What happens when you combine two popular concepts into 1 powerhouse recipe? You’ll get a light & creamy, Basque-style cheesecake made better with sourdough discard. Bake it on the same day or ferment the batter overnight (no water bath required). And yes: the top is supposed to look burnt like that!
If you think sourdough is a rabbit hole, welcome to cheesecake. Out of all the recipes out there- baked, no-bake, NY-style, light, fluffy, creamy, dense- I chose to adapt the mighty Basque cheesecake for 3 standout reasons.
For one, it’s crust-less which means there’s literally one less thing you have to make (or buy). Two, no water bath. Again, that’s one less thing you have to struggle with, especially if you’re in no mood to deal with boiling hot water seeping into your springform pan. And three, just look at that glorious caramelized top! What does that even taste like?
Basque Vs. NY-Style {They’re Not The Same}
Please, pretty please, do not assume Basque cheesecake tastes like NY-style and vice versa. Although made with similar ingredients, the difference boils down to ingredient ratio, moisture content and baking temperature.
Basque cheesecake uses less cream cheese and more heavy cream to create a pourable batter. When baked at a high temperature (425 F), the batter puffs up like a soufflé creating a mousse-like texture around the edges, a creamy, pudding center and a golden, caramelized top which tastes like burnt sugar (think: creme brûlée). It’s rustic and sunken, with a few cracks on the surface.
NY-style cheesecake uses more cream cheese and less liquid to create a slightly thicker batter. It’s baked at a lower temperature (300+ F), usually in a hot water bath to prevent cracks on the surface. The texture is more dense. Also, NY-style cheesecake is baked in a graham cracker crust whereas Basque cheesecake is crust-less.
There’s going to be a quiz at the end…
Ok, So Why Sourdough?
Because flour is a common ingredient in most cheesecake recipes, it made sense (to me) to replace it with sourdough discard– 60 g is perfect. It lends a unique depth of flavor and texture, and is a practical use beyond sourdough bread.
For timing, like most sourdough discard recipes you can bake this cheesecake on the same day, or start the day before and ferment the batter overnight in the fridge- your choice. After 10+ recipes tests with various brands of cream cheese, heavy cream and more/less eggs, I’ve decided that you can barely differentiate between the same day or overnight option!
How To Make It {Step-By-Step}
The visual instructions below outline what you need to do, step-by-step (full detailed recipe at the end of this post). I recommend using a stand mixer for ease and convenience, room temperature ingredients for best texture, and thinking ahead re: how and when to serve your decadent sourdough cheesecake. In the next section, we’ll cover my non-negotiable notes, tips and expectations for best results.
Notes, Tips & Expectations:
- Temperature is THE MOST important ingredient in sourdough Basque cheesecake. The temperature of your cheesecake batter, plus the temperature your finished baked cheesecake determines the overall final texture. For example, my recipe tests concluded that 58 F cheesecake batter was more compact and “wet-ish” around the edges when baked, whereas 69 F cheesecake batter turned out more uniform and custardy throughout. That’s a big difference. As for the finished baked cheesecake, the longer you chill it in the fridge, the more dense, fluffy and firm if will become (a shortened chill time will extend the cheesecake’s creaminess). Both versions are good. But both versions are different. I show a side by side comparison in the video for reference. Bottom line? If you want to emulate a sourdough Basque cheesecake similar to mine, use my formula: aim for room temperature cheesecake batter (69-72 F) & shorten your chill time (2 hrs at room temperature, followed by 3 hrs in the fridge). The cheesecake won’t be super cold when served, however you can always extend the chill time to suit your preference. You will need a digital thermometer.
- Use room temperature ingredients. To achieve room temperature batter, you’ll need room temperature ingredients. To take the chill off fast, I plunge cold cream cheese blocks (out of the box, but in their sealed packages) into a warm water bath for up to 30 minutes. Same with the eggs (10-15 minutes). The heavy cream should sit out at room temperature too (30+) minutes. Please adjust the suggested time frames here, should it be hotter/colder where you are.
- Pick the right cream: You’ll need heavy “whipping” cream which contains approximately 36% milkfat. I tested Horizon, Organic Valley and Whole Foods brand, which all contain cream AND gellan gum. Gellan what?! Apparently it’s a binding agent. I couldn’t find any brands without it, but luckily my cheesecakes turned out fine every time. Don’t stress.
- Expect the cheesecake to sink: Once it comes out of the oven, your cheesecake will look puffed up like a soufflé with a very wobbly center. This is what you want. If the center is not wobbly, your cheesecake it overcooked. As it cools down, the center will sink which is all very normal.
