Name: How To Make Basque Cheesecake (Burnt Cheesecake)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 500 g Cream Cheese; 3 Eggs (room temperature); 200 g Sugar; 1 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour; 250 ml Heavy Cream (room temperature); Vanilla Extract

How To Make Basque Cheesecake (Burnt Cheesecake)-Japanese Taste

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Cheesecake is one of the most beloved cakes in Japan. Souffle type, baked type, and rare type have always been popular.

'Basque Cheesecake' started becoming a trend not so long ago in Japan. This name quickly became known with the establishment of a specialty store in Tokyo in 2018.

Basque cheesecake was first created in 1990, made by a chef from a small bar called La Viña, located in Basque country in Spain. It spread around the world at an incredible rate through the power of social media.

It looks unique because of the brown burned surface and creamy thick texture inside, like custard cream. Unlike American-style cheesecake, it generally has no bottom crust layer.

The combination of caramel flavor and the rich vanilla cream cheese fulfills your mouth.

Surprisingly, this cheese flavor goes very well not only with coffee or tea but also with wine or Sake.

As it became so popular in Japan, you can now find it even at convenience stores. One of the convenience stores, Lawson, made a big hit, and its sales exceeded 1 million within 3 days after its release!

To make this Basque cheesecake, you only need very few ingredients. Compared to other cheesecakes, more quantity of cream cheese is used.

It is very important to know your oven. Make sure to preheat enough and bake it until the surface turns brown. I recommend checking the oven for the last 15 minutes. Ideally, the surface should be nice brown, and the cake should rise like a souffle cheesecake.

You can keep the cheesecake for 3-4 days in the fridge. It tastes even better after the 2nd day. It is not recommended to freeze; the texture would change.

It is a bit challenging to wait for it to cool down because it smells so good when it comes out of the oven. But it's worth the wait!

Overview

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 40 mins

Total time: 50 mins

Total servings: 6

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

500 g Cream Cheese
3 Eggs (room temperature)
200 g Sugar
1 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
250 ml Heavy Cream (room temperature)
Vanilla Extract

Expert's Tip

How To Make Basque Cheesecake (Burnt Cheesecake)

It might surprise you, but Basque cheesecake pairs quite well with Japanese rice wine, Sake. Some cheesecake recipes even include Sake in the cake batter!

If you're new to the world of sake or like sweeter tasting alcohol, then this sweet sake is the perfect choice to pair with your basque cheesecake! This particular sake is a hybrid between sake and white wine and is not too dry. It's also a little bit sweeter than traditional sake.

Instructions

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1) Gathering the Ingredients and Recipe Preparations

Gather the ingredients together.

Line the mold with parchment paper. Crumple the parchment paper by hand before lining; it makes it easier to cover the 18cm (7-inch) round cake mold.

Preheat the oven to 210°C (410°F).

2) Soften Cream Cheese

Cover the cream cheese with plastic wrap and warm it in the microwave at 200W for 3-4 minutes.

Note: Alternatively, you can leave it at room temperature for 30-40 minutes (summer) or 3-4 hours (winter).

3) Mixing Flour and Sugar Together

In a small bowl, mix the flour and the sugar together with a whisk.

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4) Combining the Eggs and Heavy Cream

In another bowl, mix the eggs and the heavy cream together with a whisk, until well combined. Then add vanilla extract.

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5) Adding the Sugar Mixture Into the Cream Cheese

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and the mixture of flour and sugar, then mix well.

Note: If you have a food processor, you can combine everything at once.

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6) Combining the Egg and Cream Cheese Mixtures

Add the egg mixture to the cream cheese mixture. Mix everything well until the batter becomes smooth.

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7) Baking the Basque Cheesecake

Pour the batter into the mold and bake it at 230°C (446°F) for 40 minutes. The surface should be nicely browned. Turn off the oven heat and let the cake stay in the oven for an additional 5 minutes.

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8) Enjoying Your Basque Cheesecake

Take the cheesecake out from the oven and let it cool down. Place it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

To check if it is cooked enough, insert a stick in the middle. If it comes out warm, it is cooked through to the inside. If it is still cold when you pull it out, it means the cake is undercooked. If the stick comes out with the batter like a cooked pancake, it is overcooked.

Basque Cheesecake has a thick texture like custard cream. Right after baking, the surface is so loose that it ripples. Don’t worry; it hardens moderately when cooled.

About the author

Ayako Kidokoro

Ayako is a recipe writer based in Frankfurt, Germany. Though she is originally from Japan, she has lived across five countries both in America and Europe. She loves writing dessert-related recipes and sharing them with Japanese Taste readers, but she also loves educating people about Japanese tradition, culture, and language. She loves exploring and making new recipes from scratch, but other than food, she also loves doing yoga to help her stay in shape and relax.

View articles by Ayako Kidokoro

2 comments

Hi Vanessa,

Thank you for your comment! Each oven has its own character, so it’s hard to specify the perfect baking time. However, for a 4-inch cake mold, we suggest baking for 20-25 minutes and checking if the surface has turned a nice golden brown.

Hope this helps!

Japanese Taste, September 03, 2024
Hi! Im thinking about baking these in 2 4” cake mold for smaller portion? how long would you suggest baking it for

Vanessa, September 03, 2024

How To Make Basque Cheesecake (Burnt Cheesecake)

Overview

Ingredients

Expert's Tip

Instructions