Basque Burnt Cheesecake

Ingredients

• 900g full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 300g caster sugar
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature
• 400ml double cream
• 25g plain flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp fine salt

Before you cook

• Take the cream cheese and eggs out of the fridge at least two hours ahead so everything is properly soft.
• Line a 23cm springform tin with two large overlapping sheets of baking parchment, pressing them into the base and letting the edges stand well above the rim in rough pleats.
• Sift the flour into a small bowl.

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 210C fan-off, or 200C fan, and put a shelf in the middle.
2. Beat the cream cheese and sugar together in a large bowl for two minutes, until completely smooth with no lumps.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating just until each disappears before adding the next.
4. Pour in the double cream, vanilla and salt, and mix on low speed until the batter is loose and pourable.
5. Sift the flour over the surface and fold it in gently, stopping as soon as it vanishes.
6. Pass the batter through a sieve into the lined tin to catch any lumps.
7. Tap the tin firmly on the counter three times to release large air bubbles.
8. Bake for fifty to fifty-five minutes, until the top is deeply browned, almost burnt at the edges, and the centre still wobbles like loose jelly when you nudge the tin.
9. Set the tin on a wire rack and leave the cheesecake to cool completely at room temperature, which takes about three hours.
10. Peel the parchment back from the sides and cut thick wedges, serving it at room temperature rather than fridge cold.