BASQUE CHEESECAKE WITH LEMON & HONEY
The popular Basque cheesecake originated from a pintox bar in San Sebastion called La Vina. It’s a simple cheesecake known for the wrinkled paper edges and the dark golden caramelised skin that forms as it cooks in a very hot oven. This skin has a slight bitterness which is a nice contrast to the creamy rich interior. Here goat’s curd is added to add some lactic acid and lighten the cream cheese load. Adding the citrus layer on the base also provides some acid and is adapted from Analiese Gregory’s book ‘How Wild Things Are’. It is easy to make by following a few important steps: avoid mixing on a high speed if using an electric mixer as the idea is to limit the amount of air incorporated and start with the cream cheese at room temperature to prevent lumps forming.
makes a 20cm round cake (serves 8-10)
450g (3 medium) Myer lemons
⅓ cup honey
500g Philadelphia cream cheese (full fat), remove from fridge an hour before using to soften
165g (¾ cup) caster sugar
200g Main ridge Dairy cashmere (goats curd)
¼ teaspoon sea salt
4 eggs (size XL) Yolky Dokey
1 tablespoon plain flour (or corn flour for gluten free)
150ml thickened cream
Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan-forced). Lightly grease the base and sides of a 20cm -22cm round spring-form cake tin with vegetable oil or butter. Line the tin with a long sheet of baking paper leaving about 10cm over-hang around the edges. Depending on the width of baking paper, two sheets crossed over in opposite directions maybe needed to create overhang around all sides.
Place one lemon in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, then drain and fill saucepan with cold to cover lemon and bring to the boil again. Repeat one more time. Drain. Cut the lemon into large pieces, removing any pips. Blend the lemon with a tablespoon of honey until pureed. Spread the puree over the base of the lined tin.
Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on low speed until creamy and sugar has dissolved, about 4 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl and mix again. Add one egg at a time, mixing well and scraping down bowl after each one. Add the goat curd and mix until incorporated. Sprinkle over the flour and continue mixing until combined, making sure there are no flour lumps. Pour in the cream and mix until well blended and smooth. Alternatively, the batter can be made in a food processor adding ingredients in the same order. Pour into the lined tin. Gently tap the tin on bench two or three times to release air bubbles.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until well risen, puffed and dark brown on top and there’s a slight jiggle in the centre when the tin is gently shaken. Remove from oven and cool in tin for 2 hours before serving. The cake will collapse as it cools. The cake can also be refrigerated for one to two days stored in a sealed container. Serve at room temperature.
While cooling, juice one of the lemons and strain into a small saucepan discarding any pips. Add the remaining honey and place over a medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for a minute. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
When ready to serve, slice the remaining lemon as thinly as possible. Arrange slices over the top. To serve, cut cheesecake into wedges and drizzle over the lemon
Recipe by Fiona Hammond, July 2025
