Valencia Almond Cheesecake
This recipe calls on two Spanish culinary traditions: the Basque burnt cheesecake and the oranges and almonds of Valencia.
Inspired by Kendra Vaculin’s Pumpkin Basque cheesecake in bon appetit at Thanksgiving, I did a version with fresh, roasted acorn squash that was tasty. Then reviewed the classic at the NYT from Marti Buckley revised by Tanya Sichinsk. And for good measure, I looked at Deb Perelman’s Easy Basque Cheesecake. And she is right, this cake is easy.
As a matter of fact, the reason this is so appealing to me is that I’m basically a lazy cook. Any recipe that says “Dump ingredients. Mix. Bake.” speaks to me. Which got me to thinking about the variations possible with a tweak or two.
The original from La Vina Bar in San Sebastian calls for goat cheese. I decided that flavor profile will be explored in another version. So nix the goat. Next, I’d been down the rabbit hole of YouTube looking at different regions in Spain. It occurred to me that oranges and Marcona almonds from Valencia would be a good addition, with the almonds coming in the whipped cream topping.
Next, most cheesecakes are honkin’ big. More than two people can eat in a week. Since I’m cooking for my wife and my cat as an older middle-aged person (70 is the new 50), I wanted to pare it down. Deb’s loaf-pan version inspired me to cut back the ingredients to fit in a 6” cake pan.
Note: Most recipes cook the cake at 425º to 450º. Since Rebecca doesn’t really dig burnt, charred, or scorched foods (except for ribeyes), I lowered the temperature slightly to cook the cake through, but finish with a toasted top rather than burnt.
Ingredients
1 lb. cream cheese
3 eggs
175 g cane sugar
1 cup heavy cream
30 g cornstarch
2 tbsp orange juice
zest of 1/2 orange
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp almond extract
4 oz. toasted crushed Marcona almonds
Directions
All ingredients need to be at room temperature
Heat oven to 410º
Line a 6” cake pan with 2 pieces of parchment paper, rotating the 2nd piece 90º so the sides of the pan are totally covered.
Add sugar and zest to the mixing bowl and squeeze together until dissolved
In a stand mixer with a paddle, combine ingredients on low speed
Wipe the side of the mixing bowl several times, making sure to get to the bottom of the mixing bowl (Do not overbeat)
Whisk lightly before pouring into the cake pans
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until uniformly brown on top
Cool on cookie rack for 15 minutes.
Remove from the pan and cool on cookie rack for an hour, or until room temp.
Refrigerate with a couple of paper towels folded underneath for 8 hours or overnight.
Place a 6” cake liner underneath and cover with plastic wrap
Serve with crushed Marcona almonds.
Valencia Scorched Cheesecake: a merge of the Basque and the Valencia cooking traditions.