I have a confession to make. I have eaten 3 whole cheesecakes in the last two weeks alone. Granted, they were all small batch cheesecakes, but really, it essentially amounts to me eating one cheesecake, all by myself. I know we’re in the middle of summer and everyone is trying to work off their quarantine 15 but here I am, still soft and plump and not quite ready to stop stress eating sweets.
Okay, I lie. I am totally ready to stop stress eating sweets. In fact, I have been looking into the Mediterranean diet. It sounds good! It sounds more sane than keto (which I flirt with still, on occasion) because you can eat loads of vegetables and whole grains. I’m thinking of experimenting with some Mediterranean diet recipes on the blog so if you’re into that, please leave a comment below. Or tell me what your favorite recipes are – I’m excited to learn.
But you’re not here for the diet recipes so let’s talk about this Basque burnt cheesecake. I love it because it’s made in a mini loaf pan so you can take slices off of it like a loaf cake. It makes it feel like less of a dessert and more like one of those morning cakes that masquerade as “bread”. You know, lemon loaf and banana bread and the like. Which, let’s face it, are kind of just lemon cake and banana cake but in a different form factor.
I love the loaf form factor so it’s no surprise that I love this small batch Basque cheesecake. It’s just a tiny bit different than the other Basque cheesecake recipe on the blog. I wanted to play around with the proportions and bit and try using cornstarch instead of flour for a completely gluten-free cheesecake.
This lil cheesecake loaf was sweet and creamy with a hint of burnt caramel from the burnished top. I loved it and now it’s a part of me forever :)
PS – If you haven’t heard of Basque cheesecake, please read my original post here!
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese 1 package, 226 grams, very soft
- 60 grams sugar 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 35 grams heavy cream 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
Instructions
- Line a small loaf pan (6×3 inches or a pan that fits 2 cups liquid) with baking paper. Heat the oven to 450°F.
- Beat together the cream cheese and sugar until very smooth and fluffy, making sure all the sugar is dissolved. If you’re super particular, melt the cream cheese along with the sugar in a bowl over a double boiler. Add the egg and beat until smooth.
- In another bowl, add the cornstarch and tiny bit of cream, whisking until smooth, ensuring that the cornstarch doesn’t lump up. Slowly stream in the remaining cream, whisking until very smooth.
- Slowly pour the cream and cornstarch mix into the cheese mix. Mix well to ensure everything is combined.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the top is very dark and charred but the middle still has a bit of a jiggle. Broil for a couple of minutes to get extra char if desired. Let cool on a wire rack until room temperature. Remove from the tin, slice, and enjoy!
What size is a small loaf pan?
hi james,
it’s a mini loaf pan, the kind that fits 2 cups of batter – they usually come in 6×3 or 5.75×3 :)
Do you mean 35g for the heavy whipping cream? not 135g?
hi! you’re absolutely right. fixed! thank you!
How perfect.
Would LOVE to see some Mediterranean Diet recipes. (Though I love all your recipes.) Thanks for keeping us inspired with gorgeous photography and personable writing.
Thank you for all of your recipes! We are obsessed with your blog! My husband ate this one in one sitting.
hi milena,
thanks so much for the kind words :)
maybe it’s time to make a regular size basque cheesecake? ;)
Hi, what if I use 8×4 loaf pan. That’s the only one I have at home. How will I adjust the recipe?
hi dani,
if you want to bake in a 8×4, i’d recommend this recipe: The Easiest Cheesecake You’ll Ever Make: 5 Ingredient Burnt Basque Cheesecake Recipe
Thank you Stephanie! I tried it and it was sooooo good! And it gets better on the second day. :) I’m thinking to use it on an 8×8 pan, should your other recipe work or would I have to double it?
hi dani,
i think if you wanted to do it in an 8×8 i would double this recipe :)
I have tried this and auto success!!! Thankss so much! I will make it again in my loaf pan but double the recipe, coz mine a bit wider than yours -i guess.. btw im living in Genève, CH, so i have no clue at first time what is Heavy Cream in here, and turns out it’s Double-creme ?
yay so happy it turned out for you lydia :)
and thanks for letting me know about the double cream!
love all of your cheescake recipes, will try this next, love the serving size too, harder to get in trouble, at least in theory, and the “burning” tweak is a nice twist, thank you!
You don’t need cornstarch or flour in traditional basque cheesecake. It’s super creamy. Try it w/out. Stay well! Your photography is gorgeous!!
hi michelle! you read my mind, my next bbc will be without cornstarch or flour! thanks for the tip :)
I left the flour out by mistake and like it even better.