Easy Air Fryer Basque Burnt Cheesecake バスクチーズケーキ will be the creamiest, easiest cheesecakes you can make at home! This air fryer cheesecake recipe wants to be burnt, cracked, baked at high heat, and finished with an aromatic and caramelized crust. With just five main ingredients, it has the proper amount of sweetness with no crust.
Compared to the classic New York-style cheesecake with a cookie crust, this delicious crustless cheesecake has an ugly burnt top that is nearly impossible to mess up. Its burnt top reminds me of the bitterness of a creme brûlée.
> In This Post: Everything You'll Need For Perfect Air Fryer Burnt Basque Cheesecake
What is the difference between Basque Cheesecake and regular New York cheesecake?
Basque Cheesecake is a unique crustless cake with a scorched caramelized top and a creamy, gooey mousse-like center. It isn't smooth or dense with supreme strawberry syrup on the cheesecake.
In fact, Basque Cheesecake isn't Japanese at all. But somehow, it is often referenced as the "Japanese Burnt Cheesecake."
So who invented basque cheesecake? And where did Basque Cheesecake originate?
Tarta de Queso was born in La Vina, a restaurant in the resort town of San Sebastian in Spain's Basque Country, by Chef Santiago Rivera.
What Does Basque Cheesecake Taste Like?
This delicious cheesecake is rich and creamy with caramel and slightly bitter-charred notes. It is light yet dense and robust with a cream cheese flavour.
What is the most popular type of cheesecake?
The conventional rich and dense New York cheesecake is undoubtedly the most popular type in North America.
Ingredients and Substitutes
You only need simple ingredients to make this delicious cheesecake in the air fryer. The best part about this simple recipe is that different variations of flavours can be built on this one. Once you nail this one, you can make plenty of recipes for this decadent dessert!
Cream cheese - My favourite full-fat cream cheese is Philadelphia Cream Cheese. Rest the cream cheese to room temperature if you intend to mix the cheesecake batter by hand. This ensures that the cream cheese is silky smooth.
Alternatively, if you want to avoid blending by hand for a long time, you can also use a good-quality food processor. Here are my picks for the Best Food Processors!
Whipping Cream - Use a heavy cream with >36% fat high-fat content, giving you that smooth, dense texture you crave in the cheesecake batter!
Eggs - Rest the chicken eggs at room temperature. You will use them to stabilize the cake batter.
Corn Starch - You probably have heard me use corn starch slurry in many Chinese recipes like this Hong Kong Curry Fish Balls to tighten sauces. But what does cornstarch do to cakes? Cornstarch helps create a crumbly and soft texture when added to cake and pastries. Cornstarch is a natural anti-caking agent.
Salt - Add a tiny dash of salt in cake recipes to enhance and perk up the flavour and complexity of other ingredients.
Most dry goods ingredients, tools and supplies can be purchased at your local Asian grocery stores or online at my Amazon Store. I have linked the products for your convenience!
Once you've mastered the original Basque Cheesecake, you can experiment with other flavours. Kabocha Pumpkin Cheesecake, Matcha Basque Burnt Cheesecake and Ube Burnt Cheesecake are the most common flavours. You can try other more complex flavours and develop your own repertoire.
Instructions
If this isn't the easiest, most delicious air fryer cheesecake recipe, I need to know what it is! I love the creamy sweet charred top contrasting the jiggly center with the slightest ooze.
If you love cheesecake, you want to make it without a springform pan or temperamental water bath because it is unnecessary!
Before you start preparing the cream cheese mixture, I like to use parchment paper to line my cake tin. I use 6-inch cake pans and a pre-cut sheet of parchment paper. To keep the vibe rustic, crumble a piece of parchment paper with your hands. Place the parchment paper in the baking pan and ensure the side of the pan is also lined.
Ensure the pan size will fit inside your air fryer basket.
The beauty of this basque cheesecake original recipe is that it does not require vanilla extract, cake flour, or lemon juice to make the cake stand out.
Preheat the air fryer to 400F for a few minutes.
