Easiest Way to Cook Delicious Basque Cheesecake ‘Tarta De Queso’

Basque Cheesecake ‘Tarta De Queso’. It's got the foundation of a basic cheesecake recipe, using a combo of cream cheese, heavy cream, eggs, and sugar. The only differences here are a lack of crust and the burnt topping. Recently, my wife's friend Sari, brought home for her birthday the best Basque baked cheesecake I have ever tried.

The recipe is a simple combination of classic cheesecake ingredients such as sugar, heavy cream, eggs, and cream cheese, but unlike its more popular counterparts, this Basque version does not have any. Tarta de queso al horno, which loosely translates into oven-baked cheesecake. S., this deep, dark, and mysterious dessert is usually called Basque Burnt Cheesecake. You can have Basque Cheesecake ‘Tarta De Queso’ using 7 ingredients and 5 steps. Here is how you achieve it.

Ingredients of Basque Cheesecake ‘Tarta De Queso’

1. Prepare of Cream Cheese *softened.
2. It's of Caster Sugar.
3. It's of Eggs *room temperature.
4. It's of Thickened Cream.
5. Prepare of Plain Flour *optional, but it makes the texture better.
6. It's of Lemon Juice.
7. It's of Brandy *optional.

I don't like to add the "burnt" part to the title, because this cheesecake is anything but—it's divine. Mix all ingredients using a beater or immersion blender. By the subjective standards of cheesecake, Basque Cheesecake is burnt, but it is not cooked so long that the top turns to carbon. There are two non-enzymatic browning reactions happening here.

Basque Cheesecake ‘Tarta De Queso’ instructions

1. Preheat oven to 220℃. Line base and sides of 18cm (OR smaller) cake tin with baking paper. *Note: The cake will rise quite a bit, though it will shrink when cooled..
2. Place softened Cream Cheese in a bowl, add Caster Sugar, and use a whisk to mix well. Gradually add lightly whisked Eggs and mix well until smooth..
3. Add Cream, Plain Flour, Lemon Juice and Brandy (*optional), and mix well. You can do the whole process using a blender. The mixture is very soft and runny..
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Bake for 30 minutes. The top will turn dark brown and it is normal, but you may wish to turn down the temperature..
5. Allow to cool completely in the tin. I recommend to chill it in the fridge when it is cool enough. Take the cake out of the tin just before you serve it..

The first is the caramelization of the sugar, which creates aromatic compounds such as Diacetyl and Maltol, which give the top the flavor of caramel. Also called "Tarta de Queso", this delicious "a bite isn't enough" cake is just the right finishing touch after a hearty meal. I had my first taste of Basque cheesecake last year on our vacation in Biarritz, France which is in the French Basque country. Its blackened top, surrounded by a flutter of burnt parchment paper, hides a center the texture of soft custard. Tarta de queso, known as gazta tarta in the Basque Region, is a cheesecake that is crustless, creamy, tender, and really amazing — it's known as Burnt Basque Cheesecake here in the states.