Tiramisu Basque cheesecake 提拉米苏芝士蛋糕

This tiramisu Basque cheesecake is literally to die for, and I am not exaggerating! The smooth, velvety basque cheesecake is filled with the amazing scent of coffee, as well as a hint of Baileys Irish cream. The mascarpone cream on top just melts in your mouth.

Feel the aromas linger around your teeth and tongue – this cake is so sexy and seductive that it will give you “foodgasm”!

Ingredients (makes 1 four-inch cake):

Coffee Basque cheesecake

130g cream cheese
40g sugar
1 large egg
1tsp cornstarch
60g whipping cream
10g espresso coffee (room temperature or cold)
10g Baileys Irish cream

Mascarpone cream

55g mascarpone cheese
90g whipping cream
20g sugar

Instructions:

To make the basque cheesecake, combine softened cream cheese and sugar in a bowl. Whisk until smooth.
Mix in whisked egg in several additions.
Add cornstarch to batter, mix until smooth. Then pour in whipping cream, espresso, Baileys Irish cream, stir until smooth. In short, combine all the ingredients, stir until batter is smooth.
Line a 4-inch cake pan with parchment paper, pour in batter, bake at 220 C for 18-20 minutes. It’s normal if the cake has a giggly centre when fresh out of the oven, or shrinks after cooling down. Let cool completely.

To make mascarpone cream on top, combine mascarpone cheese and sugar in a bowl, whisk until smooth.
Pour in whipping cream, whisk until stiff peaks form.
Add whipped mascarpone cream to the cooled basque cheesecake, evenly spread out with a spoon. Chill in fridge for at least 5 hours. Sift a layer of cocoa powder on top right before serving.

Tips:

The mascarpone cream is very soft and smooth, and might be difficult to cut. To stabilize the mascarpone cream, you can melt 1/2 tsp gelatin powder with around 10ml warm water, add to the whipped mascarpone cream and combine well.
The Baileys Irish cream can be omitted if you cannot drink alcohol.

The ultimate combination – a basque burnt cheesecake and a tiramisu. So easy to make, yet it has such a unique, elegant, addictive taste.

To make matcha version, replace cornstarch in the basque cheesecake with the same amount of matcha powder, omit espresso and Baileys Irish cream. I added ground jasmine green tea leaves to the mascarpone cream. It creates such refreshing, heavenly aroma!