Marbled Basque "Burnt" Cheesecake, any flavour you'd like

Video Description

Want a cheesecake that's impossible to screw up? Basque style is the one for you. The cake is baked in a hot oven and intentionally left to "burn". The outside gets deeply burnished brown, the top cracked and sunken, yet somehow the inside stays impossibly soft and creamy. It's the cheesecake with modern sensibilities: casual, boldly flavoursome, textural, and perfectly imperfect. I take it one step further by marbling in different flavours. In the video, you'll see three of my favourite variations: chocolate, matcha, and ube. Come say hi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheldoskitchen/ Marbled Basque Cheesecake 6” (15 cm) Metric - 500g (2 blocks) cream cheese, softened @ room temp - 166g (1/2 cup + 1/3 cup) sugar - 3 large eggs + 1 egg yolk (~50g each w/o shell) - 265mL (1 cup + 1 tbsp) cream, room temp - 1/4 tsp fine sea salt / table salt - 1/2 tsp vanilla extract - 20g (2 tbsp) all-purpose flour 6" Imperial - 16 oz (2 blocks) cream cheese, softened @ room temp - 150g (3/4 cup) sugar - 3 large eggs (~50g each w/o shell) - 1 cup (240mL) cream, room temp - 1/4 tsp fine sea salt / table salt - 1/2 tsp vanilla extract - 18g (~2 tbsp) all-purpose flour 8" (20 cm) Metric - 750g (3 blocks) cream cheese, softened @ room temp - 250g (1-1/4 cup) sugar - 5 large eggs, room temp (~50g each w/o shell) - 400mL (~400g) cream, room temp - 1/2 tsp fine sea salt / table salt - 1 tsp vanilla extract - 30g (3 tbsp) all-purpose flour 8” Imperial - 24oz (3 blocks) cream cheese**, room temp** - 8 oz (1 cup + 2 tbsp) sugar - 4 large eggs + 1 egg yolk (~50g each egg w/o shell) - 360mL (1-1/2 cups) cream, room temp - 1/2 tsp fine sea salt / table salt - 1 tsp vanilla extract - 27g (~3 tbsp) all-purpose flour 6” Cake Flavour - 2 tbsp (13g) cocoa or matcha powder - ~1/2 cup (~120mL) cream (omit 1/4 cup (60mL) cream from recipe) 8” Cake Flavour - 3 tbsp (20g) cocoa or matcha powder - ~3/4 cup (~180mL) cream (omit 1/3 cup (80mL) cream from recipe) Make Batter 1. Pre-heat oven to 475F with rack in upper third of the oven. 2. Line a 6”x3” (15 cm x 7.5 cm) or 8”x3” (20 cm x 7.5 cm) cake pan with two sheets of parchment paper. 3. Add cream cheese to a large mixing bowl. Mix on medium until soft and fluffy. Add in sugar. Mix until sugar is fully dissolved into the cheese, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape bowl halfway through. 4. Add eggs one at a time, beating until each egg is combined before adding the next one. Scrape bowl halfway through. 5. Add salt and vanilla extract. Mix on low to combine. With mixer still running, slowly stream in cream. Mix in cream until batter is smooth. 6. Sift in all-purpose flour. Fold flour into batter until combined. Scrape down the bowl in the process. Add Flavour (optional) 1. Divide batter into 3 portions, one larger (leave plain), one medium (moderate flavour/colour), one slightly smaller (most saturated/concentrated). 2. If using matcha or cocoa powder, add powder to a large bowl. Alternate between adding splashes of cream and whisking vigorously. Keep whisking until a smooth moderately thick paste forms. 3. Add 1/3 of the paste to the medium portion of batter and 2/3 of the paste to the smallest portion of batter. Whisk to combine smoothly. 4. If using bakery emulsion, add enough so that the smallest batter portion is the darkest and the medium is a moderate colour. Leave largest batter portion plain. Bake 1. Pour batter starting with smallest/darkest portion, then medium, then largest/lightest portion. With each subsequent pour, do so quickly from a height so that the batter hits the bottom of the pan. Swirl just the surface of the batter to create a marble pattern. 2. Transfer cake pan to a baking tray and place in the oven. 3. Bake for 30-45 minutes. At 30 minutes, start checking the cake. It’s done when the cake is puffed up, top cracked and browned. The centre should be wobbly but not too liquid. If not done, keep baking, checking every 5 minutes. For a firmer texture, bake until the cake is mostly set but centre slightly wobbly when shaken. Cool & Serve 1. Let cake cool in the pan completely, at least 2 hours at room temp. 2. Once cooled, lift cake out with the parchment paper. Gently peel back the parchment and transfer cake to a serving plate. 3. Dunk a knife in boiling water to get clean cuts. Re-heat the knife and wipe clean with damp towel between each cut. 4. If desired, once cake is cooled, take it out of the pan, place in a sealed container, and refrigerate until ready to serve. Let cake come back to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving. 00:00 Intro 00:57 Recipe Begins 01:24 Make Batter 01:42 Cream Cheese: Metric vs. Imperial 02:11 Batter Cont'd 03:16 Flavour Possibilities 04:19 Divide Batter 04:39 Ube 04:56 Chocolate & Matcha 05:43 Pour Batter 06:11 Bake 07:11 Cool Completely 07:37 Serving & Slicing 07:58 Texture & Flavour 08:37 More on Matcha 08:49 More on Ube 09:11 Plain Cake w/ Berries & Cream 09:29 Outro