Earl Grey Basque Cheesecake

Step 1

Prep: Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line an 8" round cake pan with a large sheet of parchment paper, creasing the paper to fit around the sides. Leave about 1-2" of excess parchment paper sticking straight up above the pan, trimming any longer pieces down with scissors. Set aside.

Step 2

Steep cream: In a small pot, add the whipping cream and 6 earl grey tea bags. Cover and bring it to a simmer on the stovetop. Turn off the heat and let the tea steep for 10 minutes. Use a spatula or a gloved hand to squeeze all the liquid out of the tea bags before discarding them. Let the steeped cream cool at room temperature while you prepare the next steps.

Step 3

Beat cream cheese: In a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, sugar, and salt. Use an electric hand mixer to beat the cream cheese mixture until it becomes very creamy and smooth.

Step 4

Mix in eggs: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing in between each addition, until the batter becomes thick but fluid and very smooth. Mix in the vanilla extract with the last egg.

Step 5

Add tea mixture: Pour in 270g of the steeped cream. If you end up with less than 270g, top it up to that amount with some extra whipping cream. Cut open your last earl grey tea bag and add the loose tea leaves to the batter. Mix until well combined.

Step 6

Fill pan: Pour the batter into your lined pan, filling it almost all the way to the top of the pan (if your pan is 2" tall).

Step 7

Bake: Bake cheesecake for about 45-50 minutes until the top is browned and the cheesecake is still very jiggly when shaken. If the top isn't sufficiently browned by 40 minutes, turn on the broiler for the last 3-5 minutes of baking to give it more colour. Watch it for the entire time the broiler is on as it will burn very quickly!

Step 8

Let cool: Let the cheesecake cool completely before lifting it out of the pan. Run your knife under hot water before slicing for clean cuts.