-
Prep time
2 hours 20 minutes
-
Cook time
40 minutes
-
Serves
8
Author Notes
This recipe is excerpted from "Sift" the 2025 Book of the Year in the Food52 Baking Club. Follow us @f52cookbookclub.
"Basque cheesecake is cheesecake for people who love cheesecake but don’t like the fuss or stress associated with water baths. The mix is simple and baking it at a high temperature creates a dreamy browned crust that plays beautifully with the soft center. The bittersweet sticky lemons are the perfect foil to the silky creaminess of the cheesecake."—Nicola Lamb
Note: "You can sub the all-purpose flour for gluten-free flour."—Nicola Lamb
—Food52
Test Kitchen Notes
“Sift” Copyright © 2024 by Nicola Lamb. Photographs copyright © 2024 by Sam A Harris. Illustrations copyright © 2024 by Nueker. Published in the United States by Clarkson Potter/ Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.”
—The Editors
Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
- Cheesecake
-
8-inch/20cm round pan
-
600 grams
/1 lb 5 oz full-fat cream cheese
-
200 grams
/1 cup granulated sugar
-
200 grams
/4 whole eggs
-
130 grams
/1/2 cup sour cream
-
50 grams
/3 Tbsp lemon juice
-
130 grams
/1/2 cup heavy cream
-
25 grams
/3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
-
6 grams
/1 3⁄4 tsp flaky sea salt
- Sticky Lemons
-
2
medium lemons, cut into 1/16–1/8-inch slices
-
100 grams
/1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
-
100 grams
/7 Tbsp boiling water
Directions
-
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
-
For the cheesecake, mix the cream cheese in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until evenly combined, then paddle in the sugar until it has dissolved fully. Check with your fingers! It should feel totally smooth.
-
Now, add the eggs, one by one, scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure they’re combined. Finally, add the sour cream, lemon juice, and heavy cream.
-
Sift the flour and add the salt into another bowl, then whisk in a few spoonfuls of the cheesecake batter. This is a liaison batter to help the flour incorporate easily into the cheesecake. Ensure it’s smooth before adding it back into the rest of the cheesecake batter. Mix
the two batters together, scraping down the sides to make sure it’s evenly combined.
-
Prepare the pan by taking two pieces of parchment paper and laying them on top of each other at a perpendicular angle, then pressing them into your baking pan. It should comfortably cover the pan and have a slight collar. You can trim it if it’s too dramatic. Pour in the cheesecake mixture and tap against your kitchen counter to level the mixture.
-
For the sticky lemons, put the lemon slices into a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle the sugar over the top, followed by the boiling water. Wrap with foil.
-
To bake, put the lemons and cheesecake into the oven at the same time. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until the top of the cheesecake is well browned and the internal temperature reads 140–144°F. This temperature will increase 41–50°F as it cools thanks to carryover cooking. Let cool and then put in the fridge until totally cold. The cheesecake lasts well in the fridge for 3–5 days but is best enjoyed at room temperature.
-
For the sticky lemons, remove the foil once the cheesecake is out and place back into the oven for 5 minutes to brown slightly. Let cool, then store in the fridge until ready to use. You can also
rewarm, then add a little boiling water to the syrup to create a sauce—just add 1 large spoonful at a time until it becomes spoonable. Serve alongside the cheesecake.
See what other Food52ers are saying.