San Sebastian Cheesecake Recipe
San Sebastian cheesecake has a beautifully caramelized burnt crust with a smooth, rich and creamy center. This traditional Spanish Basque cheesecake is easy to make and creates a stunning and decadent dessert everyone will love.
Equipment
- 1 9 -inch springform pan
- 1 parchment paper
- 1 stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters
Ingredients
- 4 8 oz. blocks cream cheese, room temperature
- 1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups (355 ml) heavy cream, room temperature
- 5 large eggs (US), room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 (204 C). Lightly grease bottom of a 9” springform pan.
- Measure out two large pieces of parchment paper. When pressed into the pan, the sides of the parchment should come up 3 - 4 inches (8 - 10 cm) from the pan. Press one large piece of parchment paper into the pan going side to side. Press the other parchment paper into the pan on top of the first piece, this time starting at the top of the pan to the bottom of the pan. For now, gently bend the excess parchment paper over the sides of the pan. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl cream the cream cheese on low until very smooth.This takes about 2 -3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on slowly stream in the sugar. Mix on low until smooth and well combined. This takes about 2 minutes. The cream cheese will look smooth and more glossy. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.4 8 oz. blocks cream cheese, room temperature, 1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- On low cream in the cornstarch, vanilla extract and salt followed by the heavy cream. Mix until smooth and well combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl as needed. The mixture should be very smooth with no lumps.3 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1½ cups (355 ml) heavy cream, room temperature
- On the lowest speed, mix in the eggs, one at a time until combined. Do not mix more than is needed to fully incorporate the eggs.5 large eggs (US), room temperature
- Pour the creamy cheesecake filling into the prepared pan. Bake the basque cheesecake 50 - 65 minutes. The burnt cheesecake is done baking when the top is a deep caramelized color, the edges are set and puffed, while the center is jiggly like jello. This basque cheesecake will be a bit more jiggly throughout than a traditional cheesecake.
- Place the burnt Basque cheesecake cooling rack to cool at room temperature for 1 - 2 hours. Once cooled, cover the pan in plastic wrap and transfer the cheesecake to the fridge to chill for 4 - 6 hours or slice and serve at room temperature. Personally, I prefer the texture of this Sebastian cheesecake after chilling for a few hours. When it’s time to serve, remove the cheesecake from the pan, fold down the parchment paper and slice.
Notes
Store in the fridge: Keep this creamy burnt cheesecake wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 5 days. To serve at room temperature, set the cheesecake out at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
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