Basque Cake Recipes

Steps:

• To Make the pastry cream Filling: In a sauce pan, combine the milk and 1/3 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons flour. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
• Mix 1/2 cup of hot milk into egg mixture, then pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the hot milk. Return to heat and bring to a boil. Continue cooking over medium heat until mixture thickens and becomes smooth. Remove from heat and let cool for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch springform pan. Combine and sift the flour and baking powder. Set aside
• Cream 1 1/8 cup sugar and 3 eggs until light and fluffy. Fold in the sifted flour mixture in three increments, being careful not to overmix.
• Put half of the dough into the greased pan. Spread the dough so that it covers the bottom of the pan. Place pastry cream to within 3/4 inch of the edge. Add the second half of the cake dough, making sure to enclose all of the filling.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 10-inch cake pan or spring-form pan. In a mixer with a whip attachment, beat the butter until creamy. Gradually beat in the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.
• Sift the cake flour, salt, and baking powder together and use a rubber spatula to fold the dry ingredients into this butter mixture until a soft dough forms and no white streaks of flour remain. Spread half the batter evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan. Stir the almond extract into the cherry preserves. Spoon the cherry preserves over the batter, spreading it within 2 inches of the border.
• Drop the remaining batter by large spoonfuls or pipe it with a plain tip over the preserves. Spread the batter carefully over the jam to the edge of the pan. Sprinkle with sliced almonds, if using.
• Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a bamboo skewer inserted into the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack. Unmold the cake and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
• Working with a mixer (use a paddle attachment if you have one), beat together the butter and both sugars on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, and beat for another 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla; the mixture should be smooth. Add the flour mixture all at once, then pulse the mixer to begin incorporating it. Mix on low until blended.
• Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather into a ball, then divide in half.
• Shape each piece into a disk - the dough will be sticky - and put each between sheets of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece into a round just a smidge wider than 8 inches. Keeping the dough sandwiched between the parchment, refrigerate for at least 3 hours (or for up to 3 days).
• When you're ready to bake, center a rack in the oven, and heat to 350 degrees. Generously butter an 8-inch-by-2-inch round cake pan. Remove the dough from the fridge, and leave on the counter until pliable, about 10 minutes. Peel away the paper.
• Fit one round into the pan; if it breaks, just press the pieces together. Either fold the extra dough over and onto the base or trim it; don't fuss about precision here. Spread about 3/4 cup of the jam over the base, leaving a 1-inch border bare and adding more jam, if needed.
• Top with the second piece of dough, lightly pressing down around the edges and, if you can, tucking the dough under a bit. Again, it doesn't have to be perfect; the dough is soft, and as if by magic, the layers fuse in the oven.
• Brush the top with the egg wash, and use the tines of a fork to etch a crosshatch pattern.
• Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Transfer to a rack, and let rest for 5 minutes, then carefully run a table knife around the edge of the cake. Unmold onto the rack, and then quickly and carefully turn the cake over onto another rack, crosshatch side up, so that it can cool to room temperature. Wrapped well, the cake will keep for 2 days at room temperature.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 240C/220C fan/ gas 9 ensuring plenty of space above the middle shelf. Butter a deep 20cm, loose-bottom or springform cake tin. Lay two large sheets of baking parchment, one on top of the other, one sheet turned 45 degrees, so the corners point in different directions. Push the parchment into the tin, pressing into the corners and making sure plenty of paper is sticking out above the rim. Press the creases up the sides, but don't worry about lining the tin too neatly - the grooves in the parchment give this cheesecake its characteristic look.
• Tip the soft cheese and sugar into a large bowl or a stand mixer. Beat together using an electric whisk (or stand mixer) for a minute or 2, until the grains of sugar have dissolved - check this by rubbing a little of the mixture between your fingertips. If it feels grainy, keep mixing for another minute or so.
• Tip in the flour, soured cream, eggs, vanilla and ¼ tsp salt to the bowl and mix again until you have a smooth consistency. Pour into your lined cake tin, scraping out every last bit of cheesecake mixture. Give the tin a sharp bang on the worktop to remove any air bubbles, then bake for 30 mins.
• Once cooked, the cheesecake should be deeply caramelised on the outside and puffed up like a soufflé. It will still have a wobble when you shake the tin. Leave it to cool completely in the tin - it will sink as it cools. Chill for at least 1 hr before serving. Will keep in the fridge for up to two days.