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Simple Vanilla Burnt Basque Cheesecake, just what the coming holiday week and month ahead needs most. This delicious cheesecake has a deep golden brown exterior, thus it is called a “Burnt” Basque Cheesecake. Inside you’ll find a creamy, rich, sweet filling. It’s really not like any other cheesecake you’ve had before. It’s the easiest to make and (almost) impossible to mess up.
Hey guys, one last dessert before Thanksgiving next week and it sure is a good one. To be honest, when it comes to cheesecake, it’s never been something I’ve had the desire to make or eat. It’s just never felt that special to me, but the Basque-style cheesecake is completely different.
It’s richer, creamier, and the easiest to make. No water underneath the cake and nothing fancy about it.
It’s the cheesecake that really embraces those cracks, and I love that!
I wanted to share a Thanksgiving dessert that wasn’t pie but also wasn’t a layer cake. Something easy and sweet, but still special enough for the holidays!
This Burnt Basque Cheesecake is perfect. The rich vanilla flavor really shines in this cake. And the warm hot cocoa sauce drizzled over top, well, it just sweetens the deal. The cocoa sauce is not needed, but then again it is, because it makes every bite perfection.
Details – start with the cake
What I love about this cake is truly just how easy it is. Start off by beating the cream cheese with sugar and real vanilla bean seeds. I love to use a vanilla bean pod with the seeds scraped out. Vanilla bean powder also works great too!
You’ll want to really beat in the cream cheese with the sugar and vanilla. This infuses the cake batter with a strong vanilla flavor.
Then just add eggs, cream, a touch of flour, and some salt. I also added hazelnut liquor for a special holiday touch that really compliments the vanilla.
It’s really, really simple, but yet still really, really delicious. Kind of sweet, kind of salty, and with a really great vanilla flavor.
The cake can be baked, then chilled and stored in the fridge for a few days. I like to bring the cake to room temperature before serving.
The hot cocoa drizzle
I felt like the cake needed something to compliment the rich vanilla flavor, an espresso chocolate sauce sounded perfect.
It’s a mix of chocolate, cream, vanilla, and espresso powder. Simply combine everything together until melty and warm.
Once the cake has cooled, just slice and serve with the warm sauce on top. Tis’ truly the most delicious.
The perfect way to end a nice Thanksgiving Day with family and friends. Note…this is also great with an espresso on the side!
Looking for other easy holiday desserts?? Here are my favorites:
White Chocolate Chai Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie Cupcakes with Butter Pecan Frosting
Lastly, if you make this Vanilla Burnt Basque Cheesecake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Vanilla Burnt Basque Cheesecake
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 468 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon hazelnut liquor
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Hot Cocoa Drizzle
- 8 ounces semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
Instructions
- 1. Place a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Lightly butter a 8-9 inch spring-form pan and line with parchment paper going up the sides of the pan.2. Split the vanilla bean in half and use a sharp knife to scape out the seeds. 3. In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, 3/4 sugar, and vanilla beans on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl until very smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time until the eggs are fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then reduce the mixer speed to medium-low. Add the cream and hazelnut liquor, beat until combined, about 30 seconds.4. Sift the flour and salt into the batter, then beat again to combine, about 30 seconds. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.5. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until deeply golden brown on top and still very jiggly in the center. Let the cake cool 5 minutes, then unmold. Let cool completely. 6. Before serving, make the chocolate sauce. Combine chocolate and cream microwave-safe bowl and microwave, stirring every 45 seconds, until melted. Stir in the vanilla and coffee powder. 7. Slice into wedges and serve at room temperature or chilled, drizzled with warm chocolate sauce.
This post was originally published on November 19, 2021
Do you think subbing bourbon for the hazelnut liquor would be good? Or ruin the flavor profile? I have a whole bottle I bought for another recipe and would love to put it to use.
Hey Audrey,
That should be fine to do! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I’m pretty new to your blog. I love it. Making the cheesecake to take to a friend’s for dinner tonight I can’t rate it yet. I do have one comment though. I have baked all my life (I’m 65,) but haven’t used vanilla beans. I had no idea how to use it. Do I chop the bean or what??? That seemed weird to me. I looked it up online and discovered that you use the scrapings from the bean. That may seem obvious to most but it wasn’t to me. Maybe you should include that info in your recipe. I put the leftover bean in some vodka to infuse for something yummy to drink in the near future!
Hi Susan! In Step 2 in the recipe, it tells you exactly how to use the vanilla bean.
Thanks for replying Susana. Step 2 says to cut the beans and scrape out the seeds. Step 3 says to beat together the cheese, sugar and vanilla beans. It doesn’t specify to use the scrapings. That’s why I was confused.
