This tiramisu Basque cheesecake is literally to die for, and I am not exaggerating! The smooth, velvety basque cheesecake is filled with the amazing scent of coffee, as well as a hint of Baileys Irish cream. The mascarpone cream on top just melts in your mouth.
Feel the aromas linger around your teeth and tongue – this cake is so sexy and seductive that it will give you “foodgasm”!
Ingredients (makes 1 four-inch cake):
Coffee Basque cheesecake
- 130g cream cheese
- 40g sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1tsp cornstarch
- 60g whipping cream
- 10g espresso coffee (room temperature or cold)
- 10g Baileys Irish cream
Mascarpone cream
- 55g mascarpone cheese
- 90g whipping cream
- 20g sugar
Instructions:
- To make the basque cheesecake, combine softened cream cheese and sugar in a bowl. Whisk until smooth.
- Mix in whisked egg in several additions.
- Add cornstarch to batter, mix until smooth. Then pour in whipping cream, espresso, Baileys Irish cream, stir until smooth. In short, combine all the ingredients, stir until batter is smooth.
- Line a 4-inch cake pan with parchment paper, pour in batter, bake at 220 C for 18-20 minutes. It’s normal if the cake has a giggly centre when fresh out of the oven, or shrinks after cooling down. Let cool completely.
- To make mascarpone cream on top, combine mascarpone cheese and sugar in a bowl, whisk until smooth.
- Pour in whipping cream, whisk until stiff peaks form.
- Add whipped mascarpone cream to the cooled basque cheesecake, evenly spread out with a spoon. Chill in fridge for at least 5 hours. Sift a layer of cocoa powder on top right before serving.
Tips:
- The mascarpone cream is very soft and smooth, and might be difficult to cut. To stabilize the mascarpone cream, you can melt 1/2 tsp gelatin powder with around 10ml warm water, add to the whipped mascarpone cream and combine well.
- The Baileys Irish cream can be omitted if you cannot drink alcohol.
The ultimate combination – a basque burnt cheesecake and a tiramisu. So easy to make, yet it has such a unique, elegant, addictive taste.
Matcha tiramisu basque cheesecake 
To make matcha version, replace cornstarch in the basque cheesecake with the same amount of matcha powder, omit espresso and Baileys Irish cream. I added ground jasmine green tea leaves to the mascarpone cream. It creates such refreshing, heavenly aroma!
Chinese version
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