This post is sponsored by Shaw’s®. I’m so excited to work with my local grocer to bring you this stunning and delicious Burnt Cheesecake recipe!
Basque Cheesecake is an easy-to-make, incredibly silky, and indulgent dessert that comes out of the oven perfectly caramelized every time! Prep this simple and delicious treat in just 15 minutes!
This Basque Burnt Cheesecake is a simple and rustic (yet elegant) dessert that will instantly be a crowd-pleaser for both its appearance and taste! It skips out on the normal tangy cheesecake flavor while being filled with a lovely balance of sweetness that’s finished off with a “burnt top” that tastes similar to a heavily toasted marshmallow!
If the burnt top gives you some doubt just keep in mind that it’s definitely more of a sophisticated burnt sugar taste than that of something charred. Though the burnt aroma may be strong when it comes out of the oven once it’s chilled the smoky scent really mellows out and becomes one with the sweet cheesecake. Be sure to unlock new possibilities that spark joy in baking with the magical ease of shopping and planning with Shaw’s® Deals and Delivery app along with Shaw’s for U™ Member program. Use the app to shop, save and earn Rewards all in one place.
What Is Basque Cheesecake?
It’s a dessert that’s claimed to have originated in 1990 at the La Vina restaurant in San Sebastian, Spain. This Spanish Cheesecake is made without a crust, cooked at a high temperature, and comes out of the oven with a burnt top.
I personally love that this cheesecake skips the traditional crust and water bath. It makes the prep so much easier and it bakes faster too! But yet I’m still left with the ultimate make-ahead dessert that will be an instant go-to for busy holidays and family gatherings!
5 Reasons Why This Recipe Works
- Flavor Variations! Simply reduce the vanilla extract and add in another flavor of extract for a flavored cheesecake!
- Toppings! Traditionally this Cheesecake is served plain but feel free to finish it off with delicious toppings! Easy Homemade Strawberry Sauce Topping, chocolate sauce, Slow Cooker Dulce de leche Caramel Sauce, or even fresh fruit with Perfect Homemade Whipped Cream!
- Serves A Crowd! This Basque Cheesecake serves up a dozen slices of creamy bliss which means there’s plenty for everyone! And maybe even enough for a midnight snack later on too!
- No Crust! Not having a crust takes a lot of work and extra ingredients off of the table and truly lets the cheesecake shine!
- Easy to Make! Only 15 minutes of hands-on time is needed! Simply whip, add, and mix this cheesecake up before pouring it into the pan and baking!
Ingredient Notes
This simple Basque Cheesecake Recipe has very minimal ingredients. This may shock you after you taste how amazingly delicious it is!
When it comes to serving a cheesecake that has a great taste, I immediately head to Shaw’s® to shop their exclusive line of O Organics® brand ingredients. After all, delicious desserts only come from using quality ingredients!
For This Recipe You Will Need:
- Cream Cheese – The star ingredient to this creamy cheesecake! It needs to be full fat cream cheese and at room temperature.
- Granulated Sugar – Used to sweeten up this dessert.
- O Organics® Large Brown Eggs – Since this recipe calls for quite a few eggs it’s important to choose high quality ones to achieve the best flavor. For me, I reach for the O Organics® Large Brown Eggs every time!
- Heavy Cream – To accomplish the creamy texture of this cheesecake you have to use full fat.
- Pure Vanilla Extract – The vanilla extract really shines through with the way it smooths out the flavor of this cheesecake perfectly.
- Salt – Balances out the sweetness of the overall dessert.
- O Organics® All-Purpose Flour – I recommend choosing a flour that’s guaranteed to perform well in baked goods. So, I chose the O Organics® Unbleached All-purpose Flour!
Quality Ingredients at Shaw’s®!
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Become A Free Member to Start Enjoying The Convenient Shopping And Deals!
- First download the Shaw’s® Deals and Delivery app from your app store.
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How to Make Basque Burnt Cheesecake
- Preheat the oven and line a springform pan with aluminum foil and parchment paper. Be sure the parchment paper sticks up about 2 inches above the top of the pan.
- Whip the cream cheese and sugar in the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go to make sure there are no lumps.
- Add the eggs in one at a time, mixing after each addition. Then add in the heavy cream, vanilla, and salt, mixing on low speed until fully incorporated.
- Sift the flour into the mixing bowl. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to beat.
- Pour the cheesecake into the prepared pan but DO NOT scrape the sides of the bowl as you do it.
- Bake the cheesecake on a rimmed baking sheet until it turns a deep golden brown and the center is slightly jiggly.
- Transfer the cheesecake to a wire rack to allow it to cool to room temperature. Then transfer it to the refrigerator to chill.
- Remove the cheesecake from the refrigerator about 1 to 2 hours before you plan to slice and serve it. Enjoy it plain or with toppings!
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Store
Keep any leftover Burnt Basque Cheesecake wrapped tightly with plastic wrap or placed in an airtight container and stored in the refrigerator. Enjoy within one week.
Can I Freeze This Basque Burnt Cheesecake?
Of course! This Cheesecake actually freezes quite well. To do so place the completely cooled cheesecake on a plate and freeze the cheesecake for about 2 hours.
Then remove the cheesecake from the freezer, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and then again with aluminum foil. Afterward, if the Cheesecake will fit, place it into a Ziploc freezer bag and place it in the freezer.
Store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy just remove it from the freezer, Ziploc bag, and aluminum foil, and then place it in the refrigerator to thaw.
