Easy Gluten-Free Basque Cheesecake

It's always been my tradition to make some sort of cheesecake for Easter dessert, which is oftentimes the only time of year I make it. This year I hadn't decided which recipe I was going to make yet. I called my sister Paula to talk about some of the other items on our dinner menu and she asked if I could make this gluten-free cheesecake. I had never heard of Basque cheesecake before so naturally I started looking up recipes and learning about it. It looked easy and it intrigued me so I decided to make it.

Basque cheesecake originated at La Viña in San Sebastián, Spain in 1990 and has apparently become wildly popular. It is recommended to enjoy it with a glass of Pedro Ximénez, which is a sweet sherry wine.

This cheesecake has no crust, which makes it super easy to make. You line a springform pan with parchment paper and then put the batter right in it. It helps to put the springform pan on a large baking sheet to make it easier to get in and out of the oven. Let it cool down completely before refrigerating for a few hours, or even better - overnight.

Most of the recipes for this type of cheesecake use flour - this one uses cornstarch instead, which makes it gluten-free. It is recommended that you sift whichever one you use.

As with any cheesecake recipe, make sure you let your ingredients come to room temperature before mixing them - not just the cream cheese, but the eggs and whipping cream as well. Also, remember not to over-mix the batter - too much air mixed into the batter can cause cheesecake to crack or sink. It doesn't matter as much for this recipe, as it is supposed to look pretty rustic in appearance, and the top burns and caramelizes anyway since it is baked at a higher temperature than cheesecake normally is, but it will make a difference in the overall texture of the cheesecake.

This cheesecake was very easy to make. I baked it for about 58 minutes and it only started to brown on top in the last 20 minutes or so.

Easy Gluten-Free Basque Cheesecake

Recipe courtesy Cooking with Manuela Blog

 

The easiest cheesecake you will ever bake, impossible to mess up, with a rustic, lightly burned top, cracked middle, and the same dense and velvety consistency as the classic cheesecake. And it’s gluten-free!

 

24 oz (3 8-oz packages) regular cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Pinch of salt

¼ cup cornstarch (or all-purpose flour or all-purpose GF flour), sifted

 

 

Preheat oven to 400˚. Line an 8″ or 9″ springform pan with two sheets of overlapping parchment paper, pleated and creased to fit the pan.

 

In a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese and sugar, and beat with a handheld mixer (or stand mixer) until smooth and creamy. Add the large eggs, one at a time, while beating after each egg, until combined. Add the vanilla and heavy cream and mix to combine. Add salt and cornstarch and mix until combined.

 

Pour the cheesecake mixture into the prepared pan. Level and bake in the lower third of the oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the edges are set. The middle might still be slightly jiggly, but that’s okay; it will set completely when cooling. If you notice the top is darkening too soon, cover it loosely with aluminum foil.

 

Remove from the oven and let it cool completely at room temperature. The top will deflate and sink in, and that’s okay. Transfer the cheesecake to the refrigerator and let it chill for at least 2 hours. Let sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh berries or your favorite chocolate, fruit, or caramel sauce.

Mordino Cheesecake

One of my favorite cheesecake recipes to make comes from a family friend, Kathy Mordino. This cheesecake is made with ricotta, cream cheese and sour cream and it's delicious! It doesn't have a crust (just a thin dusting of graham cracker crumbs) which makes it very simple to make. You can easily make this gluten-free by eliminating the graham cracker crumbs or finely chopping pecans or almonds and using those crumbs instead - this is what I just did with pecans in a small food processor and it worked perfectly.

Remember to let the cream cheese and eggs come to room temperature first so the batter is not lumpy. I let the ricotta and sour cream sit out for a while as well. Also, check the cheesecake after 1 hour to see if it's done. Mine cracked as it cooled down and deflated - this is not a big deal, it's very common and will still taste great.

This recipe makes a lot of batter, so I bake it in a 10" springform pan so it does not overflow (I also have a 9" pan and this recipe overflowed in it!). I put the pan on top of a cookie sheet which makes it easier to take in and out of the oven but also prevents a mess.

I usually serve this with a bowl of cherry topping on the side so people can put them on top of their slice of cheesecake if they wish. Another delicious alternative is a raspberry sauce to drizzle on top.

Mordino Cheesecake

Recipe courtesy Kathy Mordino

Delicious!  (Better if not frozen)

 

Graham cracker crumbs – 2 crackers

1 pound ricotta cheese

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened

1½ cups sugar

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1/3 cup corn starch

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup margarine, melted

1 pint (2 cups) sour cream

 

Grease 1 spring-form pan.  Dust with graham cracker crumbs.  Put ricotta cheese in large mixing bowl.  Add cream cheese.  Beat at high speed until creamy.  Beating at high speed, blend in sugar, and then add eggs.  Reduce speed to low and add corn starch, lemon juice, and vanilla.  Add melted margarine and sour cream.  Blend at low speed.  Pour into prepared pan.

 

Bake at 325° for one hour and ten minutes or until firm around edges.  Turn off oven and let it stay in oven for two hours.  Remove cheesecake from oven and cool completely.  Chill.

Raspberry Topping

Years ago my cousin Mary Jo made this raspberry topping and I've made it a few times to serve over cheesecake. It would also be delicious over ice cream, waffles or pancakes. I prefer to strain it but you don't have to if the seeds don't bother you.

Raspberry Topping

2 6-ounce containers of raspberries

1-2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Use a small food processor and blend together two containers of raspberries, 1-2 tablespoons of sugar (to taste), and about 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.

 

Strain the sauce if you want to remove the seeds.

Cherry Topping

I made this cherry topping once and served it over cheesecake ice cream and it was so good. I get grossed out now by the canned topping that is bright red and has dye in it. I just made this again to serve on top of cheesecake. This would also be delicious on top of waffles or pancakes. I used frozen cherries both times, but you can use fresh or frozen. I like to store this in a glass mason jar in my fridge.

Cherry Topping

Recipe adapted from “Vintage Kitchen Notes” Website

 

This easy cherry sauce recipe takes minutes on the stove and keeps for days in the refrigerator and frozen for at least a month. Use fresh cherries when in season, but frozen ones also work. It's great as a topping for waffles and cheesecake, and as a sauce over ice cream.

 

12 ounces whole cherries (fresh or frozen)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon cornstarch

 

 

If using fresh cherries, wash and pit the cherries. You'll have about 1½ cups of cherries. Alternatively, use a 12-ounce bag of frozen cherries.

 

Put the cherries in a medium saucepan and add the sugar and lemon juice. Mix. 

 

Cook fresh cherries over medium heat (or frozen cherries over low heat) until it breaks a boil, stirring gently once in a while. 

 

Dissolve the cornstarch in the water until no lumps remain and drizzle over the berries. 

 

Stir constantly and cook for 1 more minute. 

 

Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and let cool down. 

 

Store in the refrigerator for up to a week in a glass mason jar with a tight-fitting lid or another type of airtight container. It can also be frozen for up to a month in a plastic container. Defrost at room temperature.