Basque cheesecake is truly some of the best possible cheesecake, I think. But, it doesn’t have a crust! And I am usually someone who is all about the crust on my pies and cheesecakes. So when my brother requested cheesecake for his birthday, I decided on Basque cheesecake with a crumb to sprinkle on top to give a little texture to it.
I think the crumb really brought this up a level! And it added peanut butter flavor! So it was like a PB&J. Win-win.
This is the second year in a row my brother has requested a PB&J flavored birthday cake! I am not complaining, obviously. But at what point does it become tradition??
No… Did I photograph this cheesecake with the crumb? No I did not! Oversight. I made it without the crumb first. Also, the crumb does not look appealing. It looks like you put a bunch of crumb on top of a cheesecake. But food doesn’t have to look good.
In fact, this cheesecake looks a little burnt. It is a little burnt. And it’s not as pink as it could have been, given the strawberry flavor. But it tastes good!!
Basque cheesecake seems so fancy and elaborate, but… the recipe could not be simpler. It takes a lot of dairy and half a dozen eggs, but… you really just mix it all together and then, boom. Cheesecake!
Print
Print
PinIngredients
For the cheesecake
- 2 lb. cream cheese, room temperature
- 1½ cups sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 2 oz freeze dried strawberries, food-processed into a powder
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
For the crumb
- 2/3 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch (1 teaspoon)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (1 teaspoon)
- 3 tbsp butter, melted
- 3 tbsp peanut butter
Instructions
- Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 400°. Brush pan with unsalted butter, then line with 2 overlapping 16×12″ sheets of parchment paper, making sure parchment comes at least 2″ above top of pan on all sides. Because the parchment needs to be pleated and creased in some areas to fit in pan, you won’t end up with a clean, smooth outer edge to the cake; that’s okay! Place pan on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Beat 2 lb. cream cheese, room temperature, sugar, and strawberry powder in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-low speed, scraping down sides of the bowl, until very smooth, no lumps remain, and sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes. (You can also use a large bowl with a hand mixer on medium low-speed, but you may need to continue beating for a few extra minutes to dissolve sugar.)
- Increase speed to medium and add 6 large eggs, one egg at a time, beating until each egg is incorporated, about 15 seconds, before adding the next. Scrape down sides of bowl, then reduce mixer speed to medium-low. Add heavy cream, salt, and vanilla extract and beat until combined, about 30 seconds.
- Turn off mixer and sift all-purpose flour evenly over cream cheese mixture using a fine-mesh sieve. Beat on low speed until incorporated, about 15 seconds. Scrape down sides of the bowl and continue to beat until batter is very smooth, homogenous, and silky, about 10 seconds.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cheesecake until deeply golden brown on top and still very jiggly in the center, 60–65 minutes.
- Let cool slightly (cake will collapse drastically as it cools), then unmold. Let cool completely. Carefully peel away parchment from sides of cheesecake. Slice into wedges and serve at room temperature.
- Do Ahead: Basque cheesecake can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Let cheesecake sit at room temperature for several hours to remove chill before serving.
- Prepare the crumb: Heat the oven to 300°F. Melt the butter and peanut butter together in the microwave.
- Combine the flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a bowl, stirring a little to combine. Drizzle with melted butter and peanut butter, and mix together until the mixture starts to come together in small clusters.
- Spread the clusters on a parchment- or Silpat-lined sheet pan. Bake for 20 minutes, breaking them up occasionally. The crumbs should still be slightly moist to the touch at that point; they will dry and harden as they cool.
- Let the crumbs cool completely before sprinkling on top of the cake. Stored in an airtight container, they will keep fresh for 1 week at room temperature or 1 month in the fridge or freezer.