Before starting, make sure your ingredients are at room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 230°C/446°F (without fan) (see Kitchen Notes for air fryer instructions).
Place a metal baking tray in the middle shelf of the oven.
Measure the cream cheese, sugar, cornflour and salt into a small mixing bowl.
Whisk the ingredients until everything is well combined.
Add the egg and whisk until well incorporated.
Finally, whisk in the cream and vanilla.
Line a 12 cm/5 inch cake pan with baking paper. See Kitchen Notes.
Pour the cheesecake mixture into the lined cake pan.
Tap the cake pan on the kitchen bench a few times to level the mixture and to get rid of any air bubbles.
Bake the cheesecake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is a nice, golden brown colour but the centre of the cake should still have a slight wobble. During baking, the cheesecake will rise like a soufflé. Be careful that the cheesecake does not actually burn because then it will taste very bitter.
Leave the cake to cool in the pan for about 1 hour, before chilling in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours, or overnight. The cheesecake will sink as it cools.
- INSTRUCTIONS FOR AIR FRYER
To bake this Mini Basque Cheesecake in an air fryer, simply bake at 200°C/392°F for 15-20 minutes, or until the top is a nice, golden brown colour. If your air fryer can bake at a higher temperature (you can bake this cheesecake at up to 230°C/446°F with fan), simply reduce the time and watch the cake carefully.
- BAKING PAPER FOR BASQUE CHEESECAKE
You can buy pre-cut baking paper for round cake pans in many sizes. What is important is that the baking paper sits a good 3 cm/1 inch above the cake pan so that the cheesecake can rise as it bakes (it will later sink as it cools). To easily line a cake pan with baking paper, cut the paper to size, scrunch it up into a ball, then unfold the paper. The crinkled baking paper can then easily sit inside the cake pan.
- OVEN & STOVE TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website have been tested on an induction stove and/or with a conventional oven (i.e. an oven without fan). All recipes on this website use temperatures for a conventional oven, unless otherwise mentioned. Convection ovens (i.e. fan-forced ovens) are typically 20°C/70°F hotter than conventional ovens, but please check your manufacturer’s handbook.
- CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.
Serving: 1 (of 4 slices), Calories: 252kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 3.4g, Fat: 19.4g