This is the cheesecake you would happily want to burn!
Tips and tricks in making Burnt Basque Cheesecake
Use a removable base springform baking tin
The removable base and springform baking pan will allow you to release the cheesecake with ease without the fiddly part
Darker baking pan will give you a darker cheesecake crust colour
Because darker pan tend to absorb heat much more than lighter pan, it is preferable that you use a darker baking pan to get that deep dark burn colour to the side of your cheesecake.
Ensure that you also place the cheesecake closest to the heating bar at the top of the oven during baking to get that burnt top.
CAUTION: If you have your lined parchment paper over hanging your baking pan, allow gaps between the paper and the heating bar for health hazard reasons. The cheesecake will rise quite a bit during baking before collapsing slightly out of the oven during cooling, so you want to make sure that the baking pan is closest to the top of the baking bar in the oven but enough space for the cake to rise!
Mix at low speed at all times
To avoid the cheesecake from exploding in the centre too much, ensure that you mix the ingredients at low speed at all times! This will prevent the mix from incorporate too much air bubbles in the cheesecake mix. Once all the ingredients have been mixed, transfer them into the pre lined baking tin then tap out the excess air bubbles before baking.
RECIPE
Equipment needed : 18 cm diameter x 6.5 cm depth removable base cake tin
YIELD: 1 Cake
Basque Cheesecake
750 g Philadelphia Cream Cheese
250 g Castor Sugar
1 u Lemon Zest
25 g Juice of Lemon
1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
200 g Whole Eggs
25 g Plain Flour
85 g Thickened cream/ Double Cream
Method
For the Basque Cheesecake
Beforehand, take out the cream cheese and eggs from the fridge to bring them to room temperature. ( This is to make sure that the ingredients mix well )
Preparation
Prepare the cake tins by spraying some oil spray on the base and sides of the tins and pushed in parchment paper that is slightly larger than the tins ensuring that it over hands slightly above the rim of the tin.
Pre heat the oven to 200°C
1. Place the room temperature cream cheese into a stand mixer bowl with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until smooth ensuring that you scrape the side and the bottom of the bowl to avoid lumps that will be hard to get rid of after all the ingredients are added in.
2. Once there are no longer any lumps in the cream cheese, add in castor sugar, lemon zest and vanilla bean paste and mix on low speed until they are well incorporated.
3. Then, add in the eggs one at a time making sure that the mix is smooth again before adding in the next egg.
4. After all the eggs are added and the batter is smooth, add the sifted plain flour, mix for a short burst on low speed to incorporate then add in the Lemon Juice then the thickened cream , mix until well combined. (The mix should be quite fluid)
Place the tin on to a baking tray and place into the pre heated oven. (The Tray is to prevent any leakage that can be possible during baking)
5. Bake for around 50 minutes to 1 hour, increasing the oven temperature to 210°C ten minutes before the finishing time or until the top starts to "burn".
6. Turn off the oven with the oven door still closed and leave the cheesecake in it for around 20 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and leave it to fully cool in the tin then transfer it into the fridge overnight before serving.
(The Cheesecake is still slightly jiggly out from the oven will start to shrink over time at room temperature during cooling)
While the cheesecake is cooling, proceed to preparing the lemon curd.
Tips: Mix the cheesecake mix at low speed at low speed all the time to avoid incorporating too much air bubbles which can cause the cheesecake to rise irregularly and have explode in the center during baking.
