Lemon Basque cheesecake

A wonderfully lemony Basque cheesecake! Rich, ultra-creamy and full of fresh lemon flavour, with the signature deeply caramelised top. It feels wonderfully spring-like, despite the winter weather still lingering outside ;). It now joins my delicious collection of Basque cheesecakes.

Ingredients for the lemon Basque cheesecake:

• 900 g full-fat cream cheese, Philadelphia-style
• 330 g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 large eggs
• finely grated zest of 2 medium unwaxed lemons
• 70 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 500 ml double cream
• a pinch of salt
• 50 g plain flour

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Line a 25 cm springform tin (or a deep 23 cm cake tin) with baking parchment as follows: secure the tin and grease it lightly with butter. Line with parchment paper so that the sides extend at least 5 cm above the rim of the tin.

Place the cream cheese and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until fully combined and the sugar has dissolved. Add the vanilla, whole eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, sifted plain flour and salt. Mix until smooth and creamy. Add the double cream and mix briefly, only until combined. The batter should be smooth and silky. Pour the cheesecake mixture into the prepared tin.

Bake the Basque cheesecake at 200°C, for about 50 minutes.* Once baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool. The surface of the cheesecake (or at least the edges) should be deeply browned, while the centre should still wobble when the tin is gently shaken. If the cheesecake is not browned enough, place it under the grill for several seconds, watching very carefully so that the surface caramelises nicely without burning.

The cheesecake will rise considerably during baking and then sink slightly as it cools, leaving the characteristic higher edges. Chill in the fridge for at least 8 hours — only then will the cheesecake reach the proper texture and be ready for slicing.

Basque cheesecake can be stored at room temperature, but for longer storage or during hot weather it is best kept in the fridge. Serve with candied lemon peel prepared according to this recipe (omit the chocolate).

* NOTE: some recipes suggest baking this cheesecake for only 40 minutes so that the centre remains even creamier, removing it from the oven while it still wobbles significantly in the middle. The shorter the baking time, the creamier the cheesecake will be. Traditionally, the very centre has an almost custard-like consistency, which makes it more difficult to slice neatly. Be careful not to underbake it too much — the cheesecake should not remain liquid after chilling, as that is not the intended result here. A shorter baking time will also produce less browning on top, but this can easily be corrected by placing the cheesecake under the grill for 30 seconds to 1 minute, watching carefully, or by switching to fan mode towards the end of baking. Personally, I could probably bake this cheesecake for slightly less time, but this is exactly how we enjoy it.

Enjoy!