Name: Basque Cheesecake Recipe
Total time: 35 min
Yield: Makes one 9-inch cheesecake
Cuisine: SPANISH
Ingredients: 4 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, cut in 1-inch chunks; 1 1/3 cups sugar; 9 large egg yolks; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 1/4 cups crème fraîche

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By Genevieve Ko

March 21, 2019

This dessert combines the flavor of an ultra-rich New York-style cheesecake with the velvet texture of custard; crème fraîche accentuates the tang of cream cheese while the nearly burnt top balances the sweetness of the batter.

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4 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, cut in 1-inch chunks

1 ⅓ cups sugar

9 large egg yolks

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 ¼ cups crème fraîche

Heat the oven to 450 degrees with rack in bottom third.

Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Line with a 15-inch square of parchment paper, pressing it into the bottom and up the sides so that it extends above the rim of the pan. Crease and fold the paper as needed to keep it flat. Spray the parchment.

Put the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolks and salt in a food processor. Pulse until very smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the crème fraîche and pulse until fully incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, then tap the pan against a work surface a few times to smooth the top and eliminate air bubbles. Put on a half-sheet pan, then put in the oven.

Bake until the top is dark brown, the edges set and starting to pull away from the sides of the pan, but the center is still quite jiggly, 20 to 25 minutes. If you shake the pan back and forth, the top should roll like a gentle wave.

Cool in the pan on a rack until room temperature, then refrigerate uncovered overnight.

To serve, release and remove the sides of the pan. Use the parchment to slide the cheesecake off the base onto a cutting board, then pull down the sides of the parchment. Use a sharp knife to cut slices, wiping the blade clean after each cut.

Adapted From:

Dave Beran.

Make Ahead:

The cheesecake can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Genevieve Ko

Genevieve Ko is the former cooking editor for the Los Angeles Times. She is a cookbook author and has been a food writer, editor and recipe developer for national food media outlets. Ko graduated from Yale after a childhood in Monterey Park.