Black Sesame Tofu “Basque” Cheesecake
The signature of Basque cheesecake is a scorched top, bottom and sides encasing a gooey interior that is light and wobbly. This vegan version also requires next to no prep: Everything is thrown into a high-speed blender. The trickiest part of this recipe is the cook time—we want some wobble, but not too much that it will fall apart.
This recipe is excerpted from my book LINGER: Salads, Sweets and Stories to Savor © 2025 by Hetty Lui McKinnon. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.
Originating from the town of San Sebastian in the Basque region of Spain, there are many things that appeal to me about a Basque cheesecake—it is crustless (one less job) and is meant to look “rustic” with its wrinkled and jagged sides, thanks to the satisfyingly haphazard way of lining the pan.
The baking time will vary from oven to oven, so don’t be afraid to cook for longer if you need. The crucial element is the blackened top, so if your cheesecake has the right amount of wobble but is still not dark, place it under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes, watching it closely so that it doesn’t burn. I often add a touch of ube paste to the mix, which gives it an iridescent lavender hue and a nuttier flavor. Pandan essence would work, too.
Black Sesame Tofu “Basque” Cheesecake
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 700 g silken tofu, drained and at room temperature
- 1 13.5-oz./400 ml can full-fat coconut milk or cream, well stirred, at room temperature
- 250 g granulated white sugar
- 56 g rice flour
- 60 g cornstarch
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 25 g black sesame powder (or ground black sesame)
- ½ tsp. sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Mist an 8" (20 cm) round cake pan with cooking spray. Wet two sheets of parchment paper, scrunch them up to make them more malleable, then use them to line the cake pan, placing one sheet on top of the other to form a double thickness, pushing the paper into the sides as well as you can.
- In a high-speed blender or food processor, place 24 oz. (700 g) silken tofu, drained and at room temperature, one (13.5-oz./400 ml) can full-fat coconut milk or cream, well stirred, at room temperature, 1¼ cups (250 g) sugar, ⅓ cup (56 g) rice flour, ⅓ cup (60 g) cornstarch, 2 tsp. vanilla extract, ¼ cup (25 g) black sesame powder (ground black sesame), and ½ tsp. sea salt and blend until the mixture is completely smooth and well combined, 1–2 minutes. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan (it will reach almost to the top).
- Bake until the top is light brown and the cake is beginning to set around the edges, 25–30 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 450°F (230°C) and bake until the top is caramelized and dark and the center still has a little wobble when gently moved, another 30–35 minutes. If the top is not dark, you can broil the cake on high for 1–2 minutes, watching closely so the top does not burn.
- Transfer to a wire rack and let the cake cool in the pan to room temperature. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, before removing the cake from the pan and cutting into slices.
