Desserts produced in a Michelin-starred kitchen are complex with lots of elements, textures, temperatures and acidities, which all need to be considered and balanced before they can be served. For me, however, it’s the simple, more homely ones that are best.

From the first day I decided on the concept for The Schelly, my new restaurant in Ambleside, I wanted it to be simpler and, as a result, I had a particular dessert in mind; a burnt Basque cheesecake.

It’s a famous dessert but one that I’d never made and had only eaten in La Viña, the famous tapas bar in San Sebastian, considered by many to be the true home of the original dish.

As a dessert it is the epitome of simple; one bowl to make it, one tin to cook it in and, in Spain, they serve it plain with no garnish.

We specialise in puddings in the UK. On the face of it, when they’re served they seem simple; dishes like sticky toffee pudding, apple pie or jam roly poly. The truth is that, although they are not particularly complex in terms of the techniques used, the recipes are quite often done in a few stages and can be time-consuming (although it’s always worth it in my experience).

Chief taster Charlie scores in SpainChief taster Charlie scores in Spain The Basque cheesecake is even simpler than the custard we serve as a side dish, and I love that. So, after all these years over-complicating desserts could we really do a good one that was so simple?

After lots of research and a few attempts I settled on a recipe, and then decided to go back to San Sebastian to check how close I’d managed to get to the authentic version.

So off to the Basque country, I went with my sidekick and chief taster, Charlie my now nine-year-son. He had tried my version on the opening day of The Schelly, so he had a marker for what we were looking for. Worryingly, unlike most puddings I give him, he didn’t scoff it down, and gave me some feedback, “It's OK,” which is probably my least favourite comment when it comes to feedback.

On the day in question, we arrived nice and early to beat the crowds, getting there just before lunch. An early glass of Txakoli (for me, not Charlie), jamon and tortilla were the warmup acts before the main event.

While we were in there, I counted nearly 50 cooked cheesecakes ready for the day ahead. They were dotted all around the bar and the kitchen and even filled an antique dresser in the back dining room.

When the cheesecake arrived, I could see the shock on my chief taster’s face: the outside was baked and dark, a picture of the perfect baked cheesecake. However, the centre was runny and had the texture of custard, very different from our version back in Cumbria.

At this point, I was wondering if this was going to be a straight rejection without even a taste. It’s fair to say Charlie is a fussy eater and rather untrusting, but the spoon was picked up.

A choice of cheesecakeA choice of cheesecake Getting there early whilst he was still hungry had turned up trumps. The look of apprehension was still evident as the spoon moved towards his mouth, but once in, this quickly disappeared as it was declared as good!

This version unlike mine, was definitely in the scoffed-down category of eating. When I was eventually allowed a taste, surprisingly it was more savoury than my version and didn’t include any of the vanilla we’d been putting in.

So, it was back to Ambleside to work on version two, that is after we’d visited a few other tapas bars and made a quick stop off at the Reale Arena to watch Real Sociedad play.

The recipe below is version two, and as you will see from its simplicity this is an easy dessert to do at home.

At The Schelly we serve it with seasonal berries which, at the time of writing, happened to be blackberries. We also serve it cooked through more than the original. If you want to stay authentic, serve it on its own with the centre still runny.

Ryan's authentic Basque Cheesecake

Basque Cheesecake recipe

INGREDIENTS

350g sugar

1kg cream cheese

¼ tsp table salt

5 eggs

480ml double cream

30g plain flour

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Grease and line with baking parchment a ten-inch spring baking tin.

2. Using a tabletop food mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the sugar and cream cheese until smooth (or mix manually if you don’t have a machine). Add the salt and mix.

3. Turn down the mixer and gradually add the eggs, one at a time until fully incorporated. Whisk in the cream.

4. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Sift in the flour and gently fold in using a spatula.

5. Gently pour the mix into your baking tin. Bake for 50 minutes, until golden brown. At this point you need to check it as it can vary from oven to oven. You’re looking for the cheesecake to be set but not firm. If it seems too runny leave it for a little longer but keep a close eye on it.

6. Allow it to cool to room temperature before removing from the tine and serving. Goxatu, as they say in San Sebastian!