Basque cheesecake recipe, here is why it is incredibly delicious

Basque cuisine is famous not only nationally, but also internationally as its recipes are being globally known and recognised as well. When it comes to desserts, one of the most popular dishes from the Basque Country is the Basque cheesecake, which has recently achieved international recognition appearing in the New York Times, with the distinction "flavour of the year" in their gastronomic trends section.

The Basque cheesecake is a very popular dessert in the province of Gipuzkoa, especially in the city of San Sebastian. You can find a lot of bars and restaurants where you can get this traditional dessert, and even more, you can do a cheesecake tour and route around the city of San Sebastian and try the different traditional Basque cheesecakes.

And from all the cheesecakes in San Sebastian, the one made at the restaurant La Viña, located in the historic centre or Old Town of San Sebastian, is considered the best one and it is indeed the most popular. This cheesecake is also known as one of the best cheesecakes in the entire Spain. The cake became so famous that you can order cheesecakes to take away at the restaurant, and these take-away cheesecakes have become quite popular for special celebrations or occasions with family or friends. It’s a dessert that has made the city not only known for its irresistible pintxos but also for its cheesecake. 

So obviously we are going to show you the recipe so that you can make the traditional Basque cheesecake. Here is how to make one of the best cheesecakes in the world:

BASQUE CHEESECAKE RECIPE

This cheesecake recipe was shared by the restaurant La Viña, so it is the original one. You will be surprise because you would never imagine that it would be so simple to make one, here is the list of the ingredients you will need:

La Viña cheesecake ingredients (for approximately 10-12 people):

• 1 kg of cream cheese

• 7 eggs

• 400 grams of sugar (white or powder sugar)

• 1.5 tablespoons of flour

• 1/2 litre of liquid cream (500 ml)

PREPARATION

1. In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese with the eggs. Mix gently so that it does not produce any lumps. Add the sugar and keep mixing, then add a tablespoon and a half of flour and mix it all together. After that add the cream and keep mixing it until it makes a consistent mass.

2. Mix it gently (without shaking it too vigorously) with a spoon so that no lumps appear, continue doing this until you get a homogeneous mixture.

3. Cover a large baking mould with parchment paper (you can make it a bit wet and it will work better), so that the walls are well covered.

4. Place the mixture in the baking mould and cook it in the oven at 210ºC for 45 minutes, at medium height in the oven. Keep an eye on it after 30 minutes and keep checking on it every few minutes. You will know that it is ready when the surface is lightly toasted.

5. Once it is ready, remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it rest for about 3 to 4 hours until it cools down before taking it out of the baking mould. Once it is cold it can be easily removed from the baking mould. You just have to remove the baking mould and carefully remove the paper from the cake.

Have you ever tried La Viña Basque cheesecake in San Sebastian? It is so delicious that you can’t just try it once.

The author of this article is Esther Vallejo Castro. She studied a degree in English language with a focus on culture, language, literature and linguistics at the University of Santiago de Compostela. Esther has also completed an MBA master's degree in Tourism with the ENEB of Barcelona. Esther loves languages, volunteering and teaching.