Burnt Basque Cheesecake

This is our kind of baking! Something you should actually try to burn...

Well, it's more Laurie's (aka Mama Apron) kind of baking. Although she starts off strong, her attention span wanes and things don't always come out of the oven on time. Even when broiling, with her hand on the oven door handle, well... let's just say she leaves most of the precise timing to Tess.

This cheesecake couldn't be easier. You literally can't mess it up. You want it to crack and burn! Where it differs from a typical cheesecake is that it isn't as sweet and it has no crust. It was invented in the 1990s in the Basque region in Spain so it's a relatively new creation in the dessert world.

This is a delicious dessert for a holiday celebration like Easter or a springtime fête. As it is relatively new to us, we are sharing Molly Baz's recipe from Bon Appétit.

Happy baking and don't be scared to walk away from the oven for this one!

Here is the original recipe from BA

Special Equipment: 10" springform pan

Ingredients:

• Unsalted butter (for pan)

• 32 oz cream cheese, room temperature (4 boxes)

• 1½ cups sugar

• 6 large eggs

• 2 cups whipping cream

• 1 tsp. kosher salt

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

Step 1 Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 400°. Butter pan, then line with 2 overlapping 16x12" sheets of parchment, making sure parchment comes at least 2" above top of pan on all sides. 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 okay! Place pan on a rimmed baking sheet.

Step 2 Beat 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.

Step 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.

Step 4 Turn off mixer and sift flour evenly over cream cheese mixture. 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.

Step 5 Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cheesecake until deeply golden brown on top and still very jiggly in the center, 60–65 minutes.

Step 6 Let cool (it will fall drastically as it cools), then unmold. Let cool completely. Carefully peel away parchment from sides of cheesecake. Slice into wedges and serve at room temperature.

Step 7 Do Ahead: Cheesecake can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Be sure to let cheesecake sit for several hours at room temperature to remove chill before serving.

Deliciosa!! xx2DA