Brûlée Basque cheesecake combines the creamy texture of traditional Basque cheesecake with a caramelized sugar topping reminiscent of crème brûlée. This rich dessert features a smooth, custardy middle encased in a burnt caramel crust, offering a contrast of textures and flavours.
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What is Basque Cheesecake?
Basque cheesecake is a crustless cheesecake with a burnt, caramelized exterior and a creamy, custardy, melty interior. Originating from the Basque Country in Spain, it’s characterized by its rustic appearance and rich flavour profile.
Brûlée Basque Cheesecake
This Creme Brûlée Basque Cheesecake is inspired by Cois Espresso Club Brulee Cheesecake I had in Tokyo. It was one of the best tasting cheesecakes I’ve had in awhile. It was perfectly rich and creamy, not too sweet with a mellow cheese profile with the most satisfying crunchy top!
Ingredients
Basque cheesecake can be made with 4 ingredients:
- Cream cheese: I highly recommend using a quality full fat cream cheese as this is the primary flavour.
- Sugar: A finer white granulated sugar for the smooth texture.
- Eggs: This recipe requires both whole eggs and egg yolks! Save the whites for breakfast or another recipe or you can add it in, it’ll just make it less custardy.
- Heavy cream: Gives the cheesecake a melty texture.
- Vanilla: Optional, but sometimes added for flavour.
Many recipes online require corn starch or flour but have found it has a better mouthfeel without it.
You can brûlée other cheesecakes as well such as my super creamy and smooth classic basque cheesecake with a special ingredient or basque cheesecake with sour cream added.
How to Make Brûlée Basque Cheesecake
Basque cheesecake is easy to make but there are a few points to ensure success.
- Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C) and line a 6-inch (15 cm) springform pan with parchment paper, allowing some overhang for easy removal later.
- Mix Ingredients: In a large bowl, loosen the cream cheese with a rubber spatula and then mix in the sugar until it dissolves. Mix in the eggs, heavy cream and vanilla until smooth.
- Sieve and bake: Pour the batter through a sieve into the prepared pan. Tap the pan gently on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
- Bake: Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes, or until the top is deeply golden brown and the center is still jiggly. Because we will be brûléeing the cheesecake, I bake it slightly more than I would if I were to serve it as is so that the sugar doesn’t slide right off or melt as quickly.
- Cool and Serve: Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool completely in the pan. Once cooled, refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight before serving.
- Brulee: Place a layer of sugar in a shallow bowl or plate. Dip the cheesecake in and then sprinkle additional sugar on top. Torch carefully until sugar caramelizes.
Lisa’s Recipe Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients: This will help make it easier to make a smooth batter.
- Strain before baking: Straining the batter will gurantee the smoothest textured cheesecake.
- Baking temperature and time: Every oven is different. Even between my two ovens the baking time differs. When making it to brûlée, I err on the slightly more baked side (but it should still jiggle) because its easier to brûlée and the cheesecake wont melt as quickly from the torching.
- Brulee: I’ve found that level-ing the cheesecake makes it easier to torch since the sugar doesn’t just slide off. I used to dip the cheesecake in sugar and torch, but with such a thin layer it didn’t seem to harden and melted the cheesecake more than I could torch. Add more sugar as desired, the more you add the thicker and harder the crunch.
- Timing: I recommend brûléeing right before or an hour before serving depending on if you want the cheesecake served semi-warm or completely cool. If you prefer to serve it cool, place it back into the fridge after brûléeing for about an hour.
How to Store Brûlée Basque Cheesecake
Once it cools completely at room temperature cover with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated. It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. I recommend storing it without the brûlée and doing so before serving to keep its crunchiness.
If you need to store it for longer, you can freeze individual slices wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil for up to a month. Thaw frozen slices in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
Enjoy!! If you make this Brûlée Basque Cheesecake recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rating and if you decide to share it on socials, tag me on instagram @Okonomikitchen. I’d love to hear from you 😁!
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Brulee Basque Cheesecake
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Brûlée Basque cheesecake combines the creamy texture of traditional Basque cheesecake with a caramelized sugar topping reminiscent of crème brûlée. This rich dessert features a smooth, custardy middle encased in a burnt caramel crust, offering a contrast of textures and flavours.
Ingredients
Simple 4 Ingredient Recipe
- 1 cup + 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (400 g) full fat cream cheese
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated white sugar
- 3 large (150 g) eggs
- 1 egg (20 g) yolk*
- 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp (200 ml) heavy cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract, optional
Recipe with white chocolate
Recipe with sour cream
Instructions
- Line baking tin with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 450 F / 232 C.
- With a rubber spatula, loosen the room temperature cream cheese. Add sugar until well combined and smooth.
- Add in the egg yolk, whole eggs, cream, vanilla and whisk together until smooth.
- Pour over a fine mesh sieve into prepared pan.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes for the round cake pan. If at 30 minutes the top is not burnt, broil for 2-3 minutes. The middle should still jiggly.
- Let the cheesecake cool in the pan on a wire rack until it reaches room temperature. Cover and chill overnight.
- Remove the cake and slice with a heated knife.
- Place a layer of sugar in a shallow bowl or plate. Dip the cheesecake in and then sprinkle additional sugar on top. Torch carefully until sugar caramelizes. Tilt the cheesecake so it’s level, sprinkle more sugar and torch until desired amount.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Spansh
The texture of this basque was insane so smooth and creamy with a light yet rich flavour.