🍰 Cheesecakes
Basque burnt cheesecake
Bronzed on top, custardy in the middle, and gloriously unfussy
⏱️ Time estimate: about 1 hour 10 minutes, plus cooling
A crustless cheesecake with cream cheese, sour cream, and just enough cornstarch to hold a soft, jiggly center under its burnished top.
Ingredients
- 600 grams full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 175 grams caster or superfine sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 300 milliliters sour cream, at room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 25 grams cornflour or 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Optional liquorice sauce
- 15 grams hard pure liquorice pellets
- 90 grams caster or superfine sugar
- 300 milliliters water
- Pinch of salt, optional
Instructions
- Line the pan. Heat the oven to 400°F. Line an 8-inch springform pan with two overlapping sheets of parchment, leaving plenty of overhang.
- Beat the base. Beat the cream cheese and sugar until light and smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the sour cream.
- Finish the batter. Beat in the salt and cornstarch a little at a time, scrape the bowl, and stir well.
- Bake. Pour into the lined pan, tap it on the counter a few times to release bubbles, and bake 50 minutes. The top should be deeply bronzed and the center still very jiggly.
- Cool. Let cool on a rack for about 3 hours. It will sink a little in the middle, which is part of the charm.
- Optional sauce. Simmer the liquorice pellets, sugar, and water until dissolved and reduced to a syrupy consistency, then cool.
- Serve. Eat at room temperature, optionally with berries or a drizzle of the dark liquorice sauce.
The hardest part is trusting the wobble. It really is supposed to look underdone when it leaves the oven.