Although I live in New York, I have never been much into cheesecake, that is until now. I have discovered the joys of the dreamy, creamy Basque cheesecake.
Joy #1 - it's incredibly easy to make, no bain-marie, no worrying about it breaking, you just need a hot oven bringing the heat hard and fast.
Joy #2 This is a great party cake to make ahead. After it's out of the oven, you'll need the patience to wait as the cake continues to cook as it cools on a rack, followed by a spell chilling in the fridge. Yes, this is a joy because instead of fretting about the cake overcooking, you're free to get on with other things, like your life.
Joy #3 - The result is a foolproof, creamy, and utterly delicious cheesecake that will never fail to please a crowd, or the cook for that matter. You'll be a star. Enjoy!
AuthorAnn Ogden GaffneyBake for around 40 -45 minutes or until the top is very dark and caramelized looking, and the cake is puffy and risen rather like a soufflé.
Preheat oven to 425F. Line a 9” springform cake pan with a single piece of parchment paper so that it adds about an inch of height to the pan- you will need to pleat it to get it to fit snugly
In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the salt. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat until each is well incorporated before adding the next. Finish with the single yolk. Beat in the vanilla paste.
Sieve the cornflour over the cheese and egg mixture a couple of teaspoons at a time, beating each batch of flour in as you go to prevent lumps. Drizzle in the heavy cream beating as you go until all used up and you have a thick runny batter. Pour into the prepared cake tin. Place on a middle shelf in the oven.
Bake for around 40 -45 minutes or until the top is very dark and caramelized looking, and the cake is puffy and risen rather like a soufflé.
Remove from the oven. The cake will be very jiggly. Set the cake in the tin on a wire rack. Cool for at least 3 hours - the cake will continue cooking as it cools. It will sink quite a bit which is as it should be. When cool and set, still in the tin, chill the cake for 1-3 hours or overnight in the fridge.
To serve: open the springform tin and grabbing the edges of the parchment paper, lift the cake out of the tin and place onto a plate. Gently pull the parchment away from the sides of the cake. I like to leave it sitting rather rustically on the parchment but you can trim it away to fit the plate. Serve slices of the cheesecake on its own, with fresh blackberries or a tart mixed berry compote.
Ann's Tips:
- When prepping the cake tin, I sometimes insert a smaller pan to help tamp the paper down to fit.
- If the cake isn't brown enough on top, I sometimes raise the heat to 450F for the last 10 minutes of cooking
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 425F. Line a 9” springform cake pan with a single piece of parchment paper so that it adds about an inch of height to the pan- you will need to pleat it to get it to fit snugly
In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the salt. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat until each is well incorporated before adding the next. Finish with the single yolk. Beat in the vanilla paste.
Sieve the cornflour over the cheese and egg mixture a couple of teaspoons at a time, beating each batch of flour in as you go to prevent lumps. Drizzle in the heavy cream beating as you go until all used up and you have a thick runny batter. Pour into the prepared cake tin. Place on a middle shelf in the oven.
Bake for around 40 -45 minutes or until the top is very dark and caramelized looking, and the cake is puffy and risen rather like a soufflé.
Remove from the oven. The cake will be very jiggly. Set the cake in the tin on a wire rack. Cool for at least 3 hours - the cake will continue cooking as it cools. It will sink quite a bit which is as it should be. When cool and set, still in the tin, chill the cake for 1-3 hours or overnight in the fridge.
To serve: open the springform tin and grabbing the edges of the parchment paper, lift the cake out of the tin and place onto a plate. Gently pull the parchment away from the sides of the cake. I like to leave it sitting rather rustically on the parchment but you can trim it away to fit the plate. Serve slices of the cheesecake on its own, with fresh blackberries or a tart mixed berry compote.
Ann's Tips:
- When prepping the cake tin, I sometimes insert a smaller pan to help tamp the paper down to fit.
- If the cake isn't brown enough on top, I sometimes raise the heat to 450F for the last 10 minutes of cooking
