Mini Basque Cheesecake
Mini Basque cheesecakes have a caramelized crust, a lusciously smooth center, a taste that will simply melt in your mouth, topped with a crunch from baklava filling!These are baked in ramekins or mini pie pans to achieve the perfect individual servings. Basque cheesecake was created in Basque, Spain, and has since taken off worldwide as a trending dessert. It breaks all the rules when it comes to cheesecakes! So buckle up as we make this crowd-pleasing dessert!
Servings 5 servings
Equipment
- 5 mini pie pans OR 6 ramekins
Ingredients
For The Basque Cheesecake:
- 12 oz cream cheese, at room temp (equals to 1.5 bricks of cream cheese)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temp
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour , I used Organic Trader Joe's flour
For The Baklava Topping:
- ⅓ cup raw cashews , or pistachios
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon rose water
- splash of orange blossom water , optional
- dash of salt
Instructions
Prep the Pans:
- Gather all the mini pans and place them on a large sheet pan to keep them stable while baking. This will also help in case there's any spillage. Then spray the bottoms of the pans with avocado oil or brush with melted butter to avoid the cheesecake sticking.
Make the Cheesecake:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a stand mixer, add the cream cheese and beat it until smooth and fluffy. Depending on the cream cheese temperature, this can take a couple of minutes or two. Add the granulated sugar, salt and vanilla extract and beat until they're completely combined. Add one egg at a time and beat, and repeat with the second egg. Add the heavy cream slowly while the mixer is on low. Sift the flour into the batter and mix until it's just well combined.
- Pour the cheesecake mixture evenly into the pans. Grab each pan individually and lightly tap it to remove the air bubbles. Then, smooth out the top if needed.
- Optional baklava topping: Add all the ingredients for the topping to a food processor and combine just enough until the cashews are finely chopped consistency. Transfer the mixture evenly over each pan.
- Bake the mini cheesecakes for about 20-25 minutes. Until the cheesecake is puffy and the top has caramelized.
Notes
*These adorable Basque cheesecakes have been a labor of love, with countless iterations to achieve the perfect texture and caramelized top. You can trust that this recipe has been tested over a dozen times.