Basque cheesecake with matcha green tea

Or perhaps you'll find something delicious for yourself in my other recipes that use Japanese matcha tea?

Ingredients for Basque cheesecake:

900g of Philadelphia cream cheese

300g of fine baking sugar

6 large eggs

500 ml of whipping cream or 36% double cream.

2.5 tablespoons (17 g) of matcha green tea

a pinch of salt

50 g (1/3 cup) of wheat flour

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Line a 25cm springform tin (or one that's 23cm high) with baking paper as follows: close the tin and grease it with butter. Line it with baking paper, making sure the edges of the paper extend at least 5cm above the tin.

Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until well combined and the sugar is dissolved. Add the whole eggs and salt. Beat until smooth. Heat half of the heavy cream, add the matcha tea, and stir well to avoid lumps. Remove from the heat, let it cool slightly, and then stir in the remaining heavy cream. Add this to the cream cheese mixture and mix until combined. Sift the all-purpose flour directly over the cream cheese mixture and mix until combined. A smooth cheese mixture should form. Pour the cheese mixture into the prepared springform pan.

Bake the Basque cheesecake at 200°C (390°F), preferably without the fan, for about 50-60 minutes. After baking, remove it from the oven and let it cool. The surface of the cheesecake (or just the sides) should be a deep golden brown, and the center of the warm cheesecake should jiggle slightly when you gently shake the pan. The cheesecake will rise considerably and then settle a little, leaving the edges higher. Refrigerate it for 8 hours; only then will the cheesecake reach the right consistency and be ready to cut.

Basque cheesecake can be stored at room temperature, but for extended periods or during hot weather it is best to keep it in the refrigerator.

There are different types and qualities of matcha tea, and the color of the cake after baking depends on the type used. Sometimes, matcha can cause the cake to turn brown after baking, instead of the expected beautiful green color. For baking, buy baking-grade or cooking-grade matcha, which has a more intense green color.

Note: Some sources say to bake this cheesecake for only 40 minutes to ensure a creamier center, and to turn off the oven when the cheesecake starts to jiggle significantly in the middle. The shorter the baking time, the creamier it will be. In the original recipe, the consistency of the cheesecake in the center is almost like custard or cream, making it difficult to cut cleanly. However, be careful not to overbake it and make sure the cheesecake doesn't become runny after cooling, as that's not the desired effect. A shorter baking time will also result in a less golden surface, but simply place it under the broiler for half a minute or a minute, watching it closely, or switch to convection mode at the end of baking. I admit I could have baked this cheesecake a little less, but we like it this way.