Add all the ingredients to your food processor and choose the puree function. Blend until silky smooth. Check halfway through and use a spatula to move the cheesecake batter around. There shouldn't be any chunks left.
Alternatively, mix the batter with the paddle attachment at low speed in a stand mixer.
Don't worry if you do not own either kitchen appliance. You can mix the cheesecake batter by hand in a large mixing bowl with the ingredients tempered at room temperature.
Once your mixture is nice and smooth, pour it into the prepared cake pan.
Place the prepared cake pan into the air fryer basket.
Set to a high temperature of 400F and cooking time of 25 minutes. Check-in on your cheesecake at 20 minutes and see how burnt it is. The top of the cheesecake should have a lovely dark golden brown colour with speckles of char. If you prefer your cake to be less dark, now is an excellent time to place a piece of aluminum foil on top to stop it from further burning.
Pro Tip 1: The cooking time depends on how creamy, jiggly and gooey you fancy. 20 minutes for a wiggly gooey center. 25 minutes for a perfectly creamy but jiggly center. 30 minutes for an extra firm center.
Pro Tip 2: Keep in mind a shallow pan with a bigger diameter will yield a firmer cake, and a cake pan that is deeper but with a smaller diameter will be more jiggly.
Carefully remove your baked delicious air fryer cheesecake from the hot basket with kitchen mitts.
Pro Tip 3: If you prefer to set the cake more, chill it in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving. The burnt cheesecake will be less ooey gooey. In fact, I immensely enjoy making this type of cheesecake for 20 minutes and allowing it to firm up further in the refrigerator. It has the best taste and velvety texture combination!
One of my favourite things about this easy recipe is that it is very forgiving and does not take a lot of time. The cooking press is simple, and you do not need to worry about air bubbles.
Vegan Cheesecake Substitutes
This recipe can be easily turned plant-based. For a Vegan cheesecake substitute, use silken tofu instead cream cheese and full-fat coconut milk instead of whipping cream.
What To Serve With The Best Burnt Basque Cheesecake
Ideal burnt cheesecake recipes have a burnt dark brown bitter layer on top of the cake. The cooking process is simple and makes for a heck of a birthday cake anytime! You do not wait for the holiday season. Enjoy it alone, with whipping cream and a cup of espresso to cut thru the richness.
You will love the desserts if you enjoy this bold and rich cream cheese.
Easy Air Fryer Basque Burnt Cheesecake バスクチーズケーキ will be the creamiest, easiest cheesecakes you can make at home! This air fryer cheesecake recipe wants to be burnt, cracked, baked at high heat, and finished with an aromatic and caramelized crust. With just five main ingredients, it has the proper amount of sweetness with no crust.
Add all the ingredients to your food processor and choose the puree function. Blend until silky smooth. Check halfway through and use a spatula to move the cheesecake batter around. There shouldn't be any chunks left.
Once your mixture is nice and smooth, pour it into the prepared cake pan.
Place the prepared cake pan into the air fryer basket.
Set to a high temperature of 400F and cooking time of 25 minutes. Check-in on your cheesecake at 20 minutes and see how burnt it is. The top of the cheesecake should have a lovely dark golden brown colour with speckles of char. If you prefer your cake to be less dark, now is an excellent time to place a piece of aluminum foil on top to stop it from further burning.
Carefully remove your baked delicious air fryer cheesecake from the hot basket with kitchen mitts.
The cooking time depends on how creamy, jiggly and gooey you fancy. 20 minutes for a wiggly gooey center. 25 minutes for a perfectly creamy but jiggly center. 30 minutes for an extra firm center.
Keep in mind a shallow pan with a bigger diameter will yield a firmer cake, and a cake pan that is deeper but with a smaller diameter will be more jiggly.
If you prefer to set the cake more, chill it in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving. The burnt cheesecake will be less ooey gooey.
Avoid blending by hand for a long time, you can also use a good-quality food processor. Here are my picks for the Best Food Processors!
