The San Sebastián style: crustless, baked hard and hot so the top burns to bitter caramel while the centre stays molten-set. One bowl, no water bath, no crust — the highest margin-to-labour ratio in the cake case. Yield: one 20 cm cake, 12 slices. Bakes day-ahead by design; the centre sets to silk overnight.
Yield: 12 portions · Prep 25 min · Bake 50 min
Ingredients
1000 g cream cheese (full fat)
300 g caster sugar
400 g whole egg
450 ml cream 35%
30 g plain flour
3 g fine sea salt
10 ml vanilla bean paste
Method
Prepare tin Line a 20 cm springform with two overlapping sheets of baking paper pressed in roughly, standing 5 cm proud of the rim — the pleated paper collar is the signature look and the mould release in one.
Beat smooth Beat room-temperature cream cheese with the sugar and salt on low with the paddle until completely smooth, scraping twice. Low speed: air is the enemy — bubbles bake into cracks and a soufflééd rise-and-slump.
Loosen and strain Add eggs one at a time on low, then the cream, vanilla, and sifted flour. Strain the batter through a fine sieve into the tin — straining catches every lump and pops what air made it in.
Bake hot Bake at 220°C fan (240°C conventional) for 45-50 minutes on a middle rack. The top must go deep amber to near-burnt — that bitter caramel against the sweet interior is the entire flavour proposition, not a defect.
The wobble test Pull the cake when the outer two-thirds are set and the centre third still wobbles like a set custard when the tin is nudged. It looks under-baked; it is finished. It will continue cooking in the tin.
Overnight set Cool fully in the tin, then refrigerate overnight still in the paper. Serve barely cool, not fridge-cold — pull slices 30 minutes ahead. Cut with a hot dry knife. Holds 4 days at 2-4°C, improving to day 2.