Basque Cheesecake with Summer Fruit

Basque cheesecake has a creamy, custardy centre and a golden, caramelised ‘burnt’ top. This is a delicious dessert that is easy to master and will impress your guests this Christmas.

Basque Cheesecake with Summer Fruit

Ingredients:

750g cream cheese, cubed and left at room temperature for half an hour
3/4 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup coconut sugar
4 free range eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups double (thick) cream, left at room temperature for half an hour
1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
Zest of one lemon
2 tbsp rice flour

Summer fruit of your choice, to serve

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 210 degrees fan forced. Grease, then line a circular cake pan with three sheets of baking paper, overlapping and facing opposite directions. Push the paper down into each crease of the pan. Ensure the paper covers 4cm above the top of the pan as the cake will significantly rise.

2. Place the cream cheese, caster sugar and coconut sugar in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Attach the whisk attachment and mix at high speed for 6 minutes or until smooth.

3. Reduce to a medium speed and gradually add in each egg until combined. Slowly incorporate the cream, vanilla and lemon zest, whisking until smooth. Add rice flour and mix until thick.

4. Pour the cake mixture into the pan. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20 minutes, rotate the pan, then bake for a further 25 minutes.

5. Remove cake from oven and leave at room temperature to set for one hour. Refrigerate until completely chilled before slicing. Serve with summer fruit of your choice, enjoy!

Tips:

This cake is designed to rise up like a souffle in the oven then drop as it cools. Once removed from the oven, the cake will have a very wobbly middle, this is normal and it will set as it cools. Basque cheesecake is naturally very creamy and soft and should be nicely caramelised, if not a little burnt, on top!

Basque Cheesecake with Summer Fruit

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