I love elegant flavors in desserts and this Earl Grey Burnt Basque Cheesecake just makes sense to me. The floral fragrant aroma of earl grey tea complement the caramelized creaminess of this cake, giving a twist to this Basque classic dessert. This cake recipe is such a delicious treat and will surely impress your guests at your next dinner party, just like this Earl Grey Raspberry Clafoutis and this Olive Oil Carrot Cake recipe.

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This recipe was inspired by the original basque burnt cheesecake from La Viña in San Sebastian. I loved it so much, I had it 3 times when I visited in the Spring of 2023!

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Ingredients
Instructions
Helpful Tips
What to Serve With This Dessert
Storage
Variations of This Dessert
Did you try this recipe?
Earl Grey Burnt Basque Cheesecake

Ingredients

Cream Cheese: Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature before you start. This will make it easier to mix with the other ingredients and avoid lumps. I was told by a chef in San Sebastian that they use Philadelphia Cream Cheese.
Eggs: Eggs at room temperature blend more seamlessly into the batter, giving our cheesecake a more uniform texture.
Heavy Cream: This is what gives our cheesecake its silky smooth texture. We infuse the cream with Earl Grey by heating it up right before it simmers and steeping the tea bags for 20 minutes.
Earl Grey: We're using 5 tea bags and steeping them in the heavy cream for that subtle earl grey tea flavor. If you want to omit the caffeine in the tea, use decaf earl grey tea bags.

*See full list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a 10 inch springform pan with 2 sheets of parchment paper, leaving 2 to 3 inches overhanging the top of the pan.

Prepare the earl grey infused heavy cream by pouring the heavy cream into a small saucepan and right before it simmers, turn the heat off and add in the tea bags. Let it steep for about 20 minutes. After steeping, carefully squeeze the tea bags with a fork or spoon to extract all the flavorful, brown liquid, ensuring you get every last drop of that Earl Grey essence.

In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to blend the sugar and cream cheese together until the mixture is smooth and well combined.

Add the eggs to the cream cheese mixture one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition until just combined. It's important not to overmix here; just blend until each egg is incorporated. Scrape sides of the bowl with a spatula.

Pour the infused cream and salt into the bowl, mixing to combine. Then, using a sifter, gently add the flour to the batter. Mix again with the hand mixer set to a low speed to avoid overworking the batter.

To ensure your cheesecake is perfectly smooth, strain the batter through a sifter into another bowl. This step helps remove any remaining lumps

Carefully pour the strained batter into your lined springform pan. Gently tap the cake pan on the countertop to release any large air bubbles. This helps prevent cracks and ensures a smoother top. Bake the cheesecake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Try not to open the oven and peek! The cheesecake is done when the center still has a slight jiggle to it, it will continue to set as it cools. Once baked, remove from the oven and allow it to cool to room temperature.

burnt basque cheesecake with earl grey with parchment paper.

When ready to serve, unlock and remove the outer ring of the springform pan. Gently peel away the parchment paper from the sides of the cheesecake. Enjoy!

Helpful Tips

To avoid major cracks: don't over mix your eggs. The longer you mix the eggs, the more air you incorporate into the batter which will cause cracking. It really isn't the end of the world, the cake will still taste delicious it's just for looks!
Room temperature ingredients: make sure your cream cheese, eggs are at room temperature. This will make it so much easier to mix together and avoid overmixing.
Extracting the Earl Grey flavor: squeeze tea bags with a fork or spoon to let out as much tea flavor as possible. We want the cream to have a slight tan color from the earl grey.

What to Serve With This Dessert

I highly recommend serving this creamy cheesecake with a fruit coulis like a strawberry coulis. The tartness really balances this cake, making it the perfect dessert combination!
You can also add berries as a topping.

earl grey burnt basque cheesecake on a serving plate with a strawberry coulis.

Storage

Store this cheesecake for up to 5 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Variations of This Dessert

If Earl Grey is not for you, then feel free to omit it.
You can also get creative and steep the cream in different kinds of tea such as chai for example.

Did you try this recipe?

Would love to hear what you think by leaving a comment below and sharing it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!

Thanks so much!
Isabelle