Recipes
Basque Cheesecake|Weston Table

Sweet Things

Basque Cheesecake

The first and only "pintxos dessert", the Tarta de Queso made famous by La Viña has been served since 1959 in Old Town San Sebastian, Spain. Last Christmas we ate our way through the streets of Donostia and devoured this creamy, caramelized topped after dinner treat standing up outside the restaurant (the line to sit was so long and turns out the locals often eat standing up and socializing in the streets of Old Town) with a shot of sherry chaser the way Spaniards traditionally serve it. Luck would have it, Chef Lander from the Amaur Cooking Studio taught us to make it. Visiting his flat tucked into a residential neighborhood within walking distance of Old Town was a highlight of our family vacation and if you find yourself planning a trip to this foodie forward city, it is one of the delights of visiting Basque country. 

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cuisine Basque
difficulty Easy
season Year Round
serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

  • 300 grams Philadelphia Cream Cheese, room temperature
  • 125 grams of white granulated sugar
  • 300 grams heavy cream (35% fat), room temperature
  • 2 extra large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon flour, sifted
  • Pinch of sea salt

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Add all the ingredient to the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Mix until smooth, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl to make certain there are no lumps and that the eggs are completely incorporated.
  3. Place a piece of parchment paper into the center of a 6" springform pan and push and fold to fit around the edges and above the pan a couple of inches.
  4. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared pan.
  5. Bake the cake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top is caramelized but the center is still a bit jiggly (start checking at the 45 minute mark as every oven is different).
  6. Set aside to cool it to the room temperature, at least two hours.
  7. Carefully unlatch the springform pan and peel back the parchment paper.
  8. Slice the cake and serve immediately.

Kitchen Notes

All ingredients must be at room temperature. It is important to remove the cake when it is still a bit wiggly to maintain the creamiest texture. Lemon zest, vanilla, or even finely shredded cheese are traditional additions. Serve with coffee or a dessert wine. It is important for the texture of the cake to use 35% fat cream--check the fat content on the side of the packaging. Sometimes light whipping cream has this amount and sometimes heavy cream depending on the brand.

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