Burnt Basque Cheesecake with Mulberry sauce Recipe

Err on the side of ‘underbaked’ with this Burnt Basque Cheesecake–it may look too wobbly, but trust us, its done! 

To give this cheesecake a festive spin and add it to our roster of favourite Christmas dessert ideas, we've added a mullberry sauce. But, if you can’t find fresh mulberries, or they’re out of season, you can substitute for blackberries and the cheesecake will still taste great. 

You will need a 20cm springform cake tin for this Christmas cheesecake recipe, which should be greased and lined before you begin.

How to make a Burnt Basque Cheesecake with Mulberry sauce:

Ingredients

For the cheesecake:

• 650g cream cheese, room temperature
• 200g granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 330g double cream, room temperature
• Pinch sea salt
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 30g plain flour, sieved

For the sauce:

• 350g fresh mulberries, stalks removed 
• 35g granulated sugar
• Zest and juice of 1/2 orange 
• 1tbsp honey
• 25ml dry sherry (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200C/Gas 6. 
2. Start by lining the tin with a large square of parchment; pressing in the base, edges and sides, repeat by overlapping a second piece, ensuring it’s 5-6cm higher than the tin when lined. The edges will be creased and quite rough, this is what gives the cheesecake its charm.
3. Beat the cream cheese and sugar together in a stand mixer for around 5 mins until the sugar granules have dissolved. 
4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Pour in the cream, followed by the salt, vanilla and flour. Make sure there are no lumps of flour in the mix and pour into the tin. 
5. Bake in the centre of the oven for 45-50 mins, until the edges are a little firm but the middle still has a lot of wobble. The top of the cheesecake will rise and burn and possibly crack, but you mustn't panic - you want that. Overbaking will ruin the texture completely.
6. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for one hour - the cake will sink during this time, again that’s good. Place in the fridge to chill completely before serving. 
7. While the cake is chilling, you can make the sauce. Add all of the ingredients apart from the sherry to a saucepan and cook over a medium heat until the sweet mulberries burst and the liquid extracted has reduced by ⅔. Add in the sherry (if using), mix well and leave to cool.

Recipe and food styling by Keiron George