Tarta de Queso, Burnt Basque Cheesecake

A home recipe for the very famous cheesecake of Spain's Basque region

Hello friends,

Today I am very excited to share with you a recipe for one of the most popular and most famous cakes from Spain…the Tarta de Queso, or Burnt Basque Cheesecake. I don’t think I’ve ever shared this one before! A very persistent and excited reader asked, so of course we needed to share it.

I’ll tell you, this is a very, very simple recipe but your family and friends will think it’s one of the most difficult tricks you’ve ever pulled off! We serve it at Jaleo, Mercado Little Spain, and Spanish Diner, and everywhere it’s one of the most popular desserts. We even sell them online, straight to your door—you can pretend you made it yourself when you serve it (I promise I won’t tell!).

But for those of you who want to make it, here is the recipe made for home kitchens. All it takes is 5 ingredients, a food processor or blender, and an oven…I’m telling you, it’s easy. The baking temperature seems high and the time seems short, but that’s how you get the beautiful burnt top and creamy inside. I love it when the inside is so creamy that it’s almost like melted ice cream, everyone can grab a spoon and eat from the pan. But I know that many people like it a bit more cooked! So just jiggle the cake after about 15 minutes and see how it’s looking, the outside should start to be set and the inside should jiggle like flan.

I’m excited for you all to try it…let me know how it goes!

Tarta de Queso

Makes one 8” or 9” cake