The best ube cheesecake recipe is also the easiest
Kat Lieu’s stunning ube basque cheesecake made with real ube halaya
dear friend,
I love making cheesecakes. Why? Well, for one, I love eating them. Two, I love gifting them out. And three, they are easy with a great ROI. My favorite cheesecake of all time is Japanese cheesecake, but the one I always make is Basque cheesecake. It's one of the easiest cheesecakes to whip up—I kid you not—as long as you have a good blender at your disposal. And if you don't, you will just have to hand-mix all the ingredients into a smooth batter, which will take a little more time and effort.
And honestly, few desserts are more stunning than my ube Basque cheesecake. It is gorgeously, vibrantly purple, and so many notes hit you at once with the first bite. A melty, creamy cheesecake covers your taste buds, and there are hints of crème brûlée, the richness of cream and cheese, a slight umami from the miso, and nuttiness from the ube. And again, it’s purple. Who doesn’t like to eat purple?
Since I’ve made a few dozen Basque cheesecakes now, I’ve perfected them. One thing to note: this cheesecake needs a little flour to stay stable and prevent cracking. Otherwise, it’s just too airy. I no longer add baking powder and use heavy cream rather than milk. Milk makes the batter frothy. Also, don’t be afraid to whip or blend the batter until smooth and homogeneous. You honestly can’t overmix this batter.
If you don’t have a mother-in-law who is Pinoy and lives in the Philippines, who can make fresh ube halaya from scratch with real, fresh ube, fret not. You can buy a jar of ube halaya from an Asian supermarket. Those are legit.
That's really all there is to it. Blend, bake, freeze, slice, and you've got yourself the most stunning cheesecake on the table. I hope you love this one as much as I do.
xoxoxo,
Kat Lieu
The one ube basque cheesecake I can't stop making
This is the one ube Basque cheesecake recipe I keep making over and over. No crust, no water bath, just blend everything and bake. Creamy, purple, and a little bit of magic with ube halaya and a hint of red miso.
The ube halaya I use is from my Pinoy mother-in-law, who made it fresh in Bacolod using fresh ube she found in marketplaces. My husband flew back with a tub of her ube halaya, which I store in the freezer, so I can use it for at least a year in many different recipes.
I have a recipe for ube halaya in my first cookbook, Modern Asian Baking at Home.
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
A little cracking is normal and expected for Basque cheesecake, as the style is built around a deeply caramelized, slightly collapsed top. The "wobbly center, cracked top" look is part of its signature rustic charm, not a flaw. However, my recipe often results in a smooth, perfect top.
The miso in the batter balances the sweetness. I also find adding a squirt of fresh squeezed lemon juice to brighten all the flavors, and citrus pairs especially well with ube.
