Soy Paste Burnt Basque Cheesecake

This recipe for Soy Paste Basque Cheesecake comes from Ozzy Hsieh, third generation brewer at Yu Ding Xing. We love it for showing off how versatile soy sauce is. This recipe uses soy paste, a type of soy sauce that's thickened with rice (in this case the grains are intact in the finished product). It's a bit sweeter and fuller in body. Use it in desserts and baked goods to lend chocolatey notes, a bit of salt, and a lot of depth and umami. This cheesecake doesn't taste like "soy sauce" at all. It's tart and caramel-y.

Basque cheesecakes are much easier to make than regular cheesecakes because they are supposed to be burnt—the caramelized filling functions as its own crust. The cake will rise wildly in the oven and collapse dramatically when cooling—it's supposed to do that, too. And any cracks just add to the beautiful rustic appeal of the high contrast white and dark brown and the natural, wavy edges.

Highly recommended as a low fuss, high drama dessert for a special occasion.

Soy Paste Burnt Basque Cheesecake

Ingredients

• 2 lbs cream cheese (4 packs)
• 1-1/4 cups of granulated sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1/3 cup of greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup of heavy cream
• 1/4 cup of Soy Paste with Glutinous Rice Grains
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup flour

 Instructions

1. Let cream cheese soften at room temperature for 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
3. Butter or spray 10" cake pan. Lay two pieces of parchment paper into the pan and press into the edges. It will be wrinkled, and a good amount of paper wlil stand above the top of the pan. Curl the excess paper down over the outside edges of the pan.
4. Combine cream cheese with sugar in the bowl with a stand or hand mixer on medium-low, until sugar is incorporated and mixture is smooth.
5. Turn mixer to medium speed. Add one egg at a time, beating till each egg is incorporated.
6. Turn mixer to medium-low. Add yogurt, cream, soy paste, vanilla extract one a time until incorporated.
7. Sift flour into the mixture through a sieve, beat with mixer on medium-low until incorporated.
8. Place cake pan on a baking sheet. Pour cake mix into the pan.
9. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until top is browned and middle is just set (slightly wobbly).
10. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for an hour. For best results, put in fridge 4 hours to overnight before serving to fully set the cake.
11. For best results, allow cake to come to room temperature before serving.