Honey, Lavender, & Elderberry Basque Cheesecake

Rich, decadent, and floral lavender Basque cheesecake, sweetened with honey and dyed pastel purple with elderberry powder. Served with a blueberry & rosemary compote.

With spring seeping further into the cracks of each day, I am trying desperately to avoid jumping the gun on spring produce. March is one of my least favorite times of the year, an odd transitional period, during which I feel drastically disconnected. The days are slightly longer, yes, but still cold and grey. As a lover of regimentation, the blurred lines of winter and spring bring me discomfort. Nevertheless, I bake.

This is a simple, fragrant Basque cheesecake, that boasts a delicate purple color and subtle floral sweetness. This bake is quick, and can be served room temperature or chilled (my preference). I’ve paired this cheesecake with a blueberry & rosemary compote (sorry I’ve been using so much rosemary recently!) but it would be delicious as is or with some gently whipped cream.

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Honey, Lavender, & Elderberry Basque Cheesecake

Makes one 9-inch cheesecake

Ingredients:

For the cheesecake:

• 32 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

• 150g granulated sugar

• 115g honey, preferably wildflower

• 6 eggs, room temperature

• 1 tablespoon vanilla paste or extract

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons culinary grade lavender, crushed

• 2 tablespoons elderberry powder

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 40g all purpose flour, sifted

For the compote:

• 2 cups frozen blueberries

• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary

• 2-4 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• Pinch of salt

Method:

For the cheesecake:

1. Preheat your oven to 400F.

2. Grease and line a 9 inch springform pan with butter and a sheet of crinkled parchment paper. Arrange the parchment to cover the entire bottom of the pan and come up over the sides.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer), beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium-high until very smooth.

4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the honey and beat again until fully combined.

5. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, being sure the previous egg is fully incorporated before adding the next one.

6. Once all the eggs are combined, add the salt, crushed lavender, vanilla extract or paste, and elderberry powder and beat until very smooth.

7. Pour in the heavy cream and beat on medium-low until combined.

8. Sift the flour into the batter and fold in with a spatula until combined. You do not want any lumps.

9. Pour batter into the prepared springform pan and bake for 55-65 minutes until the top is a deep rich brown color. The center will still be jiggly.

10. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and cool for one hour in pan on a wire rack.

11. Release the cheesecake from the springform pan and cool for an additional hour on a wire rack until fully room temperature.

12. Serve the cheesecake at room temperature or refrigerate until ready serving.

For the compote:

13. Add all ingredients to a small saucepan over high heat.

14. Bring the mixture to a boil, then drop to a simmer.

15. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until the blueberries have broken down and the syrup has reduced. Remove the rosemary sprigs once cooking has elapsed.

16. Chill the compote until ready to use. Serve warm or cool. Enjoy!