This classic, foolproof recipe for Basque Burnt Cheesecake is a delicious, crustless Basque baked cheesecake recipe I just know you’re going to love! With a caramelised crust and super creamy center this is honestly the easiest cheesecake recipe you’ll ever make!
What is a basque cheesecake?
I’m going to explain this right up front so you don’t think this Burnt Basque Cheesecake is an April fools joke. Yes this is for real, an intentionally burnt cheesecake.
This burnt basque cheesecake originates in Basque Country (hence the name). It’s a crustless cheesecake that’s starting to become a trend in the US. It’s main difference from a New York Style Cheesecake is that it is crustless, and has a golden, beautiful caramelized exterior. It also has a much lighter texture and flavor.
The cheesecake is baked at a high temperature in order to get that burnt exterior and super creamy interior. It’s more traditional to have a custard-like center but I tweaked this recipe for a more solid texture.
This reason why it’s so good is the same reason why creme brûlée is. The bitterness of the burnt exterior mixed with the sweet and creamy interior help to balance each other out. Kind of like salty and sweet desserts!
Prepping your pan for burnt cheesecake
Everything about this cheesecake recipe is unique, starting with how you prep the pan.
For starters, there’s no crust so we don’t have to pre-bake or prepare for that first step.
Instead, you coat the entire pan with butter. Then, press in one layer of parchment paper so the sides stick up. Smear on another layer of butter and press in one more layer of parchment paper.
You want to make sure the paper reaches about 2 inches above the pan as this cheesecake puffs up quite a bit as it bakes.
Also fold in the wrinkles to get the edges as smooth as possible. It doesn’t have to be perfect. The more “rustic” style looks good on this cheesecake!
The easiest cheesecake you’ll ever make in your life
I don’t know about you, but baking cheesecake stresses me out. Between the careful mixing and the water bath, there’s just so many things that can go wrong.
Enter cheesecake’s alter ego. Seriously, it is so hard to mess up this basque burnt cheesecake recipe. It consists of a very short list of ingredients and it’s almost impossible to over bake it… cause… you know… it’s burnt and all.
To make burnt basque cheesecake, you mix up the ingredients, pour it into your pan, and bake. No water bath, no temperature changes, just let it do it’s thing. Talk about a low maintenance recipe.
Serving your basque burnt cheesecake
It’s traditional to serve it at room temperature as opposed to regular cheesecake. Let it cool in the pan, remove, slice, and serve. That’s a far cry from the hours we spend waiting for cheesecake to set up in the fridge.
This is where I didn’t stick to tradition. I let my cheesecake chill in the fridge overnight out of habit. It still gave me a super creamy center so it’s really up to you as to when you’d like to serve it!
Top it with fruit, chocolate, whipped cream, caramel… whatever you’re feelin’. This cheesecake is a blank slate that can be enjoyed alone or with a little something extra!
For more cheesecake recipes, check out my:
- Funfetti Birthday Cheesecake (with a cake bottom!)
- Classic Baked Vanilla Cheesecake
- Baked Salted Caramel Cheesecake
- Best Baked Chocolate Cheesecake with Philadelphia
- No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Bars (Vegan)
Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram if you make this Burnt Basque Cheesecake Recipe. I love seeing my recipes come to life in YOUR kitchen! To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. And if you have any questions, ask me on Instagram! That’s the best way to reach me. Happy baking!
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Basque Cheesecake
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 slices 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This basque cheesecake is an intentionally burnt cheesecake which provides a bitter outer layer and extra creamy inside. It’s the easiest cheesecake you will ever make!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (four 8oz blocks) full fat cream cheese, room temp
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs, room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups (420g) heavy cream
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup (33g) all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F and butter the inside of a 9″ springform pan.
- Press two layers of parchment paper into the bottom and up the sides. They should stick up about 2 inches above the edge of the pan.
- Cream together the cream cheese and sugar on medium low speed using a hand or stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Mix in the eggs one at a time on low speed and then the vanilla.
- Pour the heavy cream in a slow and steady stream while the mixer is on low speed. Once smooth, sift in your flour and salt and fold to combine.
- Bake for 60-65 minutes or until the top is completely burnt and it has a slight jiggle to it.
- Let it cool to room temperature for about an hour then remove from the pan and slice. You can also leave it in the pan and place it in the fridge for a couple hours to completely set (my personal preference). Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cooling Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 1 hour
Keywords: cheesecake, burnt basque cheesecake, basque burnt cheesecake
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Amazing! Best cheesecake ever. Put lemon zest and was delish. Going to try orange zest next time
★★★★★
I wonder if it’s possible to bake this cheesecake with a sugar substitute, such as stevia. I’m guessing it won’t “burn” the same way, as stevia doesn’t caramelize. What do you think?
I don’t recommend it as it could alter the taste of the cheesecake. The sugar is needed to balance out the tartness of the burnt bits and using too much stevia could leave an odd taste.
This cake is amazing! I’ve never wanted to attempt a cheesecake before but this was so easy and it tastes wonderful.
