Best Blender Burnt Basque Cheesecake
30 Min, No-Fail Recipe tested 27 times! Plus Mother's Day Recipe Ideas
Welcome to Cooking Session 36! It is Mother’s Day this weekend. If you are celebrating, I hope you have a lovely time with your favourite people. If this is a difficult time for you, I hope you go gently and seek some sunshine and warmth.
I haven’t been able to celebrate Mother’s Day with my mum in 21 years as we live in different countries and have never managed to be together in May. Instead, I will call her like I do every year and we’ll have a good old chat that will last more than an hour.
Today’s dispatch is a quick one. It is merely an excuse to share this gorgeous, maddeningly delicious Burnt Basque Cheesecake! So, let’s get to it ….
Food
Blender Burnt Basque Cheesecake!!!
It’s finally here. The recipe you must’ve seen on my socials for the past 6 months or so. I’ve baked this 27 times (probably more because I eventually lost count!). And my family kinda loves me more for it. It is the easiest cheesecake you will ever bake. Dump all ingredients in a blender, blend, pour in tin, and bake. Done!
Just follow the 4 simple rules I have included and you will have the most gorgeous-looking, stupendously delicious Basque Cheesecake with a glorious burnt top and a molten custard-like center in only 30 minutes. Don’t want it too molten? No worries, follow my instructions and bake a couple of minutes longer. I give you great tips on the size of tins so there is never any spillage and more. You won’t be able to stuff this one up no matter how hard you try, it’s really easy. I promise!
“Why did you bake it 27 times if it is so easy?” someone asked me on Instagram today.
Fair question!
This was my reply and it really sums it all up why I didn’t post this recipe sooner.
“ …. to figure out the right temperature and time to bake for the BEST texture inside. I got the recipe right in about 6 tries. Then I baked it a dozen more times for dinner parties and friends to get feedback (everyone loved it!) I then experimented with higher temps and decided that was the best version. You see you can bake this at a lower temp .. 230°C or 220°C but you have to bake longer to get the dark top which changes the texture inside BUT the cake is still perfectly delicious. So yes, I baked it 27 times (probably more) so my readers don’t have to try and figure out why their top didn’t darken enough or the center wasn’t custard-like.”
Cook Republic is a reader-supported newsletter. If you enjoy all my free recipes and cooking inspiration, please consider supporting my work by becoming a paid member. You’ll get access to my New Ongoing Online Cookbook “Live More Veg” and lots of perks! Every week, there are new veg-forward (downloadable/printable) recipes, cooking techniques, meal prep and veg box ideas. You will never be short of inspiration and will find new and exciting ways of loving and using your fruit and veg!
If you are looking for some breakfast and brunch recipe ideas for this weekend, I have some for you that we cook quite often for nice family mornings throughout the year.
Scones
Pinwheel Jam Scones - We used to call these Jam Roly Poly Scones when the boys were little. Inspired by the famous British roly poly pudding and cinnamon buns, these scones are untraditional and absolutely fun to make and eat. You roll the scone dough out, fill it with a jam and fruit mix, roll it back up, cut into scones, arrange in a tray and bake. The jam oozes as it bakes making the bottom sticky and glorious while the top of the scone gets buttery and golden and crispy. Yum yum!
Fritters
Spaghetti Fritters - Oh, how I love thee! These are so packed with flavour and like eating a cheesy, pasta pie for breakfast. I love making a quick marinara/napoli sauce to dunk these in.
Bread
Cauliflower Grandma Pie - Have you ever had a Grandma Pie? It is not what you think it is. It is basically a Sicilian pizza, a deep pan pizza topped with a big, creamy, roasty topping almost like eating a Focaccia sandwich with cheese and glorious fillings. Mine is topped with roasted cauliflower, ricotta, herbs and briny things like capers and olives.
Eggs
Parsi Egg - A jammy, Indian Shakshuka-style dish that can be made in one giant pan or smaller-serve pans for a delicious brunch.
Tray Baked French Toast - A favourite brunch dish in our home! Place thick slices of brioche bread in a tray, pour over the eggy batter and bake. Top with lemon curd, fresh berries and icing sugar. Yum!
Fritters
Vegan Zucchini Corn Fritters - Make them big! These are golden, crispy and bursting with juicy corn. I serve them with heaped smoked salmon, tomato relish or salsa verde. A really good brunch recipe!
Manifesto
None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself as an afterthought. Eat the delicious food. Walk in the sunshine. Jump in the ocean. Say the truth you are carrying in your heart like a hidden treasure. Be silly. Be kind. Be weird. There is no time for anything else!
- Keanu Reeves
Reading, Watching & Good Things
I haven’t been able to read a book in almost 4 years (more on that later) but recently, I was very drawn to Heartbake by Charlotte Ree and last Sunday I sat for a few hours and read it from cover to cover. It helped me much more than I thought it would and my book drought was broken.
Which has awakened a little book-reading fire and I am ordering copies of
How To Be Remembered - Michael Thompson
The Dictionary Of Lost Words - Pip Williams
The Book Binder Of Jericho - Pip Williams
Graft - Maggie Mackellar
If you have some good book suggestions for me, please let me know in the comments below. Thanks!
I mentioned this gorgeous little gem of a show a few years ago. I am watching season 3 and thought I would nudge you to find it and watch it. It is absolutely beautiful. A heartwarming story of an English couple who are trying to have a baby that becomes a story about adopting not one but two young children and the funny, bittersweet trials and tribulations of their entire extended family and friends in the process. Trying
That’s all from me this week folks. Have a great weekend. Eat well, be well. x