Go to the Recipe: Basque Cheesecake
Mmmm...cheesecake (Homer Simpson voice).
Aiming to replace sugar with allulose sweetener, targeting a sweetness more aligned with a japanese style cheesecake. Topping: shaved manchego cheese. Can't wait to dive in!
I used this recipe with some minor tweaks. I replaced about 1/3 of the cream cheese with Goat cheese for a subtle tang. I flavored it with Tonka bean and Preserved Lemon. Lastly, I pulled a vacuum in a chamber to help remove the air that got incorporated at the mixing stage. It came out fantastic, although I overbaked it slightly, which I'll correct on the next one. Nice work here, Nick
Oh man Anthony that sounds amazing! I haven't experimented much with adding goat cheese only subbing in triple-cream cheese.
What was a triple cream addition like? Makes me want to try a higher goat cheese ratio but add in a little sodium citrate to move the texture towards the smooth/melty direction.
Extra bit of info for anyone looking to make a smaller version of this cake in a 8-inch springform pan.
-Click adjust "Edit & scale units" and set cream cheese to 900 g (2 pounds = 4 blocks) in the top ingredient block
-Bake: 440 °F w/ convection 30 min (rotate as written) drop temp to 300 °F w/ convection 20 (rotate as written)
What if I want to make a smaller one with a 6 inch springform pan?
would you still turn it as much if you were using a rational combo oven?
Hello James, I would still rotate it during the first 30 min of the cook for even color but once you drop the temp you won't need to rotate it anymore.
I haven't (YET) made one that small. But after I dialed in the baking times and temps for a 8-inch pan (below) I think I have a decent idea of what I would try.
(6-inch springform) NOT YET TESTED!!!!!
-Click adjust "Edit & scale units" and set cream cheese to 675 g (1.5 pounds = 3 blocks) in the top ingredient block
-Bake: 450 °F w/ convection 30 min (rotate as written).
-Temp your cake with an instant read thermometer. I'm guessing you will be around 105 °F. Continue baking at 300 °F w/ convection temping every 3-5 minutes until you reach 115 °F.
If you give this a try Evan please lmk your findings, good luck!
It was very good, added an edge to the flavor that pulled it a little more in the savory/sweet direction. I got the idea from trying out the cheesecake from "The Square: Sweet" cook book. I highly recommend checking it out, great book! I found the base to be too "cheesy" for me to handle but I really respect how unique it was. That led me to trying this basque cheesecake recipe with 225g cream cheese subbed with triple creme.
Amazing work as always!
In your testing how important is chilling the batter and is it necessary, I was under the impression that using room temp. Batter would promote “more even” baking.
Regards,
Haitham
Did you ever sub buttermilk for a portion of the heavy cream for a bit more tanginess?
I made it as described. Sliced it cold and let it come up to room temp for service. It was incredible. "Best cheesecake of my life"
Thank you! I will try this
After 30 minutes at 420 my top was only light golden. I went another 10 minutes at the high temp, then dropped it to 300. After two 10 minutes rotations at the lower temp it was already at 130 degrees so I pulled it and chilled it as fast as possible. Not sure what went wrong. I used a Wolf convection steam oven (on dry conv) and I know from experience it has very powerful convection. Should I stay at the higher temp as long as it takes to get the color I want? In other Basque cheesecake recipes I’ve had a similar problem where the cake is done before the top is dark enough.
i try doing Half and after the first oven temp. Reach inside tenp 80c already. Ever try cooking first all at 66 , put in the fridege and then brown the top in the oven at high for a Fer minutes?
My customers told me how much they loved this cheesecake’s likeness to custard. I made it on the fly - one in the morning for lunch service and one in the afternoon for dinner so rushed the cooling but even with my poor planning this cheesecake recipe served me very well as the finale to my Mother’s Day meal. People left veryhappy which was the objective— Made it in Cadco mini convection oven - an old workhorse— the height achieved w the parchment-foil method was super exciting —you can see it almost rose to oven roof. thumbs up on that
Nicely done!
In the email "This Week at ChefSteps V1.15", I was sort of called out (in jest, as a way to get people to see all the cheesecake recipes) for claiming this was the best cheesecake . Ive since made the sous vide cheesecake, the vegan cheesecake (added cherry freezer jam), and the Japanese cheesecake. All very good and worth a go. However, this, for me, is still the best as an over-the-top decadent dessert. (I'll probably make it again very soon...)
Thanks again @Nicholas Gavin and team for the inspiration and the calories.
