Recipe: Crustless Basque cheesecake | Vancouver Sun

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This overwhelmingly delicious cheesecake is sure to satisfy the dessert lover in your life. And if they enjoy cheesecake as much as I do, they’ll love this.

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I love cheesecakes — from light and airy no-bake cheesecakes to dense New York-style baked cheesecake, I love them all. However, there’s one thing about cheesecakes that I don’t love, and that’s the crust. As far as I’m concerned, crusts on cheesecake is wasted calories. Why eat crust when you can eat cheesecake?

Chef Santiago Rivera of La Vina restaurant in San Sebastian, Spain must have felt the exact same way when he created the Basque Cheesecake in 1990. It’s a custardy cheesecake made with only 5 ingredients — cream cheese, heavy cream, eggs, sugar, and a little flour.

Baked at a high temperature, the resulting cheesecake has a deeply caramelized top that looks almost charred. The appearance is rustic yet somewhat elegant, when plated. The centre is smooth, creamy, and a little jiggly, just like a custard would be.

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Unlike chef Santiago, I add vanilla and a pinch of salt to my Basque cheesecake recipe. And unlike other cheesecake recipes, I whip this dessert up in the blender. It really doesn’t get any easier. This recipe makes one 3-1/2” tall cheesecake that serves six, but in my household, it only serves three. So plan accordingly.

Here are a few tips for achieving that perfect Basque cheesecake.

Bake the cheesecake on high heat. To achieve that beautiful deep brown crust and caramel-y flavour, you need to bake the cheesecake at a whopping 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Why so high, you ask? The reasons are three-fold: High heat will help the cheesecake rise quickly before it has a chance to cook and turn into New York-style cheesecake; it helps caramelize the sugar, creating that rich, delicious caramel flavour; and finally, the high heat helps brown the top of the cheesecake giving it its’ signature appearance.

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Use a six-inch springform pan. It is important to use the right size springform pan when baking this cheesecake. Using too large of a pan will result in a cheesecake with a thin, low profile. Use a too small pan and you’ll risk the cheesecake overflowing the pan when baking. Using the right size pan allows you to brown the top without overcooking the cheesecake itself.

Line the pan with parchment paper. Do not attempt to substitute wax paper for parchment paper in this recipe. Parchment paper is a non-stick paper that will help unmold the cheesecake easily once baked and chilled. It will also help your cheesecake from spilling over while it rises.

There is a trick to lining your springform pan with parchment paper. This is my go-to method: Tear off a large piece of parchment paper. Remove the base of the pan. Center the parchment paper directly over the springform pan. Place the base over the pan and gently press the paper into the pan. Using your fingers, smooth the creases in the paper so that it conforms to the side of the pan. Remove the base and the paper. Replace the base, then lightly grease the insides of the pan before replacing the creased parchment paper. Trim the parchment paper slightly so that it doesn’t touch the baking element and catch on fire.

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Do not overbake. Most baked cheesecakes require long baking times in a water bath. To maintain the creamy, custardy middle of the Basque cheesecake, it is important to not overbake. Bake it long enough so that the top turns dark brown, and just shy of being burnt. The middle should still be quite jiggly.

Refrigerate for at least eight hours. Allow the cheesecake to cool completely before refrigerating. Note that it will fall as it cools — that’s normal. Once cooled, cover with foil and place the cheesecake along with the pan into the refrigerator and chill for a minimum of eight hours, preferably overnight. Chilling the cheesecake makes the unmolding process much easier. Unmolding the cheesecake before it has a chance to set will result in the cheesecake tearing.

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Now armed with these tips, you’re all set to bake up your own crustless Basque cheesecake. One taste of this dessert and I guarantee you won’t waste those valuable calories on crust again.

Basque Cheesecake

250g block-style cream cheese, softened to room temperature

½ cup (100g) berry or caster sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup (240ml) heavy cream

1-1/2 tbsp (15g) flour

1/2 tsp salt

Instructions:

Place oven rack in middle of oven. Measure the height of the space between the rack and the baking element. Write the measurement down on a piece of paper and set it aside until needed. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the base from a 6” springform pan. Center a large piece of parchment paper over the pan. Place the base over the pan and gently press the parchment paper into the pan, taking care not to tear the parchment paper. Using your fingers, flatten the creases so that the paper conforms to the sides of the pan. Remove the base and the paper. Return the base to the pan. Lightly grease the insides of the pan before placing the creased parchment paper back into the pan. Trim the parchment paper so that it’s 2 inches less than the height of the space between the oven rack and baking element. Set aside.

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In a blender, add all the ingredients. Blend until the mixture is very smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Rap the bottom of the pan on the counter a few times to release any trapped air bubbles. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top of the cheesecake is dark brown and almost charred but the middle is still jiggly.

Remove from the oven and place pan on a cooling rack. Note that cheesecake will fall substantially as it cools; that’s normal. Once fully cooled, cover with foil and place the cheesecake and pan, into the refrigerator. Do not remove cheesecake from pan. Chill for a minimum of 8 hours or overnight.

Once fully chilled, gently unmold by peeling back the parchment paper, taking care not to tear the creases in the cheesecake wall. Slice and serve. Enjoy!

Makes one 6” cheesecake. Serves six.

Karen Gordon is a food blogger from North Vancouver who shares her recipe creations online at karentology.com, on Instagram at @karen.t.ology, and on Pinterest @karentologyblog.