Japanese Cheesecake

My younger sister mentioned that she liked the Souffle Cheesecake I made previously, a couple of months ago. I didn’t take any pictures or post about it because I didn’t think it was that good! I was too impatient in waiting for the cake to cool, and the top turned out all wrinkled and ugly. That cheesecake also has 2 layers in the end, because I didn’t fold in the egg whites thoroughly enough, and it kinda floated on the top half of the cake, resulting in a bottom half that was dense and eggy.

I decided to try another similar recipe that I had already stuck on the fridge door, a Japanese Cheesecake, which I took from DianasDesserts.

This time round, I had a springform pan ready so I didn’t have to invert the cake to get it out. The recipe’s steps somehow missed out the salt though, and so I didn’t add it in either. Rather confused about that. The cake doesn’t have any leavening agents in it, so perhaps missing out the salt didn’t make too big an impact. Perhaps I’ll add it in together with the flour the next time if I make it again. The cake was fine without it though.

Cotton Soft Japanese Cheesecake
Adapted from DianasDesserts

Ingredients:

250g cream cheese
50g butter
100 ml fresh milk
60g cake flour
20g corn flour
1 tbsp lemon juice
6 egg yolks
6 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
140g castor sugar

1. Preheat oven to 160C. Line the bottom an 8″ springform pan with parchment. Wrap the outside of the pan with 2 layers of aluminum foil to prevent water seeping in later. (I used an 8 1/2″ springform)
2. Melt the cream cheese, butter and milk over a double boiler until smooth. Cool.
3. To the cooled cream cheese mixture, add the flours, egg yolks and lemon juice. Mix well and set aside. (I will add 1 tsp vanilla extract in the future, and use only 2 tsp lemon juice)
4. In a large bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy. Add in cream of tartar and whisk until thick. With your electric mixer on, slowly add in sugar. Whisk until soft peaks form.
5. Add one third of the cream cheese mixture into the beaten egg whites and stir to combine. Fold in the rest of the cream cheese mixture, making sure to scrape the sides and the bottom as well. Do not overmix, or the egg whites will deflate.
6. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Using the lower third of your oven, bake the cheesecake in a water bath for 55 minutes at 140C. Lower to 130C and continue to bake for another 15 minutes. The top of the cake should be golden brown. Tent it with aluminum foil if it browns too quickly.
7. Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven (with the door closed) to cool slowly. Cheesecake will shrink slightly. Remove to room temperature after 30 minutes and let it cool completely.
8. Slice with a long serrated knife, wiping down your knife after each slice. Store, covered in the fridge. It’ll turn a little denser after being chilled. (I didn’t try leaving it at room temperature for long. I’m afraid of ants attacking it.)

Turned out pretty well, even though the lemon taste was slightly too sharp. The texture was excellent though. It’ll be perfect for people who prefers a milder and less rich cheesecake. This is really light, almost like a sponge cake.

I’m now craving a rich, creamy cheesecake though, so I might make another cheesecake soon…

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