★★★★★
I have a glass baking pie plate also for making apple pie. Can I use this for the recipe?
Unfortunately not as it won’t be able to hold all of the batter.
Hi,
Do I use the convection setting on my oven or just regular baking? Thanks
Just regular!
The sides of mine did not rise as high. My oven did not distribute the heat evenly so one side is more burnt. The cake did split a little at the edges. Other than that it tasted great. I added some yuzu in the batter.
How do you test if its really cooked? When i baked it the last time, the middle part is still underbaked. It’s watery. I read that when its jiggly its cooked already but based on experience sometimes it works sometimes it does not. Even after putting it in the fridge. Any tips?
There’s a difference between a jiggle and a wobble. A wobble is like how a bowl of milk would move if you nudged the bowl. It’s loose and moves back and forth. A jiggle is tight but still has movement. You may be mistaking a wobble for a jiggle!
Hello, do the cream cheese, heavy cream and eggs need to be at room temperature?
Yes for the cream cheese, but the heavy cream and eggs can be either room temp or chilled.
This recipe works is great! I cut the sugar down to slightly over 1 cup and it still taste divine!
I used an 8 inch cake pan and filled the extras in silicon cups. The baking time for this was a bit off… the top started to over burn after 20 mins. I turned down the temperature to 180C and completely off once the top is fully burnt, took about 40 mins baking time. Tested it for a jiggle… and that was when i knew it was done.
★★★★★
Loved this! My cheesecake really stuck to the parchment paper on the sides though making for a messy (not cute and rustic) presentation. Any tips or tricks you could suggest?
Oh weird! You can spray the parchment paper with nonstick spray next time. Hopefully that will help.
Hi Jenna,
Can I half the recipe and still use a 9 inch pan? For what temp and how long do you think I should bake it? Thank you i love this recipe!
★★★★★
It might end up over baking if you don’t use all of the batter, so I wouldn’t recommending halving it
Hi! Would just like to ask; which are the ingredients that will facilitate in the rising/puffing of the cake? I’ve tried different recipes and baked at different temperatures and I’ve not been able to achieve the look (high sides and collapsed center with a shiny surface) of your basque burnt cheesecake. Which factors cannot be discounted to achieve that look?
Since there are no leaveners in the recipe, it mainly relies on air and heat to rise. It could be that you’ve over mixed the batter, so it then puffs up and collapses. Or it could be that your oven isn’t hot enough. Make sure you use an oven thermometer to know exactly what temperature you’re baking at.
I have the oven at 230 degrees Celsius on convection. I see your cake puff on the sides and collapse in the center. I really like that look but mine doesn’t puff as much so the collapse isn’t as obvious. I’ll try to minimize mixing and see if that helps. Thank you.
Hi! I suggest that you use the conventional setting not the convection. Happy baking!
Hi! I use the conventional setting, top and bottom heat. My oven has 5 levels and i place the pan on the 3rd level. My cheesecake is dark golden brown at 40 mins, not more than that. Otherwise it becomes firm at the centre, which I do not like. So i guess it depends on your oven and your preference too. Happy baking!
Would the type of flour affect the rising? All purpose, cake flour and cornstarch. Thank you.
Hi! I use APF.
This is great and so easy to make! Would 1
recipe be able to make 2 6” cheesecakes?
★★★★★
I haven’t tested it but it’s possible!
Hello. What can I do to prevent the top from cracking?
I also extended the baking time by 30 minutes because the top won’t burn.
Careful when you’re mixing! Very gently combine the ingredients. Over mixing creates tiny air bubbles in the batter and when baked, those air bubbles expand which causes cracking. As far as the top, try baking it a little higher up in the oven.
How to the make the cake creamy inside? I have tried to bake at the bottom level first then move to middle level for 10 min to burn the upper layer faster. But the interior part still fully baked and not creamy.
If I reduce the baking time, the upper layer still take time to become burnt, then after it ady burnt, the cake was fully baked.
Have you tried broiling the top? That should burn it faster to give you a creamier center.
Do you think adding flavours like lemon or matcha with this recipe would work?
Possibly! I’m not sure in what amounts though.
Hi Jenna, can I substitute 2pounds of ricotta for the cream cheese?
★★★★★
Likely not, as ricotta has more moisture than cream cheese.
I would like to make this cheesecake for a pot luck. Can I substitute gluten-free flour instead of APF since several people at the party are gluten intolerant?
Yes that should be OK!
Do you leave the parchment paper on when serving? It’s really hard to get out from underneath the cheesecake but leaving it doesn’t look very good!
Yep, but you can always remove it once the cheesecake is completely chilled.
Served to company. Everyone loved it. I substituted 2 tablespoons corn starch (added it to the sugar), increased the vanilla to 1 tablespoons. I used 2 layers of parchment paper. Baked in lower third of the oven. The texture is a little different than New York Cheesecake, but we loved it!
Made it EXACTLY as the recipe called for & it is now my go to when someone says “bring dessert”.
★★★★★
Yay! Thank you!