there is no crust, you need to have 15-inch wide parchment paper for this recipe. If you have smaller parchment paper, it won’t fit in one piece, and the very liquid batter will leak out the bottom. Costco’s parchment paper is perfect for this. The high heat will burn and melt wax paper. Please don’t try that. It will end in disaster. One of the things I noticed about using parchment paper is that it is very stiff and unwieldy. Getting it to line the pan easily can be difficult. Wetting and crumpling the paper very well before lining the cake pan seemed to do the trick to get a more uniform round cheesecake. You should use a 9″ springform pan like this one from Amazon for this recipe as it is hard to unmold, and a springform has higher sides than your typical cake pan.
This Burnt Basque Cheesecake is really simple and easy to make In mere minutes it can be in the oven. I encourage you to try out this simple and yet decadent Basque treasure. As always, please be mindful of others and stay smart and safe.
- 2 lb. cream cheese room temperature
- 1½ cups sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 9- inch springform pan or 3-inch-tall cake pan
- 1 15 x 15 or larger piece of Parchment paper
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Place a rack in the middle of the oven; preheat to 400°.
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Wet the piece of parchment paper and crinkle it up very well. Squeeze out as much water as possible.
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Line the 9-inch springform pan with the wet sheet of parchment paper. Make sure the parchment comes above the top of the pan on all sides. There is no need to be perfect. You won't end up with a clean, smooth outer edge to the cake; that's okay! Place pan on a rimmed baking sheet.
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Beat cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat until the mixture is very smooth with no lumps remaining and sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes.
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Add the eggs one at a time, beating each egg 15 seconds before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add cream, salt, and vanilla and beat until combined, about 30 seconds.
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Stir in the lemon juice.
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Sift flour evenly over cream cheese mixture using a sifter or fine mesh strainer. You can carefully sprinkle the flour if you don't have a fine-mesh strainer.
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Beat on low speed until incorporated, about 15 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl (yet again) and continue to beat until batter is very smooth, and silky, about 10 seconds more.
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Pour batter into prepared pan. Tap the pan to release any large air bubbles.
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Carefully place the pan and the baking sheet into the oven.
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Bake cheesecake until deeply golden brown to almost burnt on top but still very jiggly in the center, 55-65 minutes. Start checking it at 55 minutes and then keep an eye on it as ovens vary, and it will get to charred really quickly. But you want the cheesecake to be very dark.
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Take out of the oven and let cool completely. (It will fall dramatically as it cools.)
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When completely cool, remove the cheesecake from the pan.
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Unmold carefully, peeling away the parchment from sides of the cheesecake.
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Slice into wedges and serve at room temperature.
This cheesecake can be made a day or two ahead. Cool the cheesecake completely, cover, and chill in the fridge. Be sure to let cheesecake sit for several hours at room temperature before serving. The flavor of this cake is drastically improved at room temperature.