I just realized if its cooked to 125f isnt there a risk for salmonella on the eggs? Did the recipe call for pasteurized eggs?
What if you add some water to the tray and increase humidity to the oven environment. Additionally, inspire of using the recommended mold (size) just only half of the ingredients and mix fitted in the mold without overflowing. If I use half of the recommended ingredients how that modifies the temperatures and times
Hey Juan. When decreasing the amount of batter in the cake the temperature of the first phase bake in step 5 will need to go up. So in this recipe it has the oven set to 420 °F. I would raise that temp all the way up to 450 °F or 460 °F. There is a chance that you won't even need to do the second bake phase in step 6. It will be important to temp your cake at the end of the first phase bake. If you're more than 5 °F below the target temperature of 115 °F move into phase 2 of baking at 300 °F, temping your cake every 4-5 minutes.
Recap:
• Once batter is chilled and in the pan transfer cake to 460 °F oven. Because your cake isn't as tall I would consider baking one shelf higher in the oven.
(Bake for 30 min rotating the pan 180° every 10 min) Note: You will be looking for the same visual cues as written in the recipe.
• Temp you cake. If it's temping at 110-115 °F, pull cake from the oven, you're done! If below 110 °F drop the temp of the oven to 300 °F and continue baking, rotating 90° every 5 min and temping it when you go to rotate.
Tips:
• Don't be surprised if your cake is done baking in 30-40 minutes! • Maybe the most important tip. If you're decreasing the amount of batter being used I would choose to use a smaller diameter cake pan. The higher the batter goes up the side of the pan the more insolation you will have making it easier to hit your target temperature without over baking.
Has anyone tried using gluten-free flour for the recipe?
Tried this twice and failed twice. Made it in a 22cmx6cm flan ring. First time I didn't adjust the oven temperatures per the recommendation in response to Juan's comment and when I checked the temperature 20 minutes into the second bake I'd way overshot the target temp, so I pulled it. Naturally, 70% of the cake was weepy and crumbly since the the egg proteins tightened too much but there was still a custardy bit in the middle. Second time I adjusted the baking temp and time and pulled it as soon as the center hit 52. After letting it cool and overnight refrigeration I've got....a completely liquid center that oozed out the minute I cut into the cake. Just wonderful all around
There should be a note saying this recipe is for this specific fat daddios 9x3 inch spring-form pan which is actually 9x3.8 inches. I made the batter thinking it would fit my 9x3 in pan but after filling it I still found I had quite a bit of batter left over and after looking at the amazon listing dimensions(not the title which is misleading) and fat daddios site the pan is 9x3.8. I tried the recommended fixes in the comments for baking in a smaller/lower volume pan like raising the temp to 450 moving the rack up a position while temping every few minutes to ensure it didnt become overdone but I didnt get the dark brown top and it cracked a little bit. I had to use my searzall to get fairly close to the intended look.
I'm sorry you had a bad experience with both tries Lucas. Just want to clarify you were unhappy with the liquid center, correct? If that was a result you were unhappy with I can try and help trouble shooting it with you by asking a couple clarifying questions.
Love the recipe and fantastic work as always, especially with the attention to detail and amazingly precise instructions!
Tried making this for the first time a few days ago, would love to get some advice/opinions. Although the taste came out extremely well; delicately sweet with just a slight cheesy tang and the "burnt crust" had a nice caramel touch, I felt that it was too rich and almost on the side being dense. Not sure whether it was a matter of personal preference or an issue with my technique as from my knowledge, I followed everything to a tee; even with regards to hitting the targeted temperatures at every stage where it was required (except for the fact that I used whipping cream with 35% fat instead of heavy cream).
If it were a matter of personal preference, what changes would you suggest to make it less rich or dense? Would changing the cream to one with lower fat content or reducing the eggs make sense? Or if it's a matter of technique could you maybe suggest at which part I probably messed up - i.e. could I have maybe overcooked it which caused it to have an almost dense texture?
Hey Nicholas, if we want to add flavors like chocolate or pistachio paste, what would you do? Would you add the chocolate to the cream mixture or to the cheese? What do you think? Thanks.
