Japanese Cheesecake (Fluffy & Creamy)

This Japanese Cheesecake makes most people crazily addicted and willingly die for. It stands out the crowd of all kinds of cheescakes. Wondering why?

When I tried the Japanese cheesecake with the very first bite, I have been fallen in love with it ever since.

The velvety smooth, creamy, as well as the fluffy texture makes this kind of cheesecake stand out the crowd.

The cheesecake is not too sweet, yet just enough to entertain your sweet tooth if you have one. Mind you, the cooking method makes the cheesecake very light, you’d feel you don’t have enough even after having a big slice of it.

A case in point, over half of the cheesecake was gone shortly after I placed it in the fridge. I didn’t blame my daughter at all, because it’s so intriguing. Who can resist it?

This kind of cheesecake is always a big hit in Hong Kong and other Asian countries. Just hop over to my Chinese fan page and browse the comments asking for more tips, you’d know what I’m trying to say.

For making this Japanese cheesecake, many people find it’s a bit hard to overcome two common problems that contribute to making unpleasant looking cakes:

Firstly, the surface of cheesecakes has a tendency to crack during or after baking.

Secondly, the cake would easily shrink as it cools down. Although the taste remains the same, I believe every baker, like me, would love to see a perfect, or at least a good, pleasant looking cheesecake being served before your or your loved ones’ eyes. I’m not a professional baker, just like all other home cooks, love baking some delicious desserts to feed my family.

Here I’d share what worked for me. Feel free to drop a comment to share what I miss in this post, or what methods worked for you when making this cheesecake.

Japanese Cheesecake Recipe

(Printable recipe)
By Christine’s Recipes
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 60 mins
Yield: 2 baking pans, lined with baking paper, each size 11.5cmx22cmx6cm

Ingredients:

• 250 ml milk
• 250 gm cream cheese, cubed and softened at room temperature
• 60 gm butter, softened at room temperature
• 6 egg yolks
• 55 gm cake flour
• 20 gm corn flour
• 1 lemon zest
• 6 egg whites
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar
• 130 gm caster sugar

Baked the same batch of batter in a silicon mould and a lined baking tin.
Found that the baking tin produced a cheesecake with better texture.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 150C (302F).
2. Use a large bowl, pour in milk. Place the bowl over simmering water. Don’t let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Add cream cheese, stir occasionally, until completely dissolved and the mixture turns smooth. Stir in butter, till dissolved. Remove from heat. Let cool down a bit, then add the egg yolks and combine well. (Note: Make sure the mixture is not too hot, as you don’t want to cook the egg yolks at this stage.)
3. Combine cake flour and corn flour. Sift in the flours into the cream cheese mixture, a small