Ginger Basque Cheesecake
This unexpectedly simple recipe results in a mousselike creamy filling and a striking caramelized surface—it has all the cheesecake goodness without the fuss of making a crust. When removed from the oven, the cake will still have a jiggly centre, but don’t despair: It will continue to cook at room temperature and firm up in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- 1 8 oz pkg cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp liquid honey plus more for drizzling
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp finely grated ginger
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup whipping cream
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease 8x4-in (20x10-cm) 1.5-L loaf pan. Crumple a large sheet of parchment paper, then gently press into prepared pan with overhang on all sides.
- In large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese with sugar, honey, ground ginger and grated ginger on medium until smooth and light, 2 to 3 minutes.
- On low speed, add eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping bowl after each addition. Blend in cream; sift in flour and salt and blend until smooth. Scrape into prepared pan.
- Bang pan on counter a few times and pop any air bubbles on surface with tip of paring knife. Bake until cake is a dark-brown caramel colour, puffed and still jiggly in the centre, 30 to 35 minutes. The cheesecake will continue to bake as it cools.
- Let cool completely in pan on rack. Refrigerate uncovered until chilled and firm, at least 4 hours.
- Before serving, lift cake out by paper overhang and carefully peel it away from cheesecake.
Notes
Tip: Try serving this cheesecake with a bruléed poached pear. Cut 1 to 2 Ginger Spice Poached Pears into ¾-in (2-cm) slices. Pat dry and arrange on a baking sheet. Sprinkle each with about ½ tsp granulated sugar. Using a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar, slowly moving the torch. Let cool before serving over sliced cheesecake.