Hey Nicholas! I gave this cake two more tries after buying a 22.6cmx10.16cm cheesecake tin to give myself a little more leeway re:time in the oven. Unfortunately I still can't seem to get it right. Both cakes held up really well when unmolded and cut but they started weeping like I do at the end of Robert Redford's 1980 masterpiece "Ordinary People" after I put them back in the fridge. And the weeping doesn't stop, I had to dab up a ring of liquid that built up every night when I went to get a piece for lunch. I'm guessing I overshot the temperature? I'm using a Thermapen One and pulling it when I get a reading of 50 C after inserting the probe in through the side, diagonally towards the very center. When I was using my flan ring during my initial 2 attempts I would insert the probe through the center into the middle and would get crazy readings in the 60s and low 70s that stabilized in the high 50s, but those cakes weren't weepy but undercooked. The edges of these last two attempts are definitely on the drier side. Not crumbly and contracted like in a curdled cheesecake, but they're definitely not the same texture as those the basque cheesecake has at one of my city's favourite restaurants.
Could it also have something to do with the amount of fat in the cream cheese I'm using? Philly Original has 10g fat per 28g (35.7% fat) and the one I'm using has 4g of fat per 15 g (26.6%) - also, 2 out of every 5 tubs of this cream cheese will have a little layer of whey at the top when I open them which I make sure to drain, so that's might be an indicator that the trouble's coming from there. It's definitely not the leanest cream cheese at the shop but is the difference considerable enough that I should try and find something just as fatty as Philly O?
Something that definitely helped me get the right texture (initially, at least) this time around was your suggestion of microwaving the cream cheese instead of just letting it come up to room temperature!
Hey Lucas, we're gonna get this figured out! Do you have any pictures you can share?
What brand of cream cheese are you using? I want to look it up and check out the ingredients in it. I think the fat % in yours should be close enough. BUT Philly has hydrocolloids in it that also help stabilize and reduce syneresis.
I made the original recipe again literally yesterday. Today, @Nicholas Gavin posted on Instagram subs for chocolate version:
Removed as it is now described perfectly in the recipe variations section, along with a "spiced pumpkin" version.
Has anyone make the spiced pumpkin version? I have made the normal one a few times and it is a family favourite but trying the spiced version tomorrow. Thought I would see if anyone had any comments yet. Thanks Helen
I think Nick says the carry over cooking carries it to the target temp of 150F, which for 4-5 minutes, should get rid of 99.99999% of salmonella risk. (source: google)
Can you make this cheesecake gluten-free by using gluten-free plain flour?
Hi.
I would love to do a pistachio version.
How could I mix the pistachio cream?
Probably the bake time for conventional ovens is either too high or too long. i pulled the cake 10 minutes early but it still overshot the internal temp by 10 degrees
Hello!
Can I make this in smaller pans? Should I just adjust cooking time accordingly to get to target internal temperature right? Less carryover cooking as well, correct? Any recommendations for temps and timings?
Making this for the second time today, as the first one came out awesome. Two thoughts:
1) Is it just me, or is 16"-wide parchment and foil not easy to get hold of? It looks like everything all the supermarkets stock here is 12" wide, and even the restaurant supply stores don't seem to do it in rolls, only in precut sheets, and I have to buy 100 at a time of those...
2) I'm cooking in the Joule Oven Air Fryer Pro, and turning 180 degrees every 10 minutes in the first phase, but the result is not an even burnish; it gets more cooked at the front and back, but is lighter in a strip across the middle. Should I perhaps be rotating it 90 degrees in phase 1 as well?
Anybody had success with 6 inch pan but same height
Tried this the first time. Went to Costco to get the wide parchment and foil. I like doing things in advance for dinner parties. I let the custard sit in the fridge for 2 days and the finished cheesecake 3 days longer, wrapped. When doing the first stage bake, I only started to see small burnished spots in the last five minutes. I suspect my 36 inch oven was not hot enough. I will need to calibrate next time. I ended up leaving it longer than 30 minutes in the 1st bake until burnished. I knew there would be consequences. After the second stage bake, the very center had the gooy-ness, but not the whole middle layer. And I didn’t get the nice dark burnish. None of the guests noticed. They all thought it was fantastic. Served it with dulce de leche. Fantastic recipe, will do this again. Thank-you ChefSteps.
Thank for the feedback and detailed notes Mark. I'm happy to hear everyone still got to enjoy the cheesecake! I do love experimenting with cheesecakes because at the end of the day if it's not perfect it still eats amazing. Would love to try and figure out what happened with the first cook if you don't mind answering a few questions. Do you remember what the total time was for the first bake? Were you baking at 420 °F / 216 °C with fan or 440 °F / 227 °C without fan?
