“Cheesecake is to life, what cream cheese is to cheesecake.”
Welcome back to Persona Kitchen this week everyone. This weeks recipe is one that I have been dying to share with you. I am a big fan of cheesecake and an even bigger fan of coffee. I decided to combine the two and make this Burnt Basque Coffee Cheesecake.
And you guys… this Burnt Basque Coffee Cheesecake is absolutely delicious! It is moist, sweet, tangy, and dense with a sense of lightness to it. Although this cheesecake contains two full pounds of cream cheese and two full cups of heavy cream, it doesn’t feel like you’re eating an extremely heavy/dense dessert. I honestly could eat three pieces in one sitting and not think twice about it. It has a strangely addicting quality. It tastes like the most perfect cheesecake you could ever imagine, honest! And I know it might seem strange to not have a classic graham cracker crust for a cheesecake but trust me, you will not miss it on this cheesecake!
This cheesecake gets if coffee flavoring by essentially using the heavy cream to brew coffee. This makes an ultra rich and creamy coffee heavy cream. This then gets added into the cheesecake and gives it a delicate coffee flavor. It’s not too overpowering and doesn’t taste bitter at all. I suppose you could use espresso powder if you need to but I highly recommend just using actual coffee. Espresso powder sometimes tastes artificial so I don’t use it very often. If you don’t typically drink coffee, most grocery stores sell coffee in bulk so I would just buy what you need from there!
The most alarming thing about this Basque Cheesecake is that it is intentionally burnt. It is cooked at a very high temperature (400℉!) for a long time (over an hour!). The result is an extremely moist and tangy center that almost melts on your tongue and the whole thing is covered in a thin toasty crust that adds depth of flavor to this cheesecake. Don’t be dissuaded by the ‘burnt’ factor of this dessert, everyone who tried it said that it was their favorite part!
I really do think that this is my new favorite cheesecake, and Jacob agrees too! We both had two pieces the first night I made it! It is simple and focuses on the coffee without any other distracting flavors. Don’t get me wrong, I love making interesting cheesecake flavor combinations (like my Maple Pecan Cheesecake!) but there is something so satisfying about a classic cheesecake that tastes like nothing but an amazing cup of coffee.
If you’re looking for a show-stopping dessert to serve for this upcoming Thanksgiving or Christmas (or any other occasion) I highly recommend this Burnt Basque Coffee Cheesecake. It is extremely easy to make and is definitely a crowd pleaser. If you try this recipe or any other recipe from Persona Kitchen, please share your photos, thoughts, or suggestions with me. I would love to hear from you! Happy baking everyone!
Burnt Basque Coffee Cheesecake
Makes One 9-inch Cheesecake
Ingredients
32 Ounces (2 Pounds) Full Fat Cream Cheese, room temperature
1 ½ Cups White Sugar
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
6 Eggs, room temperature
2 Cups Coffee Heavy Cream (recipe below), room temperature
⅓ Cup All Purpose Flour
For the Coffee Heavy Cream
2 ½ Cups Heavy Cream
½ Cup Good Quality Ground Coffee *
Directions
Make the Coffee Heavy Cream
In a saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a simmer (not a boil) over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Once simmering, stir in the ground coffee and let simmer for another minute. Remove from the heat, cover with a lid, and let steep for 5 minutes.
Pour the coffee heavy cream through a very fine mesh sieve or a nut milk bag (that’s what I used) to strain out all the coffee grounds— being careful as the mixture will still be hot. Discard the coffee grounds.
Measure out exactly 2 cups of the Coffee Heavy Cream.*
Make the Cheesecake
Preheat the oven to 400℉. Grease a springform pan with about 1 tablespoon of butter and using two large sheets of parchment paper, line the springform pan. It will seem like a lot of parchment but just do your best to create “pleats” in the parchment. You want about 3-4 inches of height on the parchment paper over the top of the pan because the cheesecake will puff up significantly.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium-low until combined— 2 minutes.
Add in the salt and vanilla and mix again until combined— about 30 seconds.
With the mixer on medium speed, add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing for a full 20 seconds in between each addition. Once all of the eggs are added, stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Mix on low for another 30 seconds to combine everything.
With the mixer on low, pour in the heavy cream and mix until incorporated— about 1 minutes.
Stop the mixer and sift in the flour over the cheesecake mixture. Mix on low just until evenly combined- about 30 seconds. Stop the mixer, take the bowl off, and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix to ensure everything is combined for another 30 seconds.
Pour the Coffee Cheesecake Batter into the prepared pan. Place the springform pan on a baking sheet.
Place the cheesecake into the oven and bake for 60-65 minutes— the cheesecake will be pretty dark in color after this time, almost burnt. That’s a good thing! It will also be pretty ‘wobbly’, just barely less jiggly than set jell-o.
Let the cheesecake cool on the counter until it is room temperature. Once room temp, transfer to the fridge and let cool, in the pan, until fully chilled— at least 6 hours but preferably overnight.
Remove the outer side of the springform pan and peel back the parchment paper. Transfer the cheesecake to a serving platter or plate (or just leave it on the bottom of the springform pan), slice, and enjoy!
Notes
The coffee is the main flavoring of this dessert so you want to use a good quality coffee. If you don’t drink coffee, just buy it in bulk from your local grocery store. Most grocery stores have bulk coffee you can grind there and only get as much as you need. If you can’t find this, just use espresso powder. It won’t taste as good but it will still work. I would use 3-4 tablespoons of good quality espresso powder and dissolve it in the heavy cream.
This recipe can be a little finicky. I call for 2 ½ cups of heavy cream even though you only need two cups because the coffee grounds tend to absorb a lot of the liquid themselves. So, if after you steep your coffee grounds and you have more than two cups of coffee heavy cream, just keep the extra on hand to use for something else. If you happen to have less than two cups after steeping, just add some regular heavy cream to get two cups.