How Is Regular Cheesecake Different Than Basque Cheesecake?
One of the biggest differences is that regular cheesecake is cooked slowly on low heat in a water bath. Whereas Burnt Cheesecake is baked quickly at a high oven temperature to obtain that burnt, caramelized outside.
Another difference is that Basque Cheesecake doesn’t have a crust at all and regular cheesecakes have a cookie or graham cracker crust.
Can I Use This Basque Burnt Cheesecake Recipe To Make Mini Cheesecakes Instead Of One Larger One?
Yes, you can! Just adjust the baking time according to the sizes of mini cheesecakes you choose to make!
How Do I Neatly Slice And Serve This Cheesecake?
I recommend heating a large chef knife under hot water before slicing the cheesecake. If you need to, carefully wipe the knife clean with a paper towel in between cuts.
Can I Darken the Top Of The Basque Cheesecake A Little Bit More?
If you find the cheesecake hasn’t darkened up enough to your liking you can broil it on low for about a minute. It’s just important to keep a very close eye on it while doing so since you don’t want it to start smoking or get too burnt.
This Basque Cheesecake is just one of many creamy, delicious cheesecake recipes that you can whip up using the quality O Organics® ingredients from Shaw’s®! Thanks to shopping made easy using the Shaw’s® Deals and Delivery app along with Shaw’s for U™ we can all enjoy more delicious cheesecake recipes without the hassle of shopping or forgetting items on our list!
- Triple Chocolate Cheesecake – Silky-smooth, creamy chocolate cheesecake covers a chocolate cookie crust, topped with ganache, and chocolate chips!
- Caramel Pear Cheesecake Bars – A layered treat that starts with a shortbread cookie crust, then a layer of creamy cheesecake, homemade pear filling, and topped with an oatmeal crumble!
- Gingerbread Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust – Spiced creamy filling, gingersnap crust, and tasty ginger whipped cream collide for an absolutely delicious dessert!
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake – Candy Pieces are used to bring that incredible crunchy peanut butter flavor to this easy-to-make dessert that calls for just 20 minutes of prep time!
Download the new Shaw’s®Deals and Delivery app and feed your joy (savings! time! Rewards!) or visit Shaws.com/foru for more info. You are automatically enrolled in the Shaw’s for U™ Member program when you download the app and right now new Members will receive a welcome offer of $5 off your $25 or more purchase!
Thanks to Shaw’s® for sponsoring this post.
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Basque Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 32 ounces cream cheese room temperature and full-fat only
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs room temperature
- 1½ cups heavy cream room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour sifted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a 9 or 10-inch springform pan with aluminum foil before adding a criss-crossed double layer of parchment paper. You want the parchment to stick up about 2 inches above the top of the pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip together the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides as necessary and make sure no lumps remain.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on low speed. Make sure only a little yellow remains from the previous egg before adding the next.
- With the mixer on low speed, add in the heavy cream, vanilla, and salt and mix until fully incorporated.
- Sift the flour into the mixing bowl and mix on low speed for 10 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for another 10 seconds.
- Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared pan and DO NOT scrape the sides of the bowl, just pour and discard what remains.
- Place the cheesecake on a rimmed baking sheet on the middle oven rack and bake for 50 to 65 minutes. I use a 9-inch pan and a convection oven and find that 65 minutes is perfect. The cheesecake will puff up when baking and then sink when it cools, this is normal. Once the top has turned a deep golden brown and the center is slightly jiggly.
- If the cheesecake isn't as dark as you'd like it, you can broil on low for about 1 minute. Keep a very close eye on the top because you don't want it to start smoking.
- Transfer the cheesecake to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
- Transfer the cheesecake (in the pan) to the refrigerator to chill for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. Remove the cheesecake from the refrigerator 1 to 2 hours before slicing and serving. Use the parchment edges to lift the cheesecake off of the pan base.
- For super clean cheesecake slices, heat a large chef knife under hot water and slice the cheesecake.
- Serve plain or topped with fresh berries or your favorite cheesecake topping.
Notes
- You can make this without the aluminum foil layer but it helps to burn/caramelize the sides and bottom.
- The reason you don’t want to scrape the bowl is that there’s a chance that there are thicker clumps clinging to the sides and you don’t want that in with the final cheesecake batter.
- Do not remove the cheesecake from the pan until it has completely cooled.
- If you want to, you can reduce the vanilla extract to 1 teaspoon and add 1 to 2 teaspoons of another flavor extract for a flavored cheesecake.
- You could also add some lemon zest and juice to the recipe.
- This cheesecake should be served at room temperature but stored in the refrigerator.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- If you plan to bake this in an 8-inch springform pan, you should make sure the sides are 4-inches deep.
- It’s extremely important that you pay attention to the mixing speeds and time in this recipe. You do not want to overwhip the eggs or cream as it will result in air bubbles or a more souffle-like texture. Slow and minimal mixing will help obtain the silky, creamy cheesecake texture.
- You can freeze this cheesecake for up to 3 months. Simply let it cool completely in the refrigerator, then wrap with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. If you have a cardboard cake round used to support layer cakes, this would also be great for supporting the cheesecake.
- This cheesecake recipe is extremely forgiving and is meant to have an imperfect and rustic look but is still impressive and perfect for a party.
- You can increase the sugar to 2 cups or reduce it to 1 1/4 cup depending on the sweetness level desired.
Nutrition
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