Burnt Basque cheesecake with strawberries and basil cream
Serves: 10-12
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Maja Smend
Burnt Basque cheesecake with strawberries and basil cream
Burnt Basque cheesecake is one of the first desserts Bryan Coghill (head chef at Jack 'O' Bryans) served in his restaurants in Spain, and he was keen to pass the recipe on to his son Jack. It’s now a firm favourite on the menu at his restaurant.
Serves: 10-12
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (serving (1 of 10))
Calories
736Kcal
Fat
49gr
Saturates
31gr
Carbs
60gr
Sugars
58gr
Fibre
3gr
Protein
12gr
Salt
0.7gr
Jack Coghill
Jack Coghill and his dad, Bryan, run fine-dining restaurant Jack ‘O’ Bryan’s in Dunfermline, Scotland. Their menu melds the best of Scottish produce with influences from Bryan’s time spent in the Mediterranean.
See more of Jack Coghill’s recipes
Jack Coghill
Jack Coghill and his dad, Bryan, run fine-dining restaurant Jack ‘O’ Bryan’s in Dunfermline, Scotland. Their menu melds the best of Scottish produce with influences from Bryan’s time spent in the Mediterranean.
See more of Jack Coghill’s recipes
Ingredients
- 4 x 280g packs cream cheese
- 400g caster sugar
- 7 medium eggs
- 200ml double cream
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp plain flour*
- sea salt flakes
For the sweet basil cream
- 5-6 large basil leaves, plus extra to serve (optional)
- 500g mascarpone
- 40g caster sugar
For the macerated strawberries
- 600g strawberries
- 4 tbsp icing sugar
- a squeeze of lemon juice
Step by step
- For the cheesecake, preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7 and grease a deep 23cm-diameter loose-based or springform tin. Line with a large crumpled sheet of baking paper to cover the base and sides all in one; it should come up above the tin edges.
- Place the cream cheese and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large bowl. Beat for 2 minutes until creamed together. Add the eggs, cream, vanilla, flour and a good pinch of salt flakes to the bowl and mix for 2 minutes on a medium high speed until you have a smooth consistency that is still runny; take care not to overwhip it or it will thicken up too much.
- Let the mixture sit for a minute until you notice bubbles settling on the top. Scoop them off with a spoon then pour the mixture into the lined tin. Give the tin a sharp bang on the worktop to remove any extra air bubbles, then bake for 40-45 minutes. The extra 5 minutes is only if you need to get a little extra colour on top; the cheesecake should be caramelised and almost dark brown on the top, very jiggly and puffed up like a soufflé. Leave it to cool completely in the tin. The cheesecake will sink as it cools, but this is normal. Chill for at least 2 hours before cutting (the cheesecake keeps for at least 3 days in the fridge).
- For the sweet basil cream, roll up the basil leaves and shred finely. In a bowl, mix the mascarpone and sugar together, then fold through the basil leaves. Chill in the fridge for an hour before serving.
-
For the macerated strawberries, dice the strawberries so they are a consistent size, then add the icing sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste. Mix to combine and leave to rest for 15 minutes in the fridge before serving with the cheesecake and a scoop of the basil cream. Garnish with extra shredded basil if you wish.
*Use gluten-free flour if required.
