Galicia teaches the rest of Spain a lesson: “Cheesecake isn’t made with just cream cheese, it requires 330g of Arzúa cheese and 500ml of cream.”

This method results in a baked cheesecake with a creamy interior, a golden surface, and a richer, milkier flavor than a recipe made solely with cream cheese. Arzúa-Ulloa is one of Galicia's most distinctive cheeses, and its unique qualities make it an excellent choice for hot dishes, where it melts and blends seamlessly.

The secret lies in the Arzúa-Ulloa: a Galician cheese that is soft, creamy and very melty.

If there's one ingredient that makes all the difference in this tart, it's Arzúa-Ulloa cheese. This cheese has Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status and is made with cow's milk in a specific area of ​​Galicia. The PDO includes several varieties, among them Arzúa-Ulloa, Arzúa-Ulloa de Granxa, and Arzúa-Ulloa Curado. The version used for this tart is Arzúa-Ulloa, a soft cheese with a minimum maturation period of six days.

Arzúa-Ulloa cheese has several characteristics that make it especially well-suited to a cheesecake. It's a soft, very creamy cheese that melts easily, with a mild flavor reminiscent of milk, cream, and butter. It also has a slightly acidic and salty note that enhances the overall flavor without making it overpowering. And that's precisely one of the keys to this recipe. When mixed with cream cheese, heavy cream, eggs, and sugar, Arzúa-Ulloa provides a very creamy texture and a richer, milkier flavor. The sugar adds a touch of sweetness, and the cream further softens the mixture, while the cheese provides that subtle acidic and salty contrast that prevents the cheesecake from being cloying.

You don't need a strongly flavored cheese to notice the difference. In this case, what matters most is its creaminess and how easily it melts. That's why, when baked, it blends perfectly with the other ingredients and helps achieve that smooth, creamy interior we love in a good cheesecake. Furthermore, Arzúa-Ulloa develops its rich, spreadable texture during aging, which is one of the reasons why it's not only delicious on its own but also works wonderfully in cooking.

Galicia has a long tradition surrounding cow's milk cheeses.

Arzúa-Ulloa cheese wasn't chosen at random to add a Galician touch to the recipe; it's part of a cheesemaking tradition deeply rooted in the region. The Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) stipulates that the cheese is made with cow's milk from breeds such as Friesian, Brown Swiss, and Galician Red, or their crosses, within the protected area.

In the case of Arzúa-Ulloa from Granxa, all the milk used comes from the farm's own cows. The cheese commonly found as Arzúa-Ulloa has a minimum maturation period of six days. In fact, this short maturation helps explain its mild profile and soft texture. The aged variety requires at least six months of maturation and develops a much firmer paste, a more intense flavor, and more pronounced notes of butter, nuts, and a slight spiciness.

For a cheesecake like this, it makes much more sense to use young Arzúa-Ulloa cheese rather than aged, since the goal isn't for the cheese to dominate the dessert, but rather for it to blend with the cream, cream cheese, eggs, and sugar, adding depth without overpowering the other flavors. The versatility of Arzúa-Ulloa is one of its most outstanding characteristics. The PDO information itself highlights its ease of melting and its culinary possibilities, both in hot and cold preparations.

Galician cheesecake recipe with Arzúa-Ulloa cheese

If you'd like to prepare this delicious cheesecake at home, you just need to use the following ingredients, making sure they are all well combined and that the mixture goes into the oven without lumps.

Ingredients

• 330 g of Arzúa-Ulloa cheese
• 300g of cream cheese
• 500 ml of liquid cream
• 160 g of sugar
• 5 eggs
• 40g of flour

Elaboration

• Start by preheating the oven to a medium-low temperature. Having it ready before putting the cake in helps the mixture start cooking from the very beginning.
• In a large bowl, combine the heavy cream, Arzúa-Ulloa cheese, cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and flour. Mix until you have a smooth batter. It's important that there are no lumps of cheese or flour.
• Line a round baking pan with parchment paper and pour in the mixture. Try to make the surface as even as possible.
• Place the mold in the oven and cook for about 40 minutes, or until the surface is golden brown and the center still has a slight jitter.
• Remove the cake from the oven and wait for it to cool before removing it from the pan. You can serve it at room temperature or let it cool completely and eat it cold, whichever you prefer.

With these steps, you'll achieve a creamy and smooth tart, with the recognizable flavor of cream cheese but a distinct character thanks to the Arzúa-Ulloa cheese. If you'd like to give it a touch more Galician flair, you can serve each slice with a small amount of honey or quince paste. It doesn't need much more, as the cheese already provides much of the character of this delicious tart.

How the cake should look when it comes out of the oven

The tart needs about 40 minutes in the oven, but don't wait until it's completely set. The surface should be golden brown, and the center may still jiggle slightly. That's not because it's raw; it will set as it cools and become firmer and creamier.

Let it cool before unmolding it so it doesn't break, and if you like cheesecake with a base, you can add one made of crushed cookies with butter.