Whisks At The Ready: Esther’s Burnt Basque Cheesecake

Auckland, we miss you here at Esther. Our tables are void of your laughter and the gold disco ball oven has gone cold with the lack of Puff Bread production. Until we can welcome you in again, we’re sending a bit of QT to your bubble.

Lockdown bakers, this one’s for you. Now that you’ve mastered the perfect sourdough loaf, it’s time to diversify your recipe portfolio with something more worldly.

We’ve managed to convince Esther’s Head Chef, Sean Connolly, to share his secret recipe for one of Auckland’s best Burnt Basque Cheesecakes with us.

This golden treat, also know as tarta de queso, originates from the beautiful Basque region in Spain. A relatively simple dish, with an ingredients list you can recognise, this dessert really is something else. Wonderfully silky and smooth on the inside and torched to perfection on top. Read on to create your own drool-worthy dessert!

You’ll need:

• 23cm cake tin
• Electric beater
• Baking paper
• 600g cream cheese
• 4 eggs
• 275 grams caster sugar
• 300ml double thick cream
• 15 grams plain flour
• 1.5 grams salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease and line the base and sides of a 23cm springform cake pan with baking paper, so the paper comes 2cm above the rim of the pan. Crumble the paper between your hands before you line the tin.
2. Beat the cream cheese using an electric beater until smooth and creamy.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Gradually beat the sugar, then the cream, then add the flour and beat until smooth.
5. Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared pan and tap the pan gently on a flat surface to remove any air bubbles.
6. Bake for 50 minutes or until the top is dark brown and the cake is set but with a slight wobble in the centre and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
7. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely before removing from the the pan. This cake is best eaten within a few hours of baking.

It’s time to create and devour something beautiful.