Creamy Basque cheesecake with dark caramel sauce
This recipe takes the caramel sauce to a deep, almost burnt savour so the bitterness contrasts with the sweet creamy cheesecake - step 1Heat the oven to 230C/210C fan/gas 8. Beat the cheese in a bowl with electric beaters to loosen.
- 800g full-fat soft cheese
- 250g light muscovado sugar
- 4 eggs
- 200g soured cream
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 2 tsp vanilla extract or paste
- 200g caster sugar
- 200ml double cream
- Heat the oven to 230C/210C fan/gas 8. Beat the cheese in a bowl with electric beaters to loosen. Add the muscovado and beat again for 2-3 mins until fully incorporated. Add the eggs one by one, beating until each is fully combined. Beat in the soured cream then the cornflour, vanilla and a good pinch of salt.
- Tear off two large pieces of baking paper that are long enough to line a deep 20cm springform tin and come up over the edges. Arrange the baking paper in a cross then lift into the tin and push down. Use your hands to mould into the shape of the tin, making sure you push down into the edges.
- Give the mixture a brief whisk then pour into the lined tin. Bake for 40-45 mins until the cheesecake has risen and is a deep golden brown on top – it should be set around the edges but still wobbly in the middle. Leave to cool then chill in the fridge overnight (or for at least 6 hrs).
- To make the sauce, put the sugar in a large, deep stainless steel pan (this will help you see the colour change). Heat, without stirring, until the sugar starts to melt. Keep moving the pan around to help melt the remaining sugar. Once it has turned a deep golden brown, remove from the heat and slowly add 100ml of water – it will splutter a little so be careful. Put back on the heat and cook gently until any lumps of caramel have melted back into the liquid, and everything is uniform. Stir in the cream and a pinch of sea salt flakes, and let it bubble for 2 mins. Set aside to cool.
- Slice the cheesecake and serve with a drizzle of the caramel sauce on top.
Add the muscovado and beat again for 2-3 mins until fully incorporated. Add the eggs one by one, beating until each is fully combined. Beat in the soured cream then the cornflour, vanilla and a good pinch of salt. - step 2Tear off two large pieces of baking paper that are long enough to line a deep 20cm springform tin and come up over the edges.
Arrange the baking paper in a cross then lift into the tin and push down. Use your hands to mould into the shape of the tin, making sure you push down into the edges. - step 3Give the mixture a brief whisk then pour into the lined tin.
Bake for 40-45 mins until the cheesecake has risen and is a deep golden brown on top – it should be set around the edges but still wobbly in the middle. Leave to cool then chill in the fridge overnight (or for at least 6 hrs). - step 4To make the sauce, put the sugar in a large, deep stainless steel pan (this will help you see the colour change). Heat, without stirring, until the sugar starts to melt.
Keep moving the pan around to help melt the remaining sugar. Once it has turned a deep golden brown, remove from the heat and slowly add 100ml of water – it will splutter a little so be careful.
Put back on the heat and cook gently until any lumps of caramel have melted back into the liquid, and everything is uniform. Stir in the cream and a pinch of sea salt flakes, and let it bubble for 2 mins.
Set aside to cool. - step 5Slice the cheesecake and serve with a drizzle of the caramel sauce on top.
