Burnt Basque Cheesecake; A Cheesecake Like No Other

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. 

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. 

Semlor, Indulgent Swedish Cream Buns

The best thing about traveling, at least for me, is how it exposes you to all the different culinary traditions the world has to offer. You can spend a lifetime of traveling and you will still come across a new ingredient, a new dish, and a new cooking method. For a sweet tooth, my visit to a new country would not be complete if I didn't sample a traditional sweet or two popular among locals.

Years ago, I went to Sweden and spent a few days strolling through the charming streets of Stokholm, its capital city. When I got tired or needed a break I would go into cute coffee shops and enjoy a warm cup of coffee and people watch! The Swedes  have a beautiful tradition called "Fika", and though I don't know uf  there's an exact word-to-word translation to it, it basically means to have coffee. This coffee-break, often had in the afternoon, gathers friends and families around coffee, tea and juice, served along cakes and pies. As it turned out, one fika per day was not enough for me. Actually two were not enough for my I-want-to-try-it-all attitude. Luckily, the Swedes had enough to keep me coming back for more.

As I went to Sweden in summer, I did not get to sample one of its most popular treats: Semlor. This sweet bread, served before the lent season, is quite popular in the country and can be found seasonally throughout the month of February. I had known about it from Swedish friends. Though I would have liked to try it in Sweden, the Arctic Northern European winters of this land are a bit too cold for a Mediterranean girl like me!

My solution for this dilemma was to make my own semlor. I tried several recipes and was not satisfied with the results. The dough just got too dry in less than 24 hours. In my recent attempts, I adjusted the dough recipe and was rewarded with delectable semlor that will stay perfect for at least 48 hours!

For the dough you need: (makes 6 buns)

• 250 g bread flour
• 1 egg (the one I used weighed 65 g)
• 90 ml of warm milk (28C)
• 8 g fresh yeast
• 40 g sugar
• 3 g salt
• 60 g soft butter
• 1/2 tsp groung cardamon (I used a bit more as I love the cardamom aroma)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla paste

First start by making  a pre-ferment. Mix the milk with the yeast until it dissolves, then add 90 g of the flour, mix well then  add the rest of the flour over the mixture. Cover and let it rest for 30 minutes. Once it rests, the flour on top of the mixture will rise and crack a bit pushed by the dough beneath.

Now add the rest of the ingredients except the butter and start mixing. A first mix with a wooden spoon then flip the dough over a clean working surface and knead for few minutes.  You can use your mixer of course, but I like doing that by hands.

After few minutes add the butter and keep kneading, the dough will be very sticky and all over the counter, don´t worry after minutes of mixing the dough will come together and won´t stick at all. It took about 25 min to reach that point. With a mixer, using the hook accessory, it will take you about 15 minutes.

Transfer the dough into a clean and greased bowl, cover and let it proof between an hour or 2 or until it doubles in volume. After that, tuck the edges to the middle of the dough, cover it again and leave it in the fridge over night.

In the morning, take about 75 g of the dough, flat it down a bit, tuck the edges into the middle of the dough then roll it into a nicely shaped ball.

Place all the buns on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, and let them rise again for about 2 hours or until they double in volume.

Heat your oven to 200 C, prepare an egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 tbsp milk and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract) and gently brush the buns. I brushed the buns twice then bake them for about 10 to 12 min or until golden brown.

For the almond paste you need:

• 100 g almond flour
• 20 g whole almonds (peeled)
• simple syrup infused with cardmamom (100 g sugar, 100 g water and 5 cardamom pods)

First start by toasting the whole almonds in a hot oven (100 C) for few minutes, then add the almond flour. By heating the almonds you will intensify the flavor and once you smell the almonds you know they are ready.

Mix the almond flour with enough syrup to make a paste, (if it´s too thick you can add some milk once you´re about to fill the buns). Crush the whole almonds and add them to the paste. You can skip the step, but I like the crunchy texture. 

For the whipped cream:

• 200 ml 35% cream
• 25 g sugar
• the seeds of one vanilla pod (or extract or paste)

Start with a cold cream and whisk; it helps the cream to whip quickly and to get a strong texture. Add the sugar and vanilla to the cream and whip until stiff peaks are formed. Pay attention to the cream all the time, if you whip too much you will get butter!

Assembly:

Once then buns are cold, snip off the top, fill with almond paste, then swirl the whipped cream, put back the top as a lid, sprinkle some powdered sugar and enjoy a delicious and amazing treat from the beautiful Sweden.

You can enjoy semlor with warm vanilla or cinnamon infused milk. The Swedes call this way of enjoying semlor "Hetvägg", which means "hot wall". I don´t know why they call it as such, but it´s really delicious and comforting.

Now rush to your kitchens and make some semlor before February ends and the lent season starts! 

Banana and Peanut Butter Pancakes

After a long working week, we all crave the break the weekend provides. On Saturday mornings, when Monday still feels distant, there's nothing better than to wake up a bit late and enjoy a relaxing breakfast.

To be honest, I often plan during the weekdays what I will have for the weekends' breakfast; something to do with planning ahead and avoiding wasting time! Quite often, I choose pancakes because they are easy to prepare and can be made with just about any flavor you can imagine.

I have shared several pancake recipes before and experimented with many flavors. This time, I decided to combine the flavor of bananas with that of peanut butter, for a sweet, protein-packed, and healthy start of the day.

For 4 people you need:

• 180 g cake flour
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 g baking soda and 4 g baking powder
• 30 g brown sugar
• 60 g peanut butter (if it´s too stiff heat it in the microwave for few seconds)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or paste
• 50 ml milk (use more if the batter is too thick)
• dash of salt

In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda and baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon.
In another bowl whisk for a couple of minutes the eggs, banana, peanut butter, vanilla and milk.

Now all you need to do is to mix the wet ingredients with the dry ones, the mixture should be rather thick but liquid enough to be poured on a hot pan.

Pour about 2 tablespoons of the batter on a greased and hot pan. Cook until you see bubbles surfing on the top of the pancake then flip it and cook for a couple of minutes on the other side.

Once you finish baking all the pancakes, serve them warm with some maple syrup, honey, or fresh fruits, and enjoy a comforting and delicious breakfast!

For more breakfast ideas featuring pancakes, check these recipes: here, here, here and here .