Welcome to BA Bake Club, a community of curious bakers. Each month senior test kitchen editors Jesse Szewczyk and Shilpa Uskokovic share a must-make recipe and dive deep on why it works. Come bake and learn with us—ask questions, share pics, listen to our podcast, and lots more here.
Tiramisu fanatics, come to the front. Today we have all the flavors of your favorite dessert but presented in the body of a Basque cheesecake. Where traditional tiramisu is light and floaty, its Basque cheesecake rendition is thick and buttery, a handsome stalwart of sweets. Originally developed at the restaurant La Viña in Spain, a Basque-style cheesecake is perhaps the easiest style you could make. Baked quickly and at an improbably high temperature, it develops a deeply caramelized top. The slightly bitter edges of the burnt surface nicely offset all the rich dairy, and in this case, reflects the earthy flavor of cocoa and coffee.
Calling for three kinds of dairy feels excessive, but each serves a purpose. Cream cheese provides structure, mascarpone calls to mind the familiar taste of tiramisu, and heavy cream thins the batter out just enough so it’s not claggy. Use full-fat versions to ensure a smooth cheesecake. Low-fat cream cheese or light cream will result in a chalky mouthfeel.
There is only one trick to a Basque cheesecake—knowing when it’s done. Remove it from the oven while it’s still unnervingly jiggly and you will be rewarded with a textural masterpiece—just set on the edges and luscious inside, the heart of it weeping like a ripe wheel of soft cheese.
Recipe information
Total Time
1 hour 30 minutes (plus chilling)
Yield
12–16 servings
Ingredients
Special Equipment
Preparation
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 400°. Lightly dampen two 16x12" sheets of parchment paper and crumple tightly. Smooth out parchment and line pan with parchment, overlapping as needed to ensure it covers sides. (Because the parchment needs to be pleated and creased in some areas to fit in the pan, you won’t end up with clean, smooth outer edges to the cake; that’s okay.) Place pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Combine ¼ cup instant espresso powder and 2 Tbsp. Dutch-process cocoa powder in 2 Tbsp. hot water in a medium bowl, smashing and stirring with a rubber spatula, until dissolved and smooth (mixture will be thick and pasty); set espresso mixture aside.
Step 2
Beat four 8-oz. packages cream cheese, room temperature, 2 cups (400 g) sugar, ¼ cup (31 g) all-purpose flour, 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 1 Tbsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-low speed until sugar is dissolved and mixture is very smooth, about 2 minutes. (Alternatively, use a large bowl with a hand mixer on medium low-speed; you may need to beat a few extra minutes to dissolve the sugar.)
Step 3
Increase speed to medium and add 6 large eggs, two at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition before adding more, about 45 seconds total. Scrape down sides of bowl, then reduce speed to medium-low. Add two 8-oz. containers mascarpone, room temperature, 1 cup heavy cream, and 2 Tbsp. Marsala or dark rum and beat until combined and smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl and continue to beat until batter is very smooth and silky, about 10 seconds more.
Step 4
Transfer half of batter to bowl with reserved espresso mixture (if espresso mixture is very lumpy, loosen with a few spoons of batter first before adding the rest); stir with rubber spatula until incorporated.
Step 5
Alternating between batters, scrape large dollops into prepared pan (eyeballing is fine). Shake pan gently to level surface. Bake cheesecake until deeply golden brown on top and still very jiggly in the center, 50–55 minutes. Let cheesecake cool in pan on baking sheet 10 minutes (cake will collapse as it cools). Transfer to refrigerator and chill until cold, at least 4 hours.
Step 6
Beat remaining one 8-oz. container mascarpone, room temperature, 1 cup heavy cream, 2 Tbsp. Marsala or dark rum, 2 Tbsp. sugar, and ¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal or Morton kosher salt in the clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium speed until medium-firm peaks form, about 2 minutes. Spoon over chilled cheesecake, swirling as desired. Chill until topping is set, about 15 minutes.
Step 7
To serve, dust top of cheesecake with cocoa powder. Remove sides from pan and carefully peel away parchment paper from cheesecake. Slice into wedges.
Do Ahead: Cheesecake can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.