I have a caution to bakers using the small upper oven in a GE Profile. I moved the rack to the center as directed but after about 35 minutes the cake rose so well that it actually touched the burners of the oven and REALLY burned the top. I was able to peel off the burned part and stick it back in the oven to brown again. It turned out delicious but I’ll keep it on the lower rack if I use that oven again!
Hey Susan,
You will split the bean down the middle with a knife and scoop out the beans inside. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Would this be okay to make a couple days ahead of Thanksgiving and refrigerate?? Super excited to give it a try! 🙂
Hey Annsley,
Yes, that will work well for you. I hope this recipe turns out amazing, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Which spring form pan did you use in IG stories??
Hey Megan,
Here is the link for my springform pan:
https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/nw-springform-pan/?pkey=s~springform%20pan~3&sbkey=default
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Wondering if I could use vanilla bean paste instead and is that really enough vanilla?
Hey Kim,
Sure, vanilla bean paste should also work well for you! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
Hi, will this cake be okay in the fridge overnight?
Thank you
Hey Lisa,
You bet! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
How much vanilla extract is a good substitute for 1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder?
I just googled what the ratio of vanilla extract to a whole vanilla bean is and the recommendation is to use 1 TBS of vanilla extract in place of 1 whole vanilla bean.
Made this and was pretty disappointed. I couldn’t find vanilla bean powder so I used double the amount of vanilla extract. The cheesecake was practically flavorless, although the consistency was nice. The chocolate sauce on top tasted like bland warmed up chocolate chips. Glad I tested this recipe before making for thanksgiving!
Hey there,
I would use about 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi. If I didn’t want to use hazelnut liquor, what is a good substitute?
I’d like to see this response as well.
Following this
I haven’t made this yet, but Amaretto (almond liqueur) might be a decent substitute, and is a more common liqueur for people to have.
You might also be able to use almond extract (or hazlenut extract if you can find it). The rule of thumb for that is 1/2 teaspoon extract per 2 tablespoons of liqueur.
Another option would be hazelnut syrup, which is often sold as something to add to coffee.
I should add the warning that I haven’t tried any of these yet. I am planning on doing this recipe and will probably use the Amaretto substitute, because I have some around the place.
Hey Glen – Amaretto sounds like a great substitute! I’m not a fan of hazelnut so I’d definitely try the Amaretto – which I always have in the house!
Following as I’d like this response as well
What are your thoughts on raspberry liqueur? 🙂
Hey Lynn,
That would obviously change the flavor profile, but it would work. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hey Tonia,
You can just skip the hazelnut liquor. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I used brandy instead and it was delish!
Unfortunately, I grew up in the mid-west, where the typical home cook was taught, “Cook it for as long as the recipe says, then cook it until it looks done, then give it a little more time, just to be sure.” However, since I started using a really good (i.e., near professional) instant-read thermometer, my cooking has improved and I have far fewer failures. Can you please, Please, PLEASE occasionally provide temperature readings for key steps in your recipes? In this recipe, if I knew EXACTLY the temperature that indicates when the cheesecake is done, I am much more likely to have a good outcome.
Hey Jim,
Did you try the recipe? Sorry this is not something I plan to do at this time, but thanks for the feedback. xTieghan
I’ve found that around 155 F is good for cheesecake, although “very jiggly” might be more around 150. Interested to see what others have to say. I’m 100% with you on temperatures as a no-guess measure of when something is ready.
This looks amazing for Thanksgiving dessert. Can I use a 10 inch springform pan?
And what can I substitute for the hazelnut liquor?
Hey Susana,
Yes, a 10 inch springform pan will be just fine, I would just slightly reduce your baking time. You can omit the hazelnut liquor. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Thank you Tieghan for your prompt reply, I so appreciate it! Will definitely let you know how it turns out ?.
Question my son is allergic to tree nuts Do you have an alternative to hazel nuts?
Question my son is allergic to tree nuts Do you have an alternative to hazel nuts?
Please disregard I saw same question below.
Hey Susie,
You can just omit the hazelnut liquor. I hope you enjoy this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Could this be made with the puff pastry crust like the blueberry basque cheesecake? Or is there a reason you didn’t use it with this one? Can’t wait to make it either way!
Hey Stephanie,
Sure, you could totally do the puff pastry crust for this recipe too! Please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi, we have a tree nut allergy. Is there something I can substitute the hazelnut for? Also can I just omit the espresso or is there a sub for that?
This looks delish!
Hey Courtney,
You can omit both the hazelnut liquor and espresso powder. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Is there a way to make this gluten free?
You can use gluten free flour. King Arthur has a 1:1 gf flour.
Hey Alex!
To make this gluten free you just have to use gluten free flour! I have celiacs and was just looking at the recipe to see how to make it – that looks like the only change!
Hey Alex,
I would use an equal amount of GF flour. I hope the recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Definitely going to try this. Interesting no water bath cooking. Will post results.
I hope you love the recipe Laurie!