Created in Spain’s Basque region in the 90s, there’s no getting away from the fact that burnt cheesecake is top of the dessert table right now. It’s become a pastry chef go-to, and we’re lapping it up.
The beauty of this sunken-middled, crustless, burnished pud is that cooking at a high temperature caramelises the sugars, creating a nutty, butterscotchy flavour. Setting quickly, the top shields the underneath from overcooking, resulting in an ethereal, silky, soft-set pud.
Using mascarpone and double cream best replicates the original recipe, but you could replace some or all of the mascarpone with a cream cheese of your choice, or swap out the cream for sour cream for a lighter, sharper finish.
We’ve used Great British Food Award-winning Aperoffi from Grounds for Good to macerate the fruity garnish. It bursts with sweet and bitter orange, rhubarb, gentian and rosemary and gives a bright finish to the creamy cake.
Ingredients (serves 8-10)
- 225g caster sugar
- 4 medium eggs
- 800g mascarpone
- 200g double cream, whipped
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 2 tsp Potion De V vanilla extract
For the garnish:
- 200g mixed summer fruits (berries, plums, apricots, peaches)
- 50g caster sugar
- 50ml Grounds For Good Aperoffi or another fruity spirit
- Zest 1 lemon
Method
1. Double-line a 20cm, loose-bottomed deep cake tin with 2 layers of greaseproof paper, overlapping them on the diagonal. Set your oven to 240C.
2. Whisk together the eggs and sugar in a large bowl. Fold through the mascarpone and cream. Add the vanilla. Sieve in the flour and fold into the mixture.
3. Once smooth and combined, spoon the batter evenly into your prepared tin, and pop in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. The cake will puff up and rise with a dark top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before chilling. The middle will sink dramatically – don’t worry, that’s how it’s meant to be.
4. For the topping, chop any stone fruits into bite-sized pieces and combine with your berries in a bowl. Add the sugar, lemon zest and spirit, and allow to infuse for at least an hour. Serve alongside your cheesecake.
