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Overhead image of san sebastian cheesecake sliced on parchment and topped with sherry whipped cream

San Sebastian Cheesecake

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Throw every cheesecake rule out the window and make this stunning San Sebastian Cheesecake right now! Also called a Burnt Basque Cheesecake, this unique, crustless cheesecake features a heavily caramelized exterior and a light, creamy custard inside. A cloud of sherry whipped cream is the perfect finish and my nod to the Spanish tradition of drinking sherry wine with dessert.

  • Total Time: 65 minutes plus chilling
  • Yield: 1 9-inch cheesecake

Ingredients

  • 3 8-ounce blocks full fat cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1.5 cups granulated sugar
  • zest of one lemon (optional but really good)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  • 4 eggs plus one egg yolk
  • 1.5 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 3 tablespoons all purpose flour

For the Sherry Whipped Cream:

  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
  • 1-2 teaspoons good Sherry Wine (not sherry cooking wine!) depending on how strong you want it

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a 9-inch springform pan with a large piece of parchment so that it hangs over the top - you may need two pieces if your parchment is not wide. 
  2. Place cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream on medium speed, scraping down once, until very creamy and no lumps remain.
  3. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl before adding one egg and vanilla and mixing until combined. Continue scraping and adding one egg at a time until all eggs are added. 
  4. Scrape once more and with the mixer running on low, drizzle in cream.
  5. Remove bowl from mixer and sift flour over the top of cheesecake batter. Use a whisk to incorporate the flour into the batter gently. 
  6. Pour batter into parchment lined pan and give the pan a few hard taps on the counter to release any air bubbles (but don't worry too much about bubbles I think the fuss over them is a little silly).
  7. Bake on top rack of preheated oven for 45 minutes.
  8. After 45 minutes remove cheesecake from oven and cool to room temperature before placing in refrigerator uncovered overnight.
  9. After chilling, remove sides of springform pan and slide the cake off onto a cutting board using the parchment as a sling. Slice and serve straight from the parchment for a rustic, dramatic experience (and less dishes). Top with sherry whipped cream just before serving.
  10. To make sherry whipped cream, beat all ingredients in a stand mixer with whisk attachment, with a hand mixer, or with a whisk by hand, until the cream is very fluffy but not too stiff. I like it soft and billowy for this.

Find it online: https://wildthistlekitchen.com/san-sebastian-cheesecake/