In the last couple of weeks, at least two people have mentioned a burnt “Basque style” cheesecake to me with some serious enthusiasm, so I decided to research it, and write a recipe for it up here if it was a success. Apparently, this particular cake originated in a restaurant called La Viña in San Sebastian and swiftly achieved notoriety for being wildly delicious. I have never tried the original so can’t be sure if this interpretation is along the right lines, but I can assure you it tastes fantastic. It is also a great option for entertaining as it can be made the day before and then chilled overnight in the fridge.

Sticking as closely as I could to the original, this cheesecake only requires five ingredients (cream cheese, eggs, sugar, flour and double cream), but I also add a pinch of salt as I used a Philadelphia cream cheese for this, which I don’t think is as salty as some of the cream cheeses made in the Basque region.

Make sure you use full fat cream cheese for the best texture and flavour, not a reduced fat option.

I was tempted to add a pinch of ground vanilla but in the end opted to keep it simple as by the sounds of things, the simplest ingredients and a hot oven are the keys to success here, so I banished my urge to fiddle with it. I have read that the La Viña version is served almost slightly undercooked and melting oozily across your plate, but for neater slices, let it cool properly and then chill in the fridge before bringing to room temperature to serve. It’s up to you.

You will need a 23cm springform cake tin and greaseproof baking parchment.