Best Basque Style Cheesecake Recipes

BASQUE-STYLE SWEET POTATO CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 450°F. Place sweet potatoes on a foil or parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and roast, turning once, until skins are puffed and scorched in spots where the juices have bubbled out and caramelized and a skewer easily slides into flesh, 55-65 minutes. Let sweet potatoes cool slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 425°F.
• Peel sweet potatoes; discard skins. Transfer flesh to a food processor and process until smooth (or, pass through a food mill into a large bowl). Let cool at least 1 hour.
• Lightly butter pan. Cut 2 long lengths of parchment paper and crumple to soften (this will help it lay flatter in the round pan). Line pan with both sheets of parchment so they overlap in a crisscross manner; overhang should extend at least 2" above the rim. Beat cream cheese, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, until very smooth, about 3 minutes. With motor running, add 2 cups sweet potato purée by spoonfuls (reserve any remaining purée for another use); beat until fully incorporated. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down bowl and paddle as needed. Reduce speed to medium-low and mix in sour cream, cream, and salt. Scrape in vanilla seeds or add vanilla extract. Turn off mixer and sift in flour, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Beat on low speed just to incorporate, about 30 seconds. Fold batter a few times with a rubber spatula, making sure to scrape bottom of bowl. Scrape batter into prepared pan; smooth surface.
• Bake cheesecake until deeply bronzed and quite puffed on top but still with a pronounced wiggle in the center when gently shaken, 55-65 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cheesecake cool, about 1½ hours.
• To serve, carefully unmold cheesecake and peel away parchment before slicing. Do ahead: Sweet potato purée can be made 2 days ahead. Transfer to an airtight container and chill.

BASQUE-STYLE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Lay one 16-inch piece of parchment across the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan and lay another 16-inch piece on top crosswise. Press the parchment into the bottom of the pan and crease along the sides, making it as flush as possible to the sides of the pan and allowing the parchment to come at least 2 inches above the sides. Put the pan on a baking sheet.
• Combine the cream cheese, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed, scraping down the bowl once halfway through to ensure there are no lumps of cream cheese, until the mixture is very smooth and light, a full 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time with the mixer running, beating 30 seconds after each addition. Scrape down the bowl, turn the mixer to low and add the cream and vanilla; raise the speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds. Remove the mixer bowl. Sift the flour over the batter and fold the flour into the batter with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake until the cheesecake is deep golden brown on top but the center is still quite jiggly, about 2 hours. Let cool completely (the cake will fall dramatically as it cools).
• Release the pan to remove the cake and gently pull the parchment from the sides. Transfer the cake to a serving platter using an offset spatula.