Burnt Basque Cheesecake

By Lisa Van De Graaff

Burnt Basque cheesecake has become a family favorite for us, especially for Blas who has requested it for his birthday cake three years in a row. It is an unusual and oh-so-rewarding experience to smell the burnt top and savor the texture combination of paper thin crunchy char and thick silky smoothness. I highly recommend giving it a try…

My favorite recipe is from Chef Dave Beran and can be found in the March 21, 2019 edition of the LA Times. The article is titled “Master Class: The easiest way to burnt Basque cheesecake” by Genevieve Ko.

I am cooking at a high elevation, so I have made a couple of modifications – I bake the cake for 25 minutes at 440 degrees Fahrenheit, then I broil it for 5 minutes to burn the top. Other than that, I follow the chef’s instructions exactly.

The most important tip I can give you is that you must steel your nerves and pull the cake out of the oven even though you think it isn’t done. I am including a short video to show you just how soft the cake is supposed to be when it comes out of the oven.

Enjoy!

3 thoughts on “Burnt Basque Cheesecake”

  1. Hi Lisa, we all love this cheesecake, too. I use the recipe from Mary Buckley’s cookbook. The melt in your mouth creaminess is the best part for me.

  2. It looks delicious! Look forward to trying it. Loved your thoughts you shared on this post

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