Apple Cider Basque Cheesecake

Burnt basque cheesecake made with reduced apple cider and warm fall spices. This crustless cheesecake has a caramelized top and a creamy custard interior.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Spanish

Keyword apple cider, basque cheesecake

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 1

Chill Time 8

Servings 8 inch cheesecake

Equipment

1 springform pan, 8 or 9 inches
parchment paper to line the pan

Ingredients

960g or 4 cups fresh apple cider to be boiled down to a thick syrup (see below)
678g or 3 bricks cream cheese at room temp very soft
120g or ½ cup full fat sour cream
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons allspice
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract or paste
200g or 1 cup dark brown sugar
100-110g or ⅓ cup reduced cider thick as jelly, from above
4 large eggs at room temperature
2 tablespoons cornstarch or tapioca starch
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
400g or 1 ⅔ cups heavy whipping cream

Instructions

Do ahead: boil down the cider

Set the fresh apple cider in a large pot over medium high heat. Add a tablespoon or two of mulling spices if you like. Cook the cider as it boils then comes to a rolling boil and starts to reduce. Boil down to a fraction of its original volume, you’re looking for a thick syrup like texture. You can do this step as early as a week or two ahead of time. Store the boiled cider in the fridge, sealed.
***It’s important to not reduce it then boil it to the candy point or you’ll have too thick of a syrup to add to the cheesecake batter.

Prep

Hours before making the cheesecake, set the cream cheese on the counter to come to room temperature. The sour cream and eggs should be brought to room temperature but won’t need as long to warm.
Butter or grease an 8 inch springform pan (it should be 3 inches tall, or use a 9 inch springform pan) then lay a sheet of parchment paper into the pan, pressing it into the sides and scrunching it in as needed. Lay another sheet of parchment over the pan so that all sides are covered, press it in - use metal clips to hold the parchment if needed.

Make the cheesecake

Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Set the cream cheese, sour cream, cinnamon, allspice, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Affix the paddle attachment and begin mixing on the lowest speed: the goal is not to whip any air into the cream cheese but to soften and mix the spices into it. Once it’s creamy, add the sugar, vanilla, and reduced cider. Beat on low again, to just combine the ingredients together. Stop the mixer to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, to ensure even mixing.
Separately, whisk the eggs together - use a fork or an immersion blender to break up the eggs and beat until smooth, like you would for an omelet. Add the eggs to the bowl and beat to just combine, also on low speed.
Pour in the heavy cream, flour and cornstarch and beat until the batter is smooth: stop to scrape down the bowl and mix again.
Set a sieve over the parchment lined springform pan and pour the cheesecake batter through it, stirring and pressing to get all the batter through the sieve. This will take care of any lumps in the batter that weren’t mixed in.
Carefully transfer the cheesecake to the oven, on the middle rack. Bake until the top is a deep brown color, the sides are set and there is a noticeable jiggle/wobble in the center, about 45-50 minutes. If you want to check with an instant read thermometer, insert it into the center - the temperature should be about 150-155 F. If you'd like an extra charred top raise the temperature to 425 F for the last five minutes of baking. Let the cheesecake cool fully on the counter, the middle will sink considerably. Once cool enough to handle, transfer to the fridge to chill for about 6-8 hours before serving.