Fluffy Japanese Cheesecake

Hi everyone!

This recipe has been on my mind for a while. I’ve tried it once but the consistency wasn’t right and it didn’t cook all the way. But this time I’ve been patient and I’ve managed to finish a good cake. I think there is still room for improvement but this was a good milestone for me.

Patience is the key. I’ve failed to bake cheesecakes before because I would crank up the heat when the batter wasn’t cooked all the way and the outside would burn with the inside still raw. Cheesecake has always been a weak point for me but this one has been ok. I’ve used Buzzfeed Tasty’s recipe as a guide but I’ve tweaked it a little because it didn’t turn out very effective the first time. Here is how to make it.

Ingredients:

• 100 gr butter
• 100 gr cream cheese
• 2/3 cups milk
• 8 egg yolks
• ½ cups flour
• ½ cups cornstarch
• 11 egg whites (yes this is too much)
• 2/3 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• Fruit of your choice and powdered sugar to serve

Now the recipe says it’s for a 22cm cheesecake pan but after I’ve filled the pan I’ve had so much batter that I’ve made anther cake with a 16cm pan. So you can adjust the measurements as you like. I had no trouble with making two cakes but if you do too, make sure you put both cakes in the same level in the oven. Otherwise the bottom cake will need more time after you take the top one out of the oven.

As a start, put the butter, cream cheese and the milk in a sauce pan and heat until everything is well combined. Do not let them boil. Take of the heat and let it cool down.

In a large bowl, whisk 8 egg yolks until smooth. I’ve also sifted them to make sure it’s smooth as possible but it’s not really necessary.

When the cream mixture is cooled down a little slowly add to the egg yolks and mix well. At this point sift the flour and the corn starch into the mixture.

In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites with cream of tartar until you have soft peaks forming, at this time add the sugar in two parts whilst mixing with electric mixer. As the amount is too much whisking by hand will be a little hard, so a hand or a standing mixer is recommended. When  the peaks are more defined after adding the sugar, gradually add the whites to the other mixture.

This parts is a little tricky. You want to do this by adding as little egg whites as possible but in the meantime mixing the egg whites too much will cause them to lose air. Be careful while missing. I switched to a spatula, rather than the whisk. Slowly mix everything together.

 

Preheat the oven to 160°C.

Line the bottom of the locked cake pan and the side of the pan with parchment paper. You can double line the bottom. Also if you don’t trust your pan too much you can cover the bottom of your pan with aluminum foil, as you will bake this cake in water bath, this will be another barrier for the water.

Put your cake pan in another pan that is at least 3cm thick and fill with hot water that is 2cm thick. You can add the water after you place your pans in the oven, that way you will carry the pans easier and the water won’t be spilt.

Bake the cake for 25 minutes at this temperature. After that lower the temp to 140°C and bake for another 60 minutes. There is very little room for checking at this point, if you’re lucky and there is a crack on the top, insert a long tooth pick and check if it comes out damp. If it is, you can bake for another 10-15 minutes. If there isn’t a crack you can insert the tooth pick anyway, there will be a hole in the surface but it’s ok.

Take the locked cake pan out of the oven, and place it on a cooling rack. Unlock the pan, and carefully take the cake out. The cake will be very delicate, be careful not to handle it directly. Take the side parchment slowly out. Place a paper towel on your hand and turn the cake over, take the bottom paper out. Carefully flip the cake back over and place the cake on your serving plate.

This cake is very soft and very open to shaping so be careful to be gentle with the cake. the top looks perect the moment it comes out of the oven but in seconds it starts to deflate. Serving an deating the same day is recommended but it can be kept in a container for the next day too and the taste stays the same.

There are some critical careful movements with this cake, if you’re able to do them there won’t be a problem. The cake itself is just chemistry. You need to measure everything correctly for it to work flawlessly.

I used blackberries and powdered sugar to garnish. you can use whatever fruit you like. Berries are a good refreshing choice, though.

Another tip for you to be careful with video recipes is that there is sometimes differences in the videos and written down recipes. In this one the flour measurement was different in the video and the recipes written in information part. At that point you can look up if someone wrote the correct amount or just go with your instincts.

I hope this helps you with the original recipe.

I’ve created an Instagram page a few months ago. If you like my recipes you can follow me there too, I post more frequently there, about the food I make and the places I go that I like. I also give teasers of the new recipes. Follow me there and let me know if you have special requests. Enjoy!

@cansuskitchen