"Towel" Basque Cheesecake recipe by Kat Lieu (gluten-free)
this cake will please both your eyes and palate
dear friend,
do you like happy accidents? I do. I was making a basque cheesecake with the last of my ube halaya from my mother-in-law (who made it from scratch with fresh ube found in Bacolod City. Testing a new technique, I underbaked my cheesecake by a few minutes, leading to a raw center and melty mess! (See video below.)
I wanted a basque cheesecake with a super creamy, melty core, but I made the mistake of underbaking it by at least 5 to 6 minutes, resulting in almost catastrophe. After an hour in the freezer, the cheesecake still jiggled, and with one slice, the entire cake fell apart.
In the past, perhaps I would have composted the cheesecake and called it a day, but I figured even though the top was cracked and the center was raw, I had a salvageable cheesecake. All I needed to do was send it back into the oven for a few minutes.
And it worked. A few minutes later, the center wobbled but was more solidified, and the cheesecake fused together. After a few hours in the refrigerator, I had a solid cheesecake with an ugly top.
So what do we do when we have ugly, broken cake tops? WE COVER THEM! And that’s exactly what I did, dusting the entire top of my basque cheesecake with a generous, even layer of vibrant purple yam powder.
The dusting of purple yam powder made the top of my ube basque cheesecake look like a towel, and hence, I call this dessert a “towel” Basque cheesecake! The powder adds a pleasant flavor and mouthfeel. It just melts entirely on the tongue. The cheesecake was still creamy, with a rich caramel flavor from the burnt top.
While it no longer looks like a typical Basque cheesecake, it tastes like an elevated one. So, are you ready for my ube towel Basque cheesecake recipe? It’s an easy one, I promise.
Here’s the recipe!
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