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Creamy Sourdough Basque Cheesecake {Same Day or Overnight }
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: Serves 8–10 1x
- Category: Sourdough Discard Recipes
- Method: Oven-Baked
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This creamy, 5-ingredient sourdough Basque cheesecake recipe is made with cream cheese, sugar, eggs, heavy cream and sourdough discard (or active sourdough starter if you prefer). It’s baked without a crust in an 8-inch springform pan. Baking at a high temperature of 425 F is the Basque cheesecake’s signature move: it creates a golden brown top, a mousse-like texture around the edges, and a light and creamy center. No water bath required.
For timing, you can bake the cheesecake on the same day, chilling it until ready to serve. Or, start the day before and ferment the batter overnight in the fridge. In both cases, please make sure to use room temperature batter appx. 69-72 F, which is ideal for best texture. This recipe was adapted with changes from the lovely Nagi of Recipe Tin Eats.
Notes & Tips:
- Weigh your ingredients for precise results. I’m using a new digital scale!
- If you don’t have an 8-inch springform pan, use a deep, high-sided 8-inch pan instead. It needs to be at least 3 inches high otherwise the batter will spill out. A normal cake pan won’t work.
- A digital thermometer is not required. However, it’s extremely helpful. For example, when doing the overnight fermentation option, cold cheesecake batter will be approximately 36-37 F after sitting in the fridge overnight. It needs to reach at least 69 F before baking, which will take several hours at a moderate room temperature of 69-72 F.
Ingredients
- 678 g (24 oz) block cream cheese, at room temperature
- 220 g (appx. 1 cup) granulated sugar
- 220 g eggs (cracked weight w/o the shell), about 4- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 60 g sourdough discard or active sourdough starter
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 F (skip this step if doing an overnight ferment).
- Lightly coat the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Line the pan (horizontally) with 1 sheet of non-stick parchment paper. Place a second sheet of parchment paper on top (vertically) to create an X. Smooth out the bottom and sides to fit the pan- it won’t look perfect. Tip: I scrunch up my parchment paper first, which seems to fit better.
- Add the softened cream cheese and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until smooth and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes on medium speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- With the machine on low, add the eggs one at a time.
- Combine the heavy cream and sourdough starter in a separate bowl. Mix with a fork to dissolve the starter (just like you would do when making sourdough bread dough). It’s easier to incorporate into the batter this way.
- With the machine on low, gradually pour the the heavy cream mixture into the stand mixer bowl. When finished, turn off the machine. Gently mix the batter with a rubber spatula to ensure the texture is cohesive (check the very bottom of the bowl- sometimes a bit of cream cheese will get stuck down there!).
- Pour the batter into your lined pan. Note: at this point, if you are fermenting the batter overnight, cover the pan with an inverted dinner plate and place it into the fridge. In the morning, let it sit at room temperature until the cheesecake batter reaches 69-72 F before baking. This will take several hours. Use a digital thermometer to check.
- Place the cheesecake pan onto a baking sheet. Bake on the center rack for approximately 43-45 minutes. The cheesecake is done when it puffs up like a soufflé, is golden brown on the surface, and has a very wobbly center. There will be cracks on the surface too.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Cool the cheesecake at room temperate for 2 hours. Transfer to the fridge to cool for another 2-3 hours (for a creamy, pudding like consistency) or 6 hrs-overnight (for a firm, creamy and fluffy consistency). Note: If opting for a longer chill time, I do recommend letting the cheesecake sit out at room temperate for at least 1 hour, or until a digital thermometer reads 55-60 F before serving.
Comments
Vicky says
Hi Emilie,
If I were to bake the cake into 2x6inches. how long will be the baking time?
Thank you :)
Jannelli says
Thank you for sharing! Have you done this recipe with a crust?
Emilie Raffa says
You’re very welcome, Jannelli! I’ve never experimented with a crust. If you do so, definitely let us know!
Gen says
Holy moly! Where has this been all my life?!? The hardest part of making this is waiting for it to cool to eat. This is definitely a keeper recipe! Love love it. So delicious!
Sarah says
Hi, this sounds delicious, if I want to halve the recipe, should I reduce the cooking time, and if so by how much?
Wilbur Isaiah says
Your knowledge on this topic really shows. This made me rethink my own approach. This gave me clarity on the topic.
Peter says
Hi I have made this once before and it was lovely. My question is I am taking it with me on a trip and want to know how long can I keep it for, also best way to transport it.
Peter
Missy says
Hello Emilie,
I would love to try the recipe for your Basque cheesecake using my 10 inch spring form pan. Could I increase the recipe by 1/4 or 1/3 so I can use my larger pan?
Thank you!
Skye says
Hello! I am wondering if adding a bit of lemon zest to this batter would be a good addition? I have made other (non sourdough) Basque cheesecakes and the lemon zest was a great addition (as written in the recipe, zest of one lemon). Thanks! Plan to make it tomorrow. It looks amazing.
Emilie Raffa says
Lemon zest would be delicious. It will change the taste (in a delicious way!) but have no effect on texture or anything else.
Janet says
So the cheesecake is just stored on the counter at room temp?
Emma says
This was SO good! Will definitely make it again. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Diane says
I made this basque cheesecake for my husband’s birthday this weekend, and it did not disappoint! Wow! It was absolutely delicious. I found the video to be very helpful, as well as the written recipe. I followed all the recommendations and steps regarding temperature, did the overnight ferment, and it came out spectacular. My husband and I both agree it’s one of the best desserts I’ve ever made, and I’m not even a big cheesecake eater. We were able to enjoy it after the 2 hours at room temp, then 2-3 in the fridge, as well as the next day for leftovers (longer chill) and both versions are absolutely delicious. Make the cheesecake, it’s worth it.
Yvette says
AMAZING!!! This was beautiful and delicious! Hubby said “restaurant quality!” We devoured it in 4 days. Thank you! 🐷 😋
Emilie Raffa says
Music to my ears… thank you! 🥰
James says
I made this last night in a 9” springform pan for 43 minutes, and it turned out amazing!
Emilie Raffa says
Excellent. Thanks for the feedback, James! Glad you liked the recipe.
Sarah Horn says
I made this tonight! Superb. The whole family loved.
I was hoping for more of the pudding texture. It was definitely more of the stiff consistency. I did the overnight ferment and kept it in the fridge about 3 hours to chill before serving.
Thoughts on what might make it more “pudding like” next time?
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! Yay! I’m so happy to hear this 🥰 With regards to texture, temperature is super important. Always start there. You’ll need to assess the temp. of your cheesecake batter (before baking) and the temp. of the finished cheesecake (after chilling). So let’s back up: after your overnight ferment in the fridge, what was the temperature of the batter before you baked it? Was it at least 69 F? You’ll need a digital thermometer to establish a proper baseline for reference. From there, we can examine any baking issues. If your cheesecake was not wobbly in the center when you took it out of the oven, it was slightly overcooked. This will also affect the texture. And then… did you cool at room temp. for 2 hrs, followed by 3 hrs in fridge? Or was there some wiggle room at any point? Have a look back and see if anything clicks! Otherwise, in addition to the tips above, shortening your overall chill time will be beneficial as well. Hope this helps, Sarah!
Andrea Pangallo says
Question- what would doing the overnight fermentation do? enhance any flavor I guess? After you ferment, you bring back to room temp and then bake correct?
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Andrea! With proper time and temperature, sourdough ferments anything it touches (for the most part). In this case, on overnight ferment adds depth of flavor to the cheesecake. The level of depth depends on a multitude of factors, including the individual characteristics of your sourdough starter, its ph levels, what flour it’s fed, its feeding frequency etc. It’s layered. But that’s what makes this recipe unique. And yes: after you ferment the cheesecake batter in the fridge, it needs to come to appx. 69-72 F before baking.
Sigourney Seybert Rivas says
This looks amazing. I’m planning on making it in the next few days! Do you put anything on it? Fruit sauce, chocolate, etc.?
Emilie Raffa says
If you want to dress it up, fresh raspberries is really nice or even a fruit sauce/compote of your choice to serve alongside (strawberry, raspberry, blueberry etc). Personally, I wouldn’t do chocolate. The flavor will dominate. Let me know how it turns out!
Donna LaFrance says
Will a 6” springform pan work?
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! I imagine it would be too small for this. The batter might overflow out of the pan. If you still want to try it with your 6-inch pan, you would have to fill it about 2/3’s up the way up, reserving the leftover batter for something else. Maybe you can bake little cheesecakes in muffin tins? Hope this helps.
Kelly S. says
WOW! This was amazing! I’m a big fan of basque cheesecake and this one turned out so creamy and delicious. Will definitely be my go to recipe now.
Emilie Raffa says
Yay! I’m so glad you liked it. Thanks for taking the time to comment. This is such a special recipe 🥰
Jeff says
I really hope you used 250 grams of sugar because I am weighing my ingredients, and 1 cup does NOT = 250 grams. 250 grams = 1 1/4 cups. I’m making the recipe right now, by weight. I’m really hoping that the weight is the correct amount.
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Jeff! Thanks for catching that- it’s a typo. I just checked my notes and the correct weight is actually about 220 g, which is a little over 1 cup (depending on how you measure, the size of your sugar crystals, and the size of your measuring cup). Your cheesecake will still turn out fine. I’ll update the recipe card now.
Jeff says
Okay, so I was able to remove 30grams of sugar because I decided to wait a bit to see how fast you were able to respond. Lucky me, you were quick. The cake was excellent. I made some strawberry syrup (sugar, strawberries, simmer until a tiny bit jammy) to top it with, serving fresh strawberries on the side (with a sprig of mint for garnish since it just started appearing in my garden). I’m trying your carrot cake next – just have to get some chai spice, first.