When the immediate world around us is literally going up in flames, tsunami waves of thick noxious smoke blanketing the sky, it seems perversely ironic a burnt (on purpose) cheesecake has become food media’s latest obsession, eclipsing the early pandemic darling sourdough. In the Bay Area, a one-man operation based out of Oakland called Basuku–brainchild of Charles Chen–rapidly gained a cult following so fierce Chen can barely keep up with the demand, even more so after Soleil Ho wrote about his cheesecakes in the SF Chronicle.

Pictures of the seductively burnished deep bronze crust and lush ivory interior had my mouth salivating, while simultaneously my stomach quivering at the lactose overload. As much as I believe, like The Golden Girls, that cheesecake can solve most of life’s problems, I just couldn’t justify blowing that amount of cash. I could, however, try my hand at making a much smaller version at home.

Armed with a little more than a pound of cream cheese–okay, yeah I buy my Philly cream cheese in 3 lbs. loaves (because it’s cheaper plus who the hell wants to unwrap a bunch of puny packages anyways)–I set off on an internet search to find the appropriate recipe, diving into a YouTube rabbit hole of burnt basque cheesecake videos. The parameters were clear–only recipes requiring a pound or less of cream cheese. I had plenty of heavy cream (yes, I’m also in the habit of purchasing this by the half-gallon) and eggs, two of the other key ingredients. Happily, most of the recipes I found were for smallish 6″-8″ cheesecakes. I mean, come on, how much cheesecake can one household realistically eat? Did I mention that a burnt basque cheesecake also has no crust to break up the richness of the cream cheese? We’re talking over a whole freaking pound of cream cheese for a 6″ cake!

I read through about half dozen or so recipes for the basic Japanese-style basque cheesecake. Aside from a few slight variations in amounts of cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and cream, all the cheesecakes were baked the some way–in full parchment-line cake pans without water baths, under high temperature (around 425F degrees) for around 30 mins. That’s it! Once completely cooled the cheesecake is (theoretically) ready to be sliced and eaten. Nevertheless, it is strongly recommended that you chill the cheesecake for at least 6 hours or overnight for optimal creaminess. I started my cheesecake after 5 pm so leaving it to chill overnight in the fridge was not a big deal.

For my first ever burnt basque cheesecake I didn’t want to stray too far off the beaten path with non-traditional flavorings like matcha. Nor, on the other hand, was I satisfied with plain vanilla and lemon. A good compromise was ground freeze-dried strawberries, which has been my favorite ingredient to use all summer. I credit my strawberry-obsessed neighbor Krislyn and all the strawberry-themed special orders she’s placed over last few months for this. Once I’d beaten the cheesecake batter smooth, flavored with a tiny bit of Meyer lemon zest and juice (via Krislyn’s tree) and vanilla extract, I stirred in 3 tablespoons of sifted ground freeze-dried strawberries, which imparted just the right amount of sweet berry essence and blush pink color.

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Depending on the functionality of your oven, it can take between 30-35 mins to bake a 3″ deep 6″ cheesecake to the appropriate wobble. In other words, the baked cheesecake should be beautifully, deeply browned on the surface and jiggle evenly when the cake pan is gently shaken–a little looser than set custard. I placed my cake pan on a small sheet pan to make moving the cheesecake in and out of the oven easier.

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Another benefit of an overnight chill was to allow all the flavors to coalesce, deepening the strawberry profile, while the cheesecake set.

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My patience was rewarded this morning as I dipped a warm knife into the chilled cheesecake. The texture of the cheesecake was so velvety and silky that each ethereal bite melted on my tongue, the sweet aroma of strawberries washed over my olfactory senses. Oh yes, I now understand what all the fuss was about. This Japanese-Style Strawberry Basque Cheesecake was worth all the cream cheese…and all the lactaid tablets.

I found it best to scale out most of the ingredients.

Japanese-Style Strawberry Basque Cheesecake

Yield: One 6″ cheesecake

• 500 gm cream cheese (preferably Philadelphia Brand), softened at room temperature
• 145 gm sugar
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1/2 t. lemon zest (optional)
• tiny pinch of sea salt
• 15 g. corn starch
• 3 extra large eggs, room temperature
• 225 g heavy cream
• 1 t. lemon juice
• 3 T. ground freeze-dried strawberries, sifted

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1. Grease the inside of a 3″ deep 6″ round cake pan. Fit a sheet of parchment paper inside to fully line the pan, pressing it snuggly up and along the sides and trimming off the excess.
2. Preheat the oven to 425F degrees.
3. With an electric or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, zest, and salt until very smooth. Sift in the cornstarch and beat to incorporate.
4. Gradually beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
5. Gradually beat in the cream, then the lemon juice.
6. Stir in the strawberry powder until well-blended.
7. Pour the batter slowly into the prepared pan, then lift and bang the bottom of the pan against the counter a few times to knock out air bubbles.
8. Set the cake pan on a small leveled sheet pan and place on the middle rack of the oven.
9. Bake for 30-35 mins., until the surface is deeply browned and cheesecake wobbles evenly like a loosely set custard.
10. Cool the cheesecake on a rack to room temperature, then chill for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
11. Grab a hold of the overhanging parchment from both sides and carefully lifted the cake out of the pan, then pull away the parchment.
12. To slice, use a sharp knife dipped in hot water, wiping down the blade after each cut.