Japanese Cheesecake

Cheesecake cut into slices and topped with blueberries.

5 from 1 vote

Japanese Cheesecake - Airy like soft cotton, tangy from the cream cheese, perfectly balanced sweetness, this cheesecake is truly sublime!

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Resting Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Japanese

Servings: Servings

Calories: 110kcal

Author: Natasha Minocha

Ingredients

94 g Cream cheese
56 g Butter
94 ml Milk
130 g Egg whites, approximately 4
47 g Egg yolk, approximately 3
18 g All-purpose flour
9 g Cornstarch
63 g Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 tsp Fresh lemon juice
Powdered sugar and fresh berries for the topping Optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 225 degrees Celsius or 435 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grease an 8" cake tin. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper too.
Keep a bigger baking tin handy. Your 8" cake tin should fit into that comfortably.
Keep a kettle on for hot water for the water bath.
Measure out all the ingredients.
Separate the eggs. Keep the egg whites refrigerated until you're ready to use them.
In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, butter, and milk. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water.
94 g Cream cheese,56 g Butter,94 ml Milk
Once the butter has melted, take the bowl off the heat and whisk well. Let this mixture cool for about 10 minutes.
This is important because we don't want the egg yolks getting scrambled in the hot mixture!
Add egg yolks and vanilla extract. Sift in the flour and cornflour/cornstarch.
47 g Egg yolk, approximately 3, 1 tsp Vanilla extract, 9 g Cornstarch, 18 g All-purpose flour
Now, place the egg whites and lemon juice in the bowl of your stand mixer. You can also use a handheld electric beater.
130 g Egg whites, approximately 4, 1 tsp Fresh lemon juice
Beat the egg whites until they are foamy. Add in the sugar. Beat until you just reach the stage of soft peaks.
Fold in a third of the egg whites into the cream cheese mixture. Add another third, fold well and gently. Then add the remaining whites.
The batter will be very light and airy.
Pour into the prepared tin. Place the tin in the bigger baking tray and pour hot water almost halfway up the sides of the cake tin.
Carefully place in the oven. Bake at 225 C (435 F) for 5 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 160 C (325 F)and continue baking for 40-45 minutes.
The top of the cake should be lightly golden. The top and the sides should look cooked, but the cake should be slightly jiggly in the center.
Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes.
Carefully invert the cake tin onto a plate, remove the parchment paper, and then flip it back right-side-up onto a wire rack. Place on a cake rack to cool completely.
You can serve the cake at room temperature or chill it for a few hours. I prefer it chilled!
Sprinkle some powdered sugar on top and serve. Enjoy!

Notes

Measure every ingredient and prep every piece of equipment beforehand. It will save you a lot of time.

Please use a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients.

The bowl you use to beat egg whites has to be clean and dry. Any grease or water will hamper the rise of meringue peaks.

Before you beat the egg whites, add 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice. It stabilizes the beaten egg whites.

Don’t overmix the meringue and cream cheese mixture or use a heavy hand. A few strokes of the spatula (or a balloon whisk) will do the job.

To make sure no air is lost when mixing, use a very light circular motion. Also, move from top to bottom.

I use a regular 8-inch tin and not a spring-bottom pan because I did not want to take any chance of water seeping in! If you grease the tin and the parchment liberally, the cake will slip out easily.

Japanese cheesecake is baked at two temperatures. First at 225 °C (435°F) for 5 minutes and then at 160 °C (325°F) for 40-45 minutes. The high temperature gives the cake the initial rise and color.

Nutrition