Nutrition
Serving Size:1 pan
Calories:454
Sugar:18.6 g
Sodium:242.8 mg
Fat:38.3 g
Carbohydrates:21.1 g
Fiber:0 g
Protein:8.1 g
Cholesterol:201.3 mg
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Interesting! I've never heard it referred to as a 'Japanese' Burnt cheesecake and it doesn't have the same light and springy texture as a regular Japanese Cheesecake. The burnt style is one of my favourites because it's so decadent, yet so simple. Who knew you could bake one in an air fryer?!
I am on a mission to try new dessert recipes in my air fryer so I had to try this basque cheesecake. We all enjoyed the creaminess of the interior and the caramelized 'burnt' top!
This is such an impressive show stopper of a dessert! A fantastic, delicious creamy cheesecake and the fact that it is cooked in the air fryer makes it so easy!
I'd never have thought to make a basque cheesecake in the air fryer but I guess why not, since regular cheesecakes work that way. It looks great, excited to try!
MO says
Awesome Recipe for a quick dessert fix! this basque Cheese Cake recipe is just so prefect! Thank you Nancy!
Nancy says
Thanks for your support Mo! I'm so glad to hear that it came out perfectly for you!
Bernice says
Interesting! I've never heard it referred to as a 'Japanese' Burnt cheesecake and it doesn't have the same light and springy texture as a regular Japanese Cheesecake. The burnt style is one of my favourites because it's so decadent, yet so simple. Who knew you could bake one in an air fryer?!
Jean says
I can't get over how easy this was to make. And in the air fryer? Incredible! I love cheesecake and the Basque version is even better!
Vanessa says
This sounds amazing! I can't wait to try it! Never thought of using the air fryer to bake before.
swathi iyer says
Easy Air fryer basque burnt cheesecake looks delicious, need to try this .
Andrea says
this cheesecake turned out absolutely delicious! such a great sweet treat!
Maren Epstein says
What a cool air fryer recipe!
Nora says
I am a huge cheesecake fan and I love basque burnt cheesecake! Never thought of making it in the air fryer, but I can't wait to give it a try! Thanks!
Marie-Pierre Breton says
This is intriguing; I live in Barcelona, Spain and never experienced this cake! Going to go on a hunt to try it out! Thanks for this lovely recipe!
Stephanie says
I am on a mission to try new dessert recipes in my air fryer so I had to try this basque cheesecake. We all enjoyed the creaminess of the interior and the caramelized 'burnt' top!
Alexandra says
This is such an impressive show stopper of a dessert! A fantastic, delicious creamy cheesecake and the fact that it is cooked in the air fryer makes it so easy!
Tayler says
I made this cheesecake after dinner last night and OMG was it delicious!
Beth says
This looks so good! I had burnt cheesecake once, and I never forgot it. I've been too afraid to try it, though. It actually seems easy!
Hayley Dhanecha says
I too make basque cheesecake in air fryer, so easy and fuss free recipe.
Sisley White - Sew White says
This cheesecake has such a unique flavour. I'm glad my air fryer is small as no matter what size I made I would eat it all.
Elizabeth says
Love that this can be made in the air fryer! Thanks for the recipe!
swathi iyer says
This Air fryer basque bunt cheese cake looks delicious.
Andréa Janssen says
What a great recipe idea. Thank you for sharing.
Amy Liu Dong says
Oh my, this burnt cheesecake looks incredibly yummy and very delicious! The texture and the burnt idea make this so enticing! Loved it!
Camilla says
Delicious cheese cake! I never thought of making cake in the air fryer before but it worked well with this recipe!
Caroline says
I'd never have thought to make a basque cheesecake in the air fryer but I guess why not, since regular cheesecakes work that way. It looks great, excited to try!
dana says
Love any treat with a caramelized top! Can't wait to give this a shot!
Carrie Robinson says
I just love this cheesecake! And genius idea to make this in the air fryer! Can't wait to try this recipe soon. 🙂
Amy says
Never thought o make cheesecake in the air fryer! It turned out perfectly! Never making it a different way now
dina and bruce miller says
CAN not wait to make this in our new kitchen! Love!
Cynthia | What A Girl Eats says
Love that this is in the air-fryer. So creamy and delicious. My first time making a Basque cheesecake!
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome says
This cheesecake is so rich and creamy.