Basuku me, Babycakes! Basque "Burnt Cheesecake" - The Ketolicious Way

With months and months of quarantines, wildfires, economic instability, and polarizing politics, it's small wonder everyone's cortisol levels are astronomic.  This global pandemic has been disastrous in all respects except one - people who are cooped up at home have finally found what is often the most neglected place in the house for modern wo/man - the kitchen and are finally making use of the most neglected appliance in that neglected room - the oven! Yes, COVID-19 has spawned a new generation of (temporarily) dedicated bakers, and when everyone got tired of their sourdough starters, a new trend emerged from the Instagrammed masses -  “Basque-style burnt cheesecake” - a sensation that didn't start in 2020, but has certainly gained trending momentum since March, especially when Bay Area resident and restaurant consultant Charles Chen turned his hobby of making these burnt caramel crusted cheesecakes into a bonafide culinary phenomenon during these pandemic-times. Limited quantities of these smooth and creamy cheesecakes have made them a hot commodity, often selling out online in mere minutes. At $56 a pop, I thought perhaps it was time for me to try to bake one instead of buy one. 

Now, I have been a Keto-maven since 2017 and so, naturally, I subbed in Swerve and almond flour for my keto-friendly rendition of the Basque “Burnt” Cheesecake originally made famous by the La Viña in San Sebastian (pictured below). Unlike other cheesecakes, this cheesecake is baked at a high temperature, served at room temperature, has a caramelized exterior and gooey interior. 

The texture of this cheesecake is unreal. It’s like biting into a triple cream brie. In fact, biting is the wrong word... it’s too meltingly silken to actually dig your teeth into and bite... it just sort of bathes and luxuriates on your tastebuds as it evaporates off your tongue. The center is incredibly jiggly when just out of the oven - this is what you want so resist the temptation to bake it longer - and the top should be quite burnished, but as the cake cools the center firms and the top whitens. I’m betting regular sugar would create an even darker exterior but the caramelized flavor is present even with Swerve. When baking time is over, the center will look incredibly jiggly but that’s what you want... then you take it out of the oven and let it cool completely, but unlike other cheesecakes you don’t chill it in the fridge to serve it... you serve it at room temperature... then of course you store leftovers in the fridge but this cheesecake is best eaten at room temperature.

Okay so... I used a 9” Springform pan, sprayed the bottom with avocado oil then lined the inside with parchment paper... the parchment paper should overhang 2-3 inches on all sides, just crinkle it in there... it gives the cheesecake its distinctive look and helps with the unmolding. I reinforced the pan’s bottom with aluminum foil and placed the pan on a baking sheet and after I prepared the batter I filled the pan. Like so: 

Once it's baked it should look like so: 

Basque "Burnt Cheesecake" - The Ketolicious Way

Ingredients:

2 lbs of cream cheese at room temperature - it’s vitally important all the ingredients are at room temperature or else the batter will be lumpy

1/2 cup sour cream

1 pint (2 cups) of heavy whipping cream

1-1/2 cups of Powdered Swerve ( you can use confectioners sugar if you aren’t keto - Swerve is a brand of sugar substitute and it can be subbed for sugar in a 1:1 ratio, if you use a different brand of sweetener you may need to adjust the amount)

1/4 cup almond flour ( you can use all-purpose flour if you aren’t keto)

4 eggs (room temperature )

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp kosher salt

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees

I used a food processor to create the custard, but you can use a mixer or hand-mix it

Process the cream cheese and sour cream until it looks like whipped butter,

Then add the sweetener, and let them cream together well, you want that sweetener completely dissolved into the cheese which is why I used powdered not granular. You will need to stop to scrape down the sides occasionally through this entire process.

Then add the heavy cream to the batter, incorporate it well.

Then add the vanilla, salt, and flour - process until smooth. Stop to scrape sides as necessary while processing.

Then add the eggs to the batter one at a time - briefly processing each one before adding the next one.

Be sure it’s completely blended but once you add those eggs don’t overwork them or your cheesecake will crack and the texture will be mealy.

Pour batter in a 9-inch springform pan lined with parchment paper (leaving at least 2 inches of overhang off the sides) on a rack slightly higher than the middle of the oven, and bake for 55 minutes. At all costs, do not overbake. Better to underbake it and let it firm up as it chills. 

The top will brown, the center will remain jiggly. As it cools at room temperature, the top will actually whiten a bit again and the center will firm up. Let it cool completely at room temperature before unmolding and serving and be gentle as you unmold it so as not to lose any precious cheesecake.

Store leftovers in fridge. Voila! Simple!