This is a crustless cheesecake that originally came from Spain. WIth a golden top, it makes quite a showstopper!
It’s no surprise that my family (and extended family) adores cheesecake. I made several each year, mostly during the holidays. There’s usually a discussion about what type of crust is best – Oreo or graham cracker – and then we get talking about the taste of the filling. Should it be white chocolate? Chocolate? Pumpkin? Something else?
After the holidays were over, I received an email from King Arthur Baking about a new recipe they had just developed for a Basque style cheesecake. The dessert was swoon-worthy. It had a beautiful golden top and appeared to be crustless. I immediately bookmarked the recipe and it had been sitting in my open internet tabs for weeks.
One day, while I was menu planning for the week, I finally wrote down the ingredients that I would need to make this cheesecake. The ingredient list was pretty short, so all I needed to purchase was cream cheese and heavy cream. Little did I know how easy this cheesecake was to make. Because there is no crust, all I needed to do was to make the filling, and I could do it all in a food processor!
I read the reviews online, and other bakers had mixed results with the oven temperature. What I ended up doing was baking at 450 degrees F for 21 minutes and then turning the temperature up to 500 degrees F for the remaining 4 minutes. At the 21 minute mark, my cheesecake did not have the pretty golden top. I removed the cheesecake at exactly 25 minutes and it looked done (the cheesecake was very wobbly/jiggly but the top was set).
Surprisingly, we almost preferred this type of cheesecake over the regular ones with the crust! Both my husband and daughter commented on how light and fluffy the cheesecake was. And because there’s no crust, we got to save on calories! I gave some to my skating friends, who all gushed about how yummy this was. I’d call that a win!
Husband’s rating: 4.5 out of 5
Addie’s rating: 4.5 out of 5
My rating: 4.5 out of 5
Basque style cheesecake
Ingredients
- 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese softened
- 1 and ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 large eggs
- ¾ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450°F.
- Grab two sheets of parchment paper (about 16" x 12" each) and crumple them into balls. Open the parchment and criss-cross them into a plus shape (+). Place this in a 9" or 10" springform pan. If there are any tall edges, you'll want to fold them down over the top of the pan. Set aside.
- In a food processor (or a high-powered blender if you don't have one) with the blade attachment, mix all the ingredients together on high speed for about 3 minutes. Stop the food processor and scrape down the sides. Then turn the food processor back on and mix for another 2 minutes.
- Transfer the batter into your prepared springform pan. Bake in the center rack of your preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until a thermometer inserted about 1 inch from the edge reads about 185°F. The center should be jiggly and the tops should be a golden brown color. If the cheesecake isn't done yet, bake in additional 1 minute increments. Do not over bake.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow it come to room temperature. You can serve at room temperature or chill in the refrigerator overnight before slicing and serving.
- Serve with jams, fruits, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, or whatever makes you happy.
We had this at a friend’s house. for dessert and it was superb! I’ve made cheesecake for years from.Lindy’s New York cheesecake recipe & this was better! I’ll make it soon.
Author
Oh yay! So happy you enjoyed this!
I have been making cheesecakes for every holiday for many years as gifts.I’m going to try this recipe because it looks fluffier than my cheesecake. My only concern with your recipe is I was aught by my Gram(a baker by trade for over 40 yrs) that high speed mixing is why cheesecakes crack. High speed mixting causes too many air bubbles which in turn heat up and expand. That’s why cheesecakes Crack. I use a stand mixer on a low setting It takes longer but the stand mixer does all the work. When I first started making them, I uaed high speed mixing. They cracked everytime. I asked my Gram why and she immediately asked what speed I used. As alway, she was right.my cheesecakes have not cracked in a long time. I only get cracks if someone slams a door or something and then i falls and cras. I try to make them when I’m alone because there is nothung prettier than an uncracked cheesecake. Try it next time
Can cheesecake be made not using parchment paper.
Author
Hi Angie – I wouldn’t recommend using an alternative since the cheesecake will likely stick to the surface pretty badly. I’ve read that some people have tried liberally greasing aluminum foil but have gotten mixed results. Your best bet is to use parchment.
I live in Utah, so elevation has kept me from achieving the gorgeous dark color, but I love this recipe. I have been steeping two split vanilla beans in the cream, warming gently before removing the whole beans, and adding the warm cream to the food processor. It’s a nice addition.
Author
Oooh, I love the idea of steeping vanilla beans into the cream! So happy you enjoyed this, Laurel!
This is my new go to. I did everything in this recipe plus I added some black vanilla and one whole banana. It did not mess with it at all, and everyone was like this is the best thing I’ve ever eaten in my life. I’m gonna make one without the banana, but the banana version of this was a hit.
Author
I’m thrilled that this was a hit, Mandy! Love that the banana and black vanilla were great additions too!
Made this the day before to take to a friends. Was so easy and beautiful to eat. Served with sour cherries and vanilla cream.
Author
Yum! Your friends are so lucky to have you!