Emelia Jackson throws the rulebook out the window with this easy-to-make honey-glazed Basque cheesecake, direct from the pages of her new cookbook You Had Me at Cake.

“This simple and popular cake was born at La Viña, a small pintxos bar in San Sebastián, Spain,” says Emelia Jackson. “It’s a rough and ready cake, dismissing all the standard practices of other cheesecakes; no cookie crust, no slow baking, no water bath. This is baked at the hottest temperature your oven will get to – 250°C (500°F) is the dream – giving the outside edges a burnt, crust-like quality, while the interior remains soft; almost liquid. I’ve seen so many of these cakes served overbaked (perhaps victims of the quest for the perfect darkened crust), and it’s a real disservice to the original. To get the crust as dark as possible, preheat your oven for a solid hour and pull the cake out when it still has a loose wobble to the centre. Any more and you’ll be left with a sandy texture as the curds overcook. No one wants that.”

Ingredients
Makes a 20cm cake

  • 1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 7 eggs
  • 250 g (9 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
  • 100 g (31/2 oz) honey, plus 2 tablespoons for glazing
  • 35 g (11/4 oz) cornflour (cornstarch)
  • 220 ml (73/4 fl oz) thickened (whipping) cream
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 250°C (500°F) fan-forced (or as hot as your oven will go). Line the base and sides of a 20 cm (8 inch) spring-form cake tin with baking paper, ensuring the paper extends 4–5 cm (1 1/2–2 inches) above the sides of the tin.
  2. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth, scraping down the bowl a few times (this will take longer if the cream cheese is cold). Add the eggs, sugar and honey and beat for 4–5 minutes or until the mixture is creamy, shiny and emulsified.
  3. Sift the cornflour over the cream cheese mixture and fold it through, then fold in the cream and vanilla. Give it a good mix to make sure the batter is well combined and smooth.
  4. Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 40–45 minutes or until the outside of the cake is a deep, deep, golden brown (and in some places, black!) and the centre still has a good wobble.
  5. Remove from the oven and, while still hot, brush the surface with honey to glaze. Allow the cake to cool for 2–3 hours at room temperature before transferring it to the fridge to set for a further 2–3 hours.
  6. This cake is best served at room temperature, so remove it from the fridge a couple of hours before serving.

You Had Me at Cake

Images and text from You Had Me at Cake, photography by Armelle Habib, Murdoch Books RRP $39.99. Available in stores now including at great independent retailers such as Readings and Hill of Content.