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All of the best attributes of Basque cheesecake come from (intentionally) uneven baking. While a classic New York cheesecake might bake for more than an hour in a water bath to get that consistent color and texture in every bite, Basque cheesecake is quick and brash. You crank the oven high and embrace the unevenness of a deeply caramelized top paired with a creamy center that’s as gooey as baked Camembert.
“It’s easy to over-bake a Basque cheesecake in pursuit of that famous burnt topping, but this can lead to missing out on the wonderfully squidgy middle,” explains Amy Newsome, the author of Honey. In her cookbook, Newsome makes the case for swapping some of the usual sugar in this style of cheesecake for honey. “Honey caramelizes faster than sugar, so you can achieve a perfect chestnut browning without worrying about losing the revered wobble.”
As Newsome’s book elaborates, fructose (the type of sugar in honey) caramelizes at 230° Fahrenheit, while sucrose (which you find in granulated sugar) caramelizes at 320° Fahrenheit. This means that for recipes where caramelization is key (think glazed salmon or toasted meringue), honey can get you there faster.
Since honey can be sweeter than granulated sugar, and since it adds moisture to recipes, Newsome warns against substituting honey in for all of the sweetener in a recipe. She cites a piece of advice from Spoonfuls of Honey, by Hattie Ellis, which says to only substitute up to half the weight of the sugar in a given recipe with honey.
In addition to caramelizing faster, that little bit of honey can bring a whole spectrum of floral flavors to the dish. In her Basque cheesecake, Newsome pairs orange blossom honey with cardamom. This starts with a process of toasting, grinding, and steeping brown cardamom pods in heavy cream overnight to let the flavor bloom. After straining the cream, you beat it with cream cheese, sugar, honey, eggs, and a tiny bit of flour before baking in a springform pan.
“Flavor-wise, honey carries so many beautiful blossom aromas that really come alive in creamy desserts, and a little goes a long way if it’s good, minimally-processed honey,” Newsome tells me. “Here I’ve used orange blossom honey to balance the spicy cardamom with bright floral notes. It makes the cheesecake especially more-ish.”
