“Burnt” Basque Cheesecake - Yes, On Purpose

I’ve never been to Baltimore, so I can’t comment on the current state of affairs, but what I can tell you is that this easy to make, yeast-based “cake” really is amazing, and would have been even more so with a few minor tweaks. I was afraid of it coming out too dry, so I went with a very wet dough, and also didn’t bake it quite as long as I could have, but these are easy fixes, and my next one should be spot on.

As you saw, I did test with toothpick, as you should, but I made the mistake of sticking it between the peaches and not underneath one. If I had, I would’ve popped it back in for a few more minutes, and it would have been fine. Also, I’ve heard a thinner cake would have also helped the situation, which simply means using a larger baking dish. I went with a 9 x 12, so if you have the more standard 9 x 13, that should work out even better.

They say this recipe was brought to Baltimore by German immigrants, who apparently used to top it with caramelized onions, which on one hand seems like it would work, and yet on the other hand, doesn’t at all. Anyway, maybe one of our more adventurous viewers will give that a whirl, but regardless, I really do hope you give this unique Baltimore Peach Cake a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for one 9 x 13 pan:

3 or 4 sweet, ripe peaches

1/3 cup sugar

1 package dry active yeast

1 1/4 cup warm milk

1/4 cup melted butter, for the dough

1 large beaten egg

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (or 3/4 teaspoon fine salt)

about 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

3 tablespoons butter to grease baking dish, and to drizzle the top

2 tablespoons demerara sugar, or any sugar for the top

For the glaze:

1/3 cup peach or apricot preserves or jam, heated up with a splash of water to glaze the top

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