I can’t even remember where I first saw this cheesecake, I just remember thinking that I needed to make one ASAP! As the name suggests, they come from the Basque area of Spain, a place I would love to visit someday. This recipe is SO recipe and produces a surprisingly light cheesecake with that beautiful, nutty, ‘burnt’ crust.

Basque ‘Burnt’ Cheesecake

Ingredients
900g full fat cream cheese
350g caster sugar
7 medium eggs
500ml double cream
4 tbsp plain flour, sifted
1-2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract

Method
1. Preheat your oven to 200c (fan). Grease and line a 23cm spring form cake tin with baking parchment and place onto a baking tray.
2. Place the cream cheese and sugar in a bowl and beat until completely smooth, then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing between each addition, until all are incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Add the 500ml double cream and mix again, then sift in the flour and mix until totally smooth. Finally, add in the vanilla paste or extract and mix to combine.
3. Pour the cheesecake mix into the prepared cake tin and bake for 50-60 minutes until the top is a rich golden brown with a slight wobble in middle. Leave to cool completely in the tin and don’t worry if the top cracks, this is all about rustic realness!
4. Remove from the tin, place on a serving plate and cut into slices. This should cut into 12-14 slices and is perfect on its own, or with a little berry compote for a bit of freshness!