A New Trend to Delight Your Sweet Tooth: La Vina-Style Cheesecake

Remind me of the sweet beauty from the Balkans, Tres Leches cake which rose to fame in Turkey in a short time, the popularity of this new dessert too is catching on with Turks remarkably fast.

I first tasted this unusual dessert at 3 Michelin-star Arzak years ago during one my trips with my daughters to San Sebastian. It was Arzak’s chef dear Elena who recommended me to add it to my pintxos bar menu.

I should confess though, I felt frustrated when I first saw the cheesecake, its simple and black look missing anything such as chocolate or fruit that would make it look better. Yet all that crowd and the service trays flying by our table could not be lying about the popularity of its taste. I took my first bite out of the cake, and the feeling of its velvety fluffiness and its carefully balanced sweet taste began to dance on my palate!

For long time since that day, I kept away from any temptation to spoil the impression that the small Basque town left on my heart and my palate. It was only when the cheesecake traveled across the seas and came to stay in Turkish kitchens; I couldn’t resist it anymore and wanted to reminisce those days once again. Among numerous recipes that social media is brimming with, I decided to go with a slightly modified version of the recipe posted by @alininkarniacikti, a person I like and trust a lot.

Ingredients

• 450 grams of fresh cream cheese
• 100 grams of kaymak roll (Turkish-style clotted cream)
• 300 grams of condensed milk
• 3 eggs
• 50 grams of granulated sugar
• 20 grams of flour

Instructions

• Make sure that every ingredient is at room temperature.
• Mix all in a deep bowl for 4-5 mins with an immersion blender on low-power mode.
• When done, shake the bowl up and down to get rid of air bubbles.
• For a smoother texture, strain the mixture through a sieve.
• Cover the bottom of cake pan with baking sheet. Pour the mixture in.
• Place the pan into a 220-degrees preheated oven, and bake it for 25mins.
• Remove it from the oven and leave it to rest for 3-4 hours.

If you can’t find condensed milk anywhere, or you would prefer to make your own; to make 300grams of condensed milk, blend 1 liter of milk with 150 grams of sugar, and let it simmer over low heat for three hours.

Rest assured that this recipe will appease your cravings until you visit La Viña in San Sebastian, where it’s come from. Enjoy it, dear friends!

Bon appétit and enjoy the taste of life…