Yes went from fridge at 4c to quick stir and blast from blow torch into oven in less then 5 minutes. Modern Miele oven set to 420F on convection bake. Saw first burnish spots at 25 minutes. Kept in first bake for total of 45 minutes until cake was more evenly burnished, while checking the center temperature several times. Then went for the second bake taking it out at temperature - 40 minutes at 300F. I’m thinking my oven just wasn’t hot enough. Either I didn’t let the oven preheat long enough after reaching temperature or the oven temperature is reading a little low. I was just going to set the temperature for the first bake to 425F and let oven preheat longer once temp is reached. It’s really not that far off from perfection. 😋
Hi everyone, I’ve made the original recipe twice and the Pumpkin version once., All three times it came out excellent with minor notes.
My first attempt was the best: evenly burnished, visually close to the ChefSteps result, and very controlled. It took longer than 30 minutes, and I relied on internal temperature rather than timing. I did need to babysit it closely in the oven.
The second attempt was also very good, though it didn’t develop as much color. When it reached 115°F, I removed it and lightly torched the top with a kitchen blowtorch for additional burnishing. That worked very well.
I recently tried the pumpkin variation and ran into an issue. During the straining step, a large portion of the spice mixture was caught in the sieve/strainer and couldn’t be reincorporated. As a result, the final cake lacked flavor and didn’t have a strong pumpkin profile. My recommendation: strain the base into a separate container first to fully smooth it, then add the spices afterward and let it rest before baking.
The cake rose similarly to the original, but the texture was noticeably denser and less silky — it felt like a different product rather than a variation of the same recipe. Also worth noting: the spice blend is quite anise-forward with noticeable orange notes. I enjoyed that, but it may not be for everyone. If anyone from ChefSteps has guidance on how to better handle the spice incorporation, I’d appreciate it. Thanks again for a great recipe.
I’ve made this twice. The first time was great, the second time was even better. Some places in Spain bake the cake in small individual wooden containers. Any thoughts on how to adjust temperature and time for small cakes (3-4 inches)?
Hey Kirk, glad to hear it's getting dialed in for you! Are you making any tweaks or adjustments that are helping your results? Seeing the amount of comments in this recipe and passion people have for it I might need to do a trouble shooting video. I'm unfamiliar with the little ones in wooden containers. Any chance you have a picture or a link you can share to them? I really wanna see these!
Let me give your question some thought and maybe a try in the kitchen. The reason being is when you get smaller with these cake it isn't necessarily as simple as "go hotter and shorter right"? Sure likely you will need to bake as hot as your oven can go, (450-470 °F) for 20-35 min. But the temp of the batter, aging time casted, distance from the oven elements and height of side sides, and pull temp, play a critical part. Side note: Sometimes with smaller ones a dusting of fine caster sugar on the top helps accelerate the browning during the bake.
Erick you're a legend, thanks for sharing these detailed notes! For my own curiosity do you have any thoughts as to why the coloring was different on your second attempt of the original recipe? Any small adjustments in the process? Regarding your question about a better way to incorporate the spice mix this is what I've done before for fun. After the base has been chilled, strain it into the prepared pan. Take your spice blend and dust it evenly over the surface of the cake. Like you said you might have a few little guys trapped in the sieve that can't make it through, just throw them in. Take a fork or skewer and begin swirling the spice into the batter creating flavorful streaks. Now you're ready to rock.
Sorry to leave you hanging Erica. Unfortunately I don't have an exact recipe for you at the moment but I would like to make a pistachio version too! I did a couple trials for a pistachio one very early on. I ground pistachios and folded them into the base after straining and then chilled the base. I don't know why I didn't foresee this but all the ground pistachios sank to the bottom and almost formed it's own version of the curst. It was good enough to eat obviously but didn't have a cool mosaic. But yea to your point about pistachio cream, I think it would work. Thats going to be my next trial when I get around to it. I would estimate the amount of it you may want to add and then omit that weight of cream cheese. Incorporate the paste during the blending step with the cheese. Sasha highly recommends this pistachio cream.
have you ever thought of putting a little grated hard cheese in it ? like manchego or pecorino..interested to try. a little subconscious umami hint, maybe salt substitute ?
Hi Nicholas, thanks for your wonderful response.
Regarding my second attempt, I honestly couldn’t tell you why it didn’t burnish the same way as before. I do remember from your video that there were subtle differences between batches during your testing as well, so I didn’t want to overbake the cake. Instead, I pulled it while it was still hot and very lightly hit the top with a blowtorch. It worked like a charm; though you definitely have to be careful around the parchment paper, since it catches fire very quickly.
That’s an awesome idea regarding the spice mixture. I’ll definitely try that next time. For everyone following along, this recipe is absolutely a strong contender for permanent rotation status. I think I’ll take a brief cheesecake break before eventually giving the chocolate variation a go.
