Sometimes referred to as soufflé or cotton cheesecake, this Japanese dessert has a distinctive, feather-light texture thanks to a lower proportion of cream cheese and lots of fluffy whisked egg whites
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
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Sarah Akhurst
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst ’s recipes
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Ingredients
60g salted butter, diced, plus extra to grease
120ml milk
250g full-fat soft cheese
200g granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
6 large eggs, separated
60g plain flour
20g cornflour
1 tbsp lemon juice
For the miso caramel
100g granulated sugar
3 tbsp golden syrup
30g salted butter
120ml double cream
1 tbsp white miso
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The cheesecake and caramel keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Bring the cheesecake to room temperature, and warm the caramel to a pouring consistency before eating.
Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Grease and line a deep 20cm diameter fixed-base tin, making sure that the baking paper forms a collar that stands at least 6cm above the rim of the tin.
Put the butter, milk, soft cheese and 50g of the sugar in a heatproof bowl and place over a pan of simmering water, making sure the water doesn’t touch the base of the bowl. Whisk gently until the butter has melted and you have a smooth mixture. Stir through the vanilla, remove from the heat and let the mixture cool slightly.
Whisk the egg yolks together, then gently whisk these into the cheese mixture. Sift the flour and cornflour together, then gently whisk this through the egg and soft cheese mixture, adding the lemon juice.
Put the egg whites into a free-standing mixer and whisk to soft peaks. Gradually add the remaining 150g sugar, whisking until you have a meringue-like mixture. Add a third of the egg white mixture to the soft cheese mixture and slowly fold through until you have no lumps of meringue. Repeat with another third of the egg whites. Now add the whisked mixture to the egg whites left in the mixer, folding until combined. Pour into the lined tin.
Sit the cheesecake tin in a large roasting tin and pour in boiling water to reach halfway up the sides. Carefully transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 160°C, fan 140°C, gas 3 and bake for a further 30 minutes. The cheesecake should be double its original height and set, but still with a slight wobble. Turn off the oven but leave the cheesecake inside for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin.
For the miso caramel, put the sugar, syrup and 2 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan and heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a simmer and leave to bubble for 5 minutes, or until it starts to turn a deep amber colour. Meanwhile, melt the butter in another pan and whisk together with the cream and miso, then when the sugar is a deep amber colour, whisk in the miso cream. Continue to simmer for 1-2 minutes, until thickened, then remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Serve the cheesecake at room temperature and drizzle over the caramel.
One thing that makes Japanese cheesecake different and special is its unique texture. Unlike traditional cheesecakes, which are dense and heavy, Japanese cheesecakes are light and airy. With a combination of whipped egg whites and cream cheese, this dessert takes on the perfect balance of smoothness and fluffiness.
If the oven isn't hot enough, the egg whites will deflate and the cheesecake will be dense and heavy instead of light and airy, so turning on the oven is always the first thing I do.
As we mentioned before, Japanese cheesecakes are much lighter and fluffier than regular cheesecakes. You can tell the difference in texture just by looking at the two kinds of cake. A regular cheesecake is dense and heavy, while a Japanese cheesecake is light and airy. They taste nothing like each other!
How long will they last? Our Japanese Cheesecakes can stay in room temperature for up to 12 hours. We recommend putting them in the fridge as soon as possible, and they can last refrigerated for up to 3 days.
If you eat the cheesecakes while they are still warm, the texture is at its fluffiest, with a heightened aroma of egg and butter. If you put the cheesecake in the fridge and eat it cool, the texture becomes more creamy, with rich flavour of cream cheese. Of course, if you can resist, you can try it both ways!
A bain-marie or hot water bath is essential for baking the cake. The hot water bath stabilizes the temperature in the oven and prevents it from being overly hot and dry. Hot and dry oven means cracked cheesecake.
Why does my Japanese cheesecake taste eggy? Because Japanese cheesecakes are made with so many eggs, it naturally will taste a bit eggier than a classic cheesecake. However, if you let the cheesecake cool completely or even after a couple hours of chilling, you will barely taste any egginess.
Sour Cream: This gave it more of a tart taste. This could be utilized if you are going to make a flavored cheesecake where a more tart taste would help the other flavors. I think it would work really well with a lemon or lime flavored cheesecake. Heavy Whipping Cream: This gave it more of a milky taste.
The Japanese Cheesecakes are admired for their lighter quality and balanced sweetness that provide the perfect taste and texture combination. Served warm from the oven with an Uncle Tetsu stamp atop the cake, every bite is a touch sweet and perfectly airy.
Remove the springform pan from the water bath, discard the foil, and transfer the cheesecake to the refrigerator to cool for at least 8 hours or overnight. Remove the sides of the springform pan. You can serve the cheesecake right from the base of the springform pan.
Don't ever use the cheese spread. Your cheesecake will be too wet otherwise. The delicate, velvety smooth texture of this cheesecake is produced by two low-protein flours, cake flour or corn flour.
If you over-mix, the cake will not rise. If you under-mix, your cake will be uneven. The egg white will float to the top and you'll have a meringue-like cake at the top, and a dense cheesecake at the bottom. Pour the well-incorporated, but not over-mixed batter into the baking pan(s).
Japanese cheesecake also referred to as Japanese cotton cheesecake, Japanese souffle cheesecake, or Japanese baked cheesecake is a crustless cheesecake that uses whipped egg whites and cake flour for a bouncy and cotton soft melt in your mouth texture. Japanese cheesecake has a sweet, vanilla, and subtly tangy flavor ...
Unlike a traditional sponge cake in the United States, there's no baking soda or baking powder, and instead, it's the eggs that give the cake its fluffy texture. There's also no oil or butter in this recipe, unlike many American baked goods recipes.
Although Japan doesn't have a long history of dairy consumption, cheese was already known and mentioned during the Asuka period. Cheese brought from the kingdom of Baekje (current day Korea) was presented to the Emperor Kōtoku in 645, and a form of cheese called so (酥) was produced in Japan.
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Prep time: 35 mins
