We’ve all seen or tasted a slice of the iconic Burnt Basque Cheesecake at some point over the past couple of years. Its popularity needs no explanation, both from the neither from the eater nor the baker. It’s the best part of a baked cheesecake (in my opinion), enhanced, enriched and then served on a plate. It’s also that bit easier to make, with fewer variables that can impact the final product. Every iteration is a delicious one, whether it contains more eggs, more flour, less sugar, or even a different cream cheese. It’s always divine.

Invented in San Sebastian, Basque Country, an autonomous and unique community in Spain, it has been served at La Viña de la Parte Vieja restaurant, San Sebastian, for decades. It was created by Santiago Rivera who hadn’t expected it to take the world by storm in the way it has. He told El Pais, “We are very grateful. We have never done anything to promote the cake’s success. It became famous on its own, because people liked it…”

If you’ve been to Turkey, or you’re active online, you also know that it has been in the dessert spotlight for the past two or three years. Rivera has also said that, “In Turkey, it’s become something of a social phenomenon,” and that it has also been popularised in other countries, and for good reason. Thankfully Rivera shared his joy in seeing all its variations, and for that we should all be so glad.

The cake is a bit of a transformer. It changes according to the conditions it’s under. In La Viña they serve it at room temperature, which means it's soft, jiggly and cheesy. I love it that way, but since i'm also a classic baked cheesecake fan, I love it straight from the fridge, chilled to (my idea of) perfection. When it’s chilled, it’s incredibly silky and a little more dense too.

You can serve it however you like, it’s completely up to personal preference. Give it a try both ways and see which one is your favourite.

Notes:

Storage and Serving:

If you like the cake soft and jiggly (La Viña style) and you’re serving this on the same day as baking, I would leave it to rest on the counter until serving, and forego leaving it in the fridge.
If serving the next day, I’d place it in the fridge overnight, and take it out to let it come to room temperature about 1.5 hours before serving.
If you enjoy the texture the same way I do, silky but cold and very set, I’d serve it straight from the fridge.

Cream Cheese: Any cream cheese works for this. I like Philadelphia the most, because it has a distinct flavour. I know Philadelphia can be expensive though, so a mixture of ‘Soft Cheese’ and Mascarpone also works. Some recipes even call for Sour Cream, which injects that tartness that cream cheese usually provides. I’d add sour cream if using Soft Cheese and Mascarpone only.

Berry Compote: It’s not essential for this recipe, but I like adding it for a summer flare.

Serves: 12, Time: 1 hour (+min 3 hours chill time)

Ingredients:

For the Cheesecake:

850g Cream Cheese (I use Philadelphia)
300g Sugar
200ml Double Cream
6 Eggs
2Tbsp Vanilla Extract
Pinch Salt
15g Plain Flour

For the Compote:

350g Berries of choice (I use 75g Raspberries, 75g Blueberries, 100g Strawberries, 100g Frozen Forest Fruits)
100g Sugar
50ml Water
15ml Lemon Juice (approx. Half a Lemon)
4g/ 1tspCornflour

Method

Cheesecake

Preheat the oven to 210°C Fan/
In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and sugar until combined
Add in the double cream and vanilla extract, then mix until combined again
Add in the eggs, and whisk gently until the mixture is smooth (you don’t want to whisk to incorporate air)
Add in the flour and salt, then stir again
Grease the base of a 8 or 9inch springform pan, and line with a large piece of parchment (You want the parchment to fold and ripple along the sides of the pan, in order to get the craggy edges of a basque cheesecake)
Add The batter into the baking tin, and tap it on the counter a few times to remove any extra air bubbles
Bake the cheesecake for approx. 40 minutes until the top is a deep golden brown. The cheesecake will have also puffed to the top of the tin, it will still be a little jiggly in the middle
Leave to cool on the counter for an hour (it will deflate), then in the fridge overnight or until serving time.

Berry Sauce

Add all the ingredients to a pot, and leave to sit for 10 mins until all the sugar has dissolved & the berries have released some of their juices
On a medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil for approx. 10mins, until the liquid becomes the thickness of a runny honey
Leave to cool completely, and refrigerate until time to serve.

Enjoy