Spanish La Viña Cheesecake

Name: Spanish La Viña Cheesecake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 2 h 10 min
Total time: 2 h 25 min
Yield: 9 servings
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 1 kg cream cheese (philadelphia, mascarpone, or robiolina); 500ml heavy cream (35% fat); 7 small eggs (or 6 large); 350g fine sugar; 1 vanilla pod (or 1 teaspoon vanilla paste); 30g all-purpose flour (or cornstarch for gluten-free version)

May 10, 2017

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The best cheesecake in the world? You'll decide that after you make it. I can tell you it's an extraordinary cheesecake, a cross between a soufflé and a crème brûlée. The cheesecake is flavored only with a little vanilla, but in the end it will have the aroma of crème brûlée. And your kitchen will smell strongly of crème brûlée. That's because it's baked at high temperature and allowed to brown until it forms a caramelized crust. It really doesn't need any other flavors. It's delicious with a cup of coffee, but even better with a glass of sweet Pedro Ximénez (PX) sherry, just as I ate the original at La Viña, in San Sebastian.

I received the recipe from Lourdes, our guide through San Sebastian. I only adjusted the amount of sugar—her recipe called for 400g sugar, but I found it a bit too sweet, especially when served with PX. So far I've tried the cheesecake with Philadelphia and Robiolina. Next week I'll make it with mascarpone mixed with Philadelphia and let you know how it turns out.

Ingredients

1 kg cream cheese (Philadelphia, mascarpone, or robiolina)
500ml heavy cream (35% fat)
7 small eggs (or 6 large)
350g fine sugar
1 vanilla pod (or 1 teaspoon vanilla paste)
30g all-purpose flour (or cornstarch for gluten-free version)

Servings: 8-10

How to prepare spanish la viña cheesecake

Using a mixer, beat the cheese and sugar well until very smooth (about 3-4 minutes).
With the mixer running, add the eggs one at a time and incorporate. Beat for 1 more minute after adding all of them.
Add the vanilla and flour and mix. Finally, add the cream and mix to incorporate. You'll get a foamy but quite liquid batter.
Line a 23cm diameter round pan (preferably a tall one) with parchment paper, making sure the paper extends above the edges because the cheesecake rises quite a lot in the oven.
Pour the batter into the pan. Bake at 200°C for the first 15 minutes, then at 220°C until puffed and nicely browned on top (approximately 20-25 minutes).
When you take it out, it will jiggle like jelly and may have some cracks toward the edges—that's fine. After a few minutes it will deflate and the cracks won't be visible anymore. Let it cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour—it's better when chilled.