This year will definitely will go on record as one of the most difficult humanity has ever faced in recent memory.
I have used blogging as a tool to explore and elevate my baking skills, interact with like-minded people from across the globe and quite frankly to have some fun. Having said that, I found it pretty difficult to blog this year for the reasons we all know and for personal ones too.
However, it dawned on me these past weeks that baking has always managed to lift my spirits and helped me to get over whatever life decided to throw at me. So I baked and baked some more and boy have I got some recipes for you!
I am quite happy to be sharing my first blog for the year with a recipe of a scrumptious cheesecake that will surely wash away all of the year's bitterness and stress with its creaminess and heavenly flavor. 
The recipe I´m sharing is not similar to other cheesecake recipes I have shared before. Here you can check some along with the last one that I shared in the past. These were great in their own right.
I have adapted the recipe to my liking, I had to cut down the amount of sugar, used in the original one, and added the enticing flavors of vanilla and lemon zest, but you can add any other aroma you fancy.
The recipe I´m sharing is not similar to other cheesecake recipes I have shared before. Here you can check some along with the last one that I shared in the past. These were great in their own right.
This recipe was developed almost 30 years ago by Chef Santiago Rivera of La Viña restaurant in San Sebastian in the Basque region of Spain.
After testing many cheesecake recipes, he created his own unique take on this ever so popular dessert. The result was an immediate hit and his version is considered by many to be one of the best in Spain and perhaps in the world. I´m sure you must have seen it all over the internet, and the best part is how easy it´s to make! Trust me, give it a try and you won´t be disappointed.
I have adapted the recipe to my liking, I had to cut down the amount of sugar, used in the original one, and added the enticing flavors of vanilla and lemon zest, but you can add any other aroma you fancy.
Ingredients:
- 570g cream cheese at room temperature
- 4 large eggs
- 285 heavy cream (35%)
- 150 g white sugar
- 9 g corn starch or flour
- a pinch of salt
- seeds of half a vanilla pod
- 1 teaspoon of lemon zest.
First in a bowl, whisk the cheese, sugar, salt, the eggs, the vanilla and the lemon zest. Then add the flour and whisk again and lastly add the cream and mix to combine.
Wet a parchment paper, wrinkle it and cover an 18 cm springform pan with the wet paper.
Pour the batter in the pan and bake in a preheated oven (200-210C) for 30 to 40 minutes. The cake will rise and the surface will take on a glorious dark brown color. When you take the pan out, the center should remain a bit jiggly, but this is perfectly normal. Please avoid over baking it.
The dark brown top layer is not only visually pleasing, but it also adds sweet caramel notes to the cheesecake, making it extra delicious.
Once it´s done, put it on a cooling rack, and let it cool completely before you put it in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight for better results.
Finally, all you have to do is to slice the cake and enjoy it as it is. It really doesn´t need any topping or syrup. Just enjoy the creamy, silky smooth and utterly delicious dessert, one spoonful after the other.
