Born in a resort town in Spain, Basque cheesecake is a rich, gooey dessert that differs in texture and taste from New York cheesecake. 


Basque Cheesecake Recipe: 4 Tips for Making the Dessert

Unlike classic New York cheesecake, Burnt Basque cheesecake isn’t smooth or dense; instead, the dessert—baked at a high temperature—is light and scorched and caramelized on the top with a rich, gooey interior. Made with cream cheese, sugar, and eggs, Basque cheesecakes don’t have a crust, giving it a similar feel to a mousse. Its outer edges are typically wrinkled and nonuniform, thanks to cooking the cheesecake in parchment paper. 

The dessert originates from La Viña, a cafe in the resort town of San Sebastian in the Basque region of Spain. In 1990, Chef Santiago Rivera embarked on an experiment to make a new type of cake every day. Eventually, he developed the Basque cheesecake recipe. 

While the cheesecakes both include cream cheese, there are a few differences between the two, including:

- __Crust__: A graham cracker crust encases the classic cheesecake found in the United States. The Basque [cheesecake](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/cheesecake-recipe) does not have a crust.
- __Appearance__: New York cheesecake looks neat and smooth on a plate. Meanwhile, the Basque counterpart is irregular, rough, and charred, with a dark brown color. The torched outside resembles a [crème brulée](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/easy-vanilla-creme-brulee-recipe). 
- __Texture__: Basque-style cheesecake is airy and light, akin to a soufflé or mousse. Classic cheesecake is dense and creamy. 

Basque cheese is perfect for customization. You can change the taste or texture slightly by serving it chilled, at room temperature, or still warm. You can also add lemon zest, vanilla, or other flavors. Here are four tips for making the dessert: 

1. __Use a heated knife__. With a heated serrated knife, cut your cheesecake. Dip the blade in hot water after every cut or when the cheesecake starts to cling to the knife. 
2. __Line springform cake pan with parchment paper__. Use two sheets of parchment paper, ensuring it sticks up at least two inches overthe top of the pan’s sides with no overhang down the sides. Doing this prevents the cheesecake batter from overflowing while baking. 
3. __Bring ingredients to room temperature__. You should do this for all ingredients, but especially your cream cheese, which may clump if it’s too cold. Room-temperature ingredients will make everything easier to mix.
4. __Don’t overbake your cheesecake__. Pull it out of the oven when it still has a bit of wobble to prevent the filling from curdling and developing an unpleasant texture.
Born in a resort town in Spain, Basque cheesecake is a rich, gooey dessert that differs in texture and taste from New York cheesecake. 


Unlike classic New York cheesecake, Burnt Basque cheesecake isn’t smooth or dense; instead, the dessert—baked at a high temperature—is light and scorched and caramelized on the top with a rich, gooey interior. Made with cream cheese, sugar, and eggs, Basque cheesecakes don’t have a crust, giving it a similar feel to a mousse. Its outer edges are typically wrinkled and nonuniform, thanks to cooking the cheesecake in parchment paper. The dessert originates from La Viña, a cafe in the resort town of San Sebastian in the Basque region of Spain. In 1990, Chef Santiago Rivera embarked on an experiment to make a new type of cake every day. Eventually, he developed the Basque cheesecake recipe.

What Is Basque Cheesecake? 

While the cheesecakes both include cream cheese, there are a few differences between the two, including:<ul class="mc-m-4 list-styled"><li class="">Crust: A graham cracker crust encases the classic cheesecake found in the United States. The Basque <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/cheesecake-recipe' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/cheesecake-recipe","linkCopy":"cheesecake","category":null}'>cheesecake</a> does not have a crust. </li><li class="">Appearance: New York cheesecake looks neat and smooth on a plate. Meanwhile, the Basque counterpart is irregular, rough, and charred, with a dark brown color. The torched outside resembles a <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/easy-vanilla-creme-brulee-recipe' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/easy-vanilla-creme-brulee-recipe","linkCopy":"crème brulée","category":null}'>crème brulée</a>. </li><li class="">Texture: Basque-style cheesecake is airy and light, akin to a soufflé or mousse. Classic cheesecake is dense and creamy. </li></ul>

Basque Cheesecake vs. New York Cheesecake

Basque cheese is perfect for customization. You can change the taste or texture slightly by serving it chilled, at room temperature, or still warm. You can also add lemon zest, vanilla, or other flavors. Here are four tips for making the dessert: <ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Use a heated knife. With a heated serrated knife, cut your cheesecake. Dip the blade in hot water after every cut or when the cheesecake starts to cling to the knife. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Line springform cake pan with parchment paper. Use two sheets of parchment paper, ensuring it sticks up at least two inches overthe top of the pan’s sides with no overhang down the sides. Doing this prevents the cheesecake batter from overflowing while baking. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Bring ingredients to room temperature. You should do this for all ingredients, but especially your cream cheese, which may clump if it’s too cold. Room-temperature ingredients will make everything easier to mix. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 4. Don’t overbake your cheesecake. Pull it out of the oven when it still has a bit of wobble to prevent the filling from curdling and developing an unpleasant texture. </li></ol>

4 Tips for Making Basque Cheesecake

Basque Cheesecake Recipe

Born in a resort town in Spain, Basque cheesecake is a rich, gooey dessert that differs in texture and taste from New York cheesecake.