Soft and Fluffy Japanese Cheesecake Recipe
If you are a cheesecake lover, you don’t want to miss the Japanese cheesecake. This cheesecake is different from your ordinary cheesecake. Why? Well, this cheesecake is so soft and delicious contains less calorie and less sugar, which makes it a healthier alternative for dessert.
Another thing that makes this particular cheesecake special is that it is jiggly. This jiggliness is caused by the meringue egg white which is beaten properly, as you will see later on in our recipe. The same meringue is what makes the cheesecake rise tall despite not using any baking powder or baking soda.
Baking Tips and More
- Smooth mixture for the best result
If you want a soft and fluffy Japanese cheesecake, you need to make sure that the cream cheese mixture is smooth. If it is lumpy, it is not smooth enough.
- But don’t over mix
When you fold the cream cheese mixture and meringue, avoid over mixing them. Fold gently. Do not blend or stir. Doing so will make the bubbles in the meringue disappear, so don’t do it. You need the bubbles.
- Don’t overbeat, either
The tricky part about making this cheesecake is beating the egg whites. Beaten properly, it will result in soft and fluffy cheesecake. Over beaten and you will get a cheesecake with stiff peaks instead. So, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks but not more than that.
- Allow the cake to cool down gradually
After baking, the cheesecake is sensitive to a sudden change in temperature. If the temperature suddenly drops, the cake will shrink and lose volume. To avoid this, you need to open the oven door and let the cake cool down. 30 minutes or so should be enough.
- Preventing over-browning
The best way to bake this cheesecake is to bake it at the bottom of the oven. This will prevent over-browning.
Frequently Asked Questions about Japanese Cheesecake
- What pans can I use?
We recommend using a springform pan. These are not the only utensils you can use, of course. You can also use a 9 x 9-inch square pan. A smaller 8-inch round pan is okay as well, although you need to do some adjustments.
- Can I add matcha powder?
Of course. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons in the cream cheese mixture. And there you have it. Japanese cheesecake with a hint of matcha of your liking.
- How long can you keep the cheesecake?
The cheesecake should be able to last for a few days if you keep it in the refrigerator. This shouldn’t be a problem, however. Why? Well, because the cheesecake is delicious and you probably don’t need to worry about the leftover.
- How many calories does the cake contain?
Compared to other cheesecakes, the Japanese cheesecake has a lower calorie and sugar content. Each slice of this cheesecake contains only 221 calories.
Soft and Fluffy Japanese Cheesecake Recipe
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Japanese cheesecake
Keyword: Japanese cheesecake recipe
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 13 slices
Calories: 221
Ingredients
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon tartar cream
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 oz. corn starch (about 20 grams)
- 2 oz. cake flour (about 60 grams)
- 2 oz. unsalted butter (about 50 grams)
- 5 oz. fine, granulated sugar (about 140 grams)
- 6 egg yolks, stored in room temperature
- 6 egg whites, stored in room temperature
- 8 oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (about 225 grams)
- 100 ml full milk
Instructions
- First, preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit or 160 Celsius. After that, prepare your working area. Prepare all the ingredients and measure them. Make sure the ingredients are in the right amount.
- If you use a 9-inch springform pan, grease the surface of the pan. Grease evenly. Then, take parchment paper and line up the bottom of the pan. In case you use another pan, check our notes at the bottom.
- Melt butter, cream cheese, and full milk on a stovetop on low heat. Mix the ingredients with a whisk. Keep mixing until the cream cheese melts completely. Once the ingredients have been mixed with no lump, turn off the heat.
- Sift the corn starch and cake flour.
- Add lemon juice, egg yolks, and salt to the mixture. Whisk again until the ingredients mix well.
- Add the corn starch and cake flour and whisk until there is no lump and a smooth batter is formed.
- The next step is to make the meringue. To make it, whisk egg whites, tartar cream, and sugar until soft, foamy, and light peaks form. You can beat the mixture however you like. You can use a whisk, electronic hand mixer, or stand mixer. Just be sure that you don’t over beat the mixture.
- Gently add the cream cheese mixture into the meringue. Fold the mixture and meringue gently until the mixture is well incorporated.
- Prepare your springform pan (or the pan to your liking) and pour the mixture.
- Before baking, gently tap the cake pan.
- Next is baking the cake. You will need a hot water bath to make a soft and fluffy Japanese cheesecake. For this, you will need a second, larger pan. Place the cake pan inside the larger pan. Then, pour water until it is 1-inch deep. Put the pan at the oven’s bottom shelf and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
- After the baking is done, open the oven’s door and let the cheesecake cool down for about 30 minutes. A sudden change in temperature may shrink the cake, so allow it to cool for a while. A small shrinkage, 1/2 to 1 inch is normal.
- Refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours. Leaving it in the refrigerator overnight is a good idea, too.
- Before serving, top the soft and fluffy cake with powdered serving.
Notes about Pan
- If you use an 8-inch round pan, also line the sides of the pan with parchment paper. Make sure that the paper extends higher (about 1.5 inches or so) than the cake tin.
If you use a 9-inch pan, lining the bottom part is enough. You can line the entire pan with parchment paper if you want, although it is not a must.