This San Sebastian cheesecake, also known as Spanish burnt cheesecake, is creamy and silky smooth and has a caramelized burnt top that is delish!
If you love cheesecake recipes as we do, you should check out our mango cheesecake, Nutella cheesecake, Oreo cheesecake, and our Biscoff cheesecake. You will love all of these recipes!
If you want to make this cheesecake smaller, we have a mini burnt basque cheesecake recipe available! Click here!
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What is san Sebastian cheesecake?
This cheesecake also known as burnt basque cheesecake, Spanish cheesecake, tarta de queso, is a cheesecake that is baked at high temperature.
The most known part about this cheesecake is its caramelized tops that give it a delicious flavor. This cheesecake is creamy and silky smooth and very easy to make!
Why this recipe works
- Is a no-fail cheesecake. It's already burnt and cracked, so you can't mess this up!
- Has a caramelized burnt top that gives this cheesecake its unique flavor.
- Made with simple ingredients.
- No need for a water bath.
- Is a crustless cheesecake!
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Cream cheese- the most important ingredient in this recipe, is the cream cheese. Make sure that you are using full-fat cream cheese, it's important that you use full-fat cream cheese and make sure that it’s at room temperature.
Granulated sugar- you will need one cup of granulated sugar for this recipe. The cheesecake will be sweet, but not too sweet. One cup of sugar is the perfect balance of sweetness for this recipe.
Eggs- you will need 5 large eggs for this recipe. Make sure that the eggs are at room temperature.
Heavy cream- make sure that your heavy cream is at room temperature.
Vanilla extract- vanilla extract adds extra flavor.
Lemon zest- the lemon zest adds an aroma and a light flavor to this cake. Don’t worry, this cheesecake will not taste like a lemon cheesecake.
Flour- you can either use flour or cornstarch. for a gluten-free filling, replace the flour with cornstarch.
A pinch of salt- helps to balance the flavors.
Instructions
Prepare a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper, and preheat an oven to 200c (400f).
In a big mixing bowl, add the room temperature cream cheese, kosher salt, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla extract, and mix with an electric hand mixer until the cream cheese is creamy.
Add the eggs one at a time, and mix until combined. Don't overmix.
Add the heavy cream and sift in the flour. Mix until combined and there are no lumps of flour.
Pour the cheesecake batter into the parchment paper-lined baking pan and release air bubbles by tapping the pan onto a flat surface.
Bake the cheesecake in a 200c (400f) preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until the top of the cheesecake is burnt and there is a slight jiggle to the cheesecake.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool to room temperature. Remove the cake from the pan and serve either at room temperature or cool from the fridge!
Expert Tips
- Make sure that you are using room-temperature cream cheese in this recipe, this step makes it easier to mix the cream cheese with no unnecessary lumps, we don’t want that.
- Use a springform tin. We use springform tins for all of our cheesecake recipes. This makes sure that your cake will be easy to release from the pan.
- Use high-fat cream cheese or the well-known Philadelphia cream cheese. Using full-fat cream cheese ensures you that your cheesecake will be stable and will not crack.
- Let your cheesecake cool in the fridge for at least 5 hours. We know it’s very hard to resist eating this delicious cheesecake right away, but you have to let the cheesecake cool and set it in the pan. We like to let the cheesecake sit in the fridge overnight.
- For a smooth and creamy cheesecake, make sure that you are using room-temperature ingredients. Before you begin to make this cheesecake, make sure that your cream cheese is completely soft, and that your eggs are at room temperature.
- Don’t overbeat the mixture! It's really easy to overbeat the mixture, and that is one of the most common mistakes. To avoid overbeating your mixture, make sure that you lower the speed of the hand mixer and add each egg at a time.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently to ensure that you have a homogeneous mixture that has no cream cheese lumps.
- Don't open the oven door before the cake is fully baked or about to be baked! Drastic changes in the temperature of the cake while baking can cause the cake to collapse or crack.
Faq's
You will know that your cheesecake is done baking when you see that the edges of the cheesecake are set, but the middle is a bit jiggly.
Don’t worry! The middle of the cake will be set in the cooling process.
Cutting cheesecake, the right way is very important. To get even and clean cheesecake slices, make sure that you are using a serrated knife.
Our favorite way to cut cheesecake and cakes is by dipping a long knife into hot water, once the knife warms up, wipe off the excess water, and slice the cake. Dip and wipe the knife between every slice.
We used a 9-inch springform pan for this recipe.
Freezing
To freeze this cheesecake, bake it according to the instructions, then cool it according to the instructions in the fridge.
When the cake is completely cooled, you can freeze the cake covered in a few layers of plastic wrap or foil.
This cheesecake will freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, place the cheesecake in the fridge overnight.
Storing
Store this cheesecake in the fridge (because it contains dairy) covered tightly with plastic wrap for up to 5 days. I like eating this the day after.
Substitutions
Gluten-free - if you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the flour with cornstarch or with gluten-free flour.
Variations
Citrus - add 1 teaspoon of lemon zest or orange zest to add a nice flavor to this cheesecake. This step is highly recommended. We love adding zest to cheesecakes.
Chocolate- If you like a chocolate flavor in your cheesecake, add 50 grams of melted dark chocolate into the cheesecake batter and bake according to the instructions.
Bake it less- If you like a super soft creamy middle in your cheesecake, bake it for less. If the top isn't brown enough, you can turn on the broil setting in your oven for a few minutes for it to brown (keep an eye so it wouldn't burn).
Topping ideas
- Strawberry sauce
- Cherry sauce
- Caramel sauce
- Fresh berries
- Whipped cream
- Chocolate ganache
- Chocolate whipped cream
- Blueberry sauce
- Raspberry sauce
More cheesecake recipes
Twix cheesecake- This Twix cheesecake is made with a creamy caramel cheesecake filling, topped with caramel sauce, chocolate ganache, and plenty of Twix candy.
Triple chocolate cheesecake- This triple chocolate cake is made with an oreo crust, baked with a delicious and creamy chocolate cheesecake filling, and topped with chocolate ganache, topped with chocolate whipped cream, and topped with chocolate sprinkles!
New york cheesecake- This new york cheesecake is smooth, creamy, and bakes with no water bath and no cracks! We found the perfect classic cheesecake recipe that you will keep in your recipe book for life.
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📖 Recipe
San Sebastian Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 900 g Cream cheese
- 1 ⅔ cup Sugar
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ cup Flour
- 5 Eggs
- 2 cups Heavy cream
Instructions
- Prepare a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper, and preheat an oven to 200c (400f).
- In a big mixing bowl, add the room temperature cream cheese, kosher salt, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla extract, and mix with an electric hand mixer until the cream cheese is creamy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, and mix until combined. Don't overmix.
- Add the heavy cream and sift in the flour. Mix until combined and there are no lumps of flour.
- Pour the cheesecake batter into the parchment paper-lined baking pan and release air bubbles by tapping the pan onto a flat surface.
- Bake the cheesecake in a 200c (400f) preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until the top of the cheesecake is burnt and there is a slight jiggle to the cheesecake.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool to room temperature. Remove the cake from the pan and serve either at room temperature or cool from the fridge!
Tara Camp says
Best recipe ever! I've never had a better cheesecake than this!