CA-015Burnt honey basque cheesecakeCake · Basque cheesecake, crustless

Rev 022026-10-101 / 3

Burnt honey basque cheesecake

A crustless cheesecake baked hot until the top scorches, then brushed with honey taken to deep amber.

SourceReynold Poernomo · Adapted, metricContainsWheat · Milk · EggLast changeRev 02 · 8 × 4 in pan

Equipment8 × 4 in cheesecake pan · Parchment · Stand mixer, paddle · Small saucepan · Pastry brush · Probe

Yield · slices12

Batter1,553 g

Batter depth≈ 4.5 cm

Plan · plus chilling1.5 h + 6 h

Oven · 400 °F200 °C

Formula

% · cream cheese = 100

Pan: line with two crossed sheets of parchment, crumpled, to the rim. Outside the formula.

Altitude, 4,700 ft: no leavening, nothing to adjust. The custard may puff higher; judge by the wobble.

Glaze: thin a set glaze with a little water to the body of liquid glucose; 8–10 s in the microwave loosens it.

Honey: the source stops at deep amber. CR-002 takes honey to mahogany; that is trial C.

Source × 1.58: three 8 oz blocks. Glaze as the source.

† Doesn't scale in a straight line past 2×.

Scale by pan

8 × 4 in× 1 · 12

18 cm round× 0.63 · 8

23 cm round× 1.3 · 14

	Ingredient	%	Grams
A Cheesecake
	Cream cheese · 3 blocks, soft	100.0	680
	Granulated sugar	23.5	160
	Eggs · ≈ 5 large, weighed	35.3	240
	All-purpose flour	3.5	24
	Heavy cream · 425 ml	62.5	425
	Lemon juice · 1½ tbsp	3.5	24
	Vanilla bean † · 1 pod, seeds	—	—
	Batter	228.4	1,553
B Burnt honey glaze
	Honey	22.1	150
	Water · 50 ml	7.4	50

Continues on pages 2–3: method, trials, done when, fixes, revisions →

CA-015Burnt honey basque cheesecakeCake · Basque cheesecake, crustless

Rev 022026-10-102 / 3

Method

Tick each step as done

Cream cheese soft before it goes in the bowl. Cold, it lumps, and no amount of mixing fixes it.

Pull it while the centre still wobbles. It sets as it cools and sinks; that is the style.

Glaze the cake cold and the honey warm, 35–40 °C. Hot honey slides off.

01
Prep. Rack in the middle; heat the oven. Line the tin with the crumpled parchment.
—
200 °C 400 °F
02
Beat. Cream cheese and sugar, paddle on medium. Scrape the bowl once.
5 min
Smooth
03
Eggs. One at a time on medium, each mixed in before the next.
—
04
Flour. Add the flour; mix on medium.
3 min
05
Cream. On low, pour in the cream, lemon juice and vanilla seeds. Scrape; mix smooth.
—
No lumps
06
Bake. Pour into the tin. Bake until the top is dark and the centre still wobbles.
45–55 min
200 °C 400 °F
07
Cool. In the tin on a rack. It sinks as it cools.
Until cool
1–2 h
08
Chill. Cover; refrigerate in the tin.
Until cold
6–12 h

Trials

Change one variable per trial

A is the sheet as written.

B bakes at 220 °C for a darker top; start checking at 35 min.

C takes the honey to mahogany, as in CR-002.

Variable	Trial A	Trial B	Trial C
Date
Change	As written	220 °C	Honey darker
Top colour
Centre at pull
Staff rating 1–5

CA-015Burnt honey basque cheesecakeCake · Basque cheesecake, crustless

Rev 022026-10-103 / 3

Method

Tick each step as done

09
Burn. Honey in the small pan on medium; stir now and then until deep amber.
5–8 min
Deep amber
10
Stop. Off heat. Whisk in the water a little at a time — it spits. Simmer; off heat.
—
Simmer
11
Glaze. Cool the honey. Brush over the dark top of the cold cake.
—
35–40 °C
12
Serve. Lift out by the parchment; peel it back. Cut cold with a hot, wiped knife.
—
Serve cold

Done when

And how it keeps

Done when

TopDark brown to near black

CentreMiddle 5 cm wobbles

Glaze35–40 °C; brushes on

SetClean slice after 6 h cold

Keeps

Fridge3 days, covered

FrozenUnglazed, 1 month

If it goes wrong

Most likely cause first

Lumpy batterCream cheese cold. Soften fully before beating

Top paleOven runs cool, or rack too low. Trial B: 220 °C

Centre runny coldPulled too early. Only the middle 5 cm should wobble

GrainyOverbaked. Pull at the wobble; it sets as it cools

Glaze set hardThin with a little water; 8–10 s in the microwave

Glaze bitterPast amber. Pull the honey a shade earlier

Revisions

Newest last

Rev	Date	Change	From
Rev 01	2026-10-10	First issue	—
Rev 02	2026-10-10	8 × 4 in pan	Review