Olive oil Basque cheesecake

Hi!

I have been thinking long and hard about posting a Basque cheesecake. Not because I don’t like it, but because I really, really do. The deceptively simple creamy and dense cheesecake with the burnished crust. I am sensing a pattern in my favourite desserts - canelé, crème brûlée, Basque cheesecake. All creamy and crusty-caramelly desserts that at their best are in that perfect not too sweet spot.

Readers of my sub stack will be familiar with my obsession with olive oil in creamy desserts. Olive oil canna cotta, olive oil pastry cream, olive oil ice cream and olive oil cheesecake. There is something truly glorious about the fruity, peppery flavour olive oil infuses into creamy desserts. So obviously I had to do an olive oil Basque cheesecake too.

Olive oil Basque cheesecake

Makes one 20cm cheesecake

600g cream cheese* at room temperature
225g sugar
4 eggs, about 200g, at room temperature
200g heavy cream, at room temperature
100g creme fraiche or sour cream, at room temperature
75ml fruity, peppery olive oil
50ml lemon juice
Zest of two lemons
25g cake flour or corn starch
1 tsp. salt

In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides between each addition.

Add heavy cream and creme fraiche and slowly mix into the cream cheese mixture, then add lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil.

Sieve together salt and cake flour, mix together with a little of the cream cheese in a separate bowl, then stir into the cream cheese.

Cover with clingfilm and rest for at least two hours or overnight in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 250C and line a 20cm cake tin with two sheets of baking paper. Strain the cheesecake mixture into the cake tin and tap or drop the tin against a surface to release hidden air bubbles.

Wrap the sides of the cake tin with tin foil and bake for 15-25 minutes depending on preferred doneness. You want a dark golden brown crust and a definite wobble in the middle.

(15 gives you a very runny cheesecake, 20 minutes a very soft but sliceable cheesecake and 25 minutes a firmer, but still creamy cheesecake). I opted for 20 minutes, but to each their own texture!)

Leave the cheesecake to cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Refrigerate it overnight for a firmer texture, but I strongly recommend serving the cheesecake at room temperature for the best flavour. You can also serve same day at room temperature for a softer, creamier set cheesecake.

Notes*

Try swapping out 100g of the cream cheese for 100g grated manchego, fresh goats cheese or even grated parmesan cheese for a slightly tangier, saltier and more savoury cheesecake that pairs especially well with roasted or grilled fruits like figs, peaches or strawberries.