Welcome to The Late Plate, where I share with you the recipes I am cooking at home in my warehouse. I live communally with six other people, which means we each pay £25 a week and collectively that pays for all of our weekly food costs. One person cooks dinner each night of the week for everyone else, so that every night of the week there is a delicious dinner that will feed us all. The food we eat is largely vegetarian, seasonal, healthy and affordable, and I can’t wait to share some of those recipes with you here!
This cheesecake has saved me in so many ways, so many times. It’s what I make when I’m short on time, short on energy and need to bake something in a pinch. I’ve never met a person who doesn’t love it, it’s naturally gluten free and it’s very hard to f*ck it up. The only thing to bear in mind is that she is jam packed full of dairy, and times being what they are, this makes her a little on the spenny side. So I tend to save this one up for the special occasion days, birthdays and big gatherings. That isn’t to say you shouldn’t throw your heart into it on a random Wednesday, we all need something to look forward to, and this cheesecake can be that something for you.
A Very Good Burnt Basque Cheesecake
I have made hundreds and hundreds of these cheesecakes over the years, so I have the recipe memorised and can get one in the oven in under thirty minutes, but even as a first timer, this cake is a quicky to whip up. So this is a great do ahead, the day before you want to eat it if possible, as the cooling time is crucial in getting that jiggly silky texture. I have no qualms serving a fat slice of this basque on it’s own and calling it a day, in fact, I think she is better on her own, you gotta let the girl shine. But if you insist on making it more of a pudding and having something accompany it, then may I suggest a roasted seasonal fruit, cooled to room temperature. I’m thinking some jammy vanilla roasted plums, macerated strawberries or syrupy blueberries.
Go your own way with the topping, the basque speaks for itself.
x
Serves 8
Ingredients:
900g full fat cream cheese
300g caster sugar
12g sea salt
6 eggs
200g double cream
200g sour cream
2tsp vanilla paste
Method:
preheat oven to 190 C (375 F)
In a free standing mixer, with the paddle attachement, beat the cream cheese until it’s smooth (you can totally do this whole recipe without a mixer and a bit of elbow grease, it’s just gonna take you a little longer)
Add the sugar & salt and beat again until incorporated and the mix is looking glossy
Add the eggs one by one scraping down the bowl between additions.
In a separate bowl, mixx together the double cream and sour cream until smooth, careful not to over mix and created whipped cream! You want it to still be quite runny.
With your mixer on the slowest speed, pour the sour / double cream mixture into the bowl. Scrape down the bowl one more time, making sure to get any lumps on the bottom, add the vanilla paste and give it one last gentle mix.
Double line a 9” cake tin with parchment, no need to grease, I find a spring form tin the easiest for turning out once it’s baked.
Pour the batter into the tin, tap it a few times sharply on the counter to get rid of any bubbles.
Bake for 45 mins, then turn the oven up to it’s highest setting for 5 more minutes and take out of the oven. Keep a close eye for those last five minutes, everyones oven is different and whilst you would like to brown the top until “burnt” you also don’t want to cremate it.
Leave in the tin to cool completely, this is very important. When you take the basque out of the oven it is gonna still look very wobbly and jiggly, it’s final form texture is achieved in the cooling down time, and so you have to be patient and let it do it’s thing, before tucking in. I try and allow at least an hour or two for this, which is why this cake is best made a day ahead.
Thanks for sharing Grace! X