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Burnt cheesecake

March 23, 2020 (Last Updated: March 21, 2020)

Slightly undercooked and creamy inside with a blackened top is what defines this dish, which is also known as Basque cheesecake due to originating from this region of northern Spain.

Recipe and styling by Nomvuselelo Mncube

Photograph by Hema Patel

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Burnt cheesecake

Serves: 8

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins + 2 hrs, to chill

Ingredients

2 x 250g tubs cream cheese, at room temperature
200g ricotta cheese
100ml cream
4 extra-large eggs
230g castor sugar
1 tbsp cake flour
pinch salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp ground cinnamon
60ml (¼ cup) lemon juice

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Grease and line the base and sides of a 23cm springform cake tin with baking paper. Make sure the paper comes 5cm above the rim of the tin.

Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, ricotta and fresh cream together until well combined. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Gradually add the sugar, flour, salt, vanilla extract, cinnamon and lemon juice, and beat until mixed well. Pour batter into the prepared cake tin and tap the tin gently on a flat surface to remove any air bubbles.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes – the cheesecake should be slightly undercooked with a wobble. Turn the oven to grill on its highest setting and leave the cheesecake to char on top, 5 minutes. Remove from oven and leave to cool completely before taking out of the tin. Transfer to a serving platter and refrigerate until cold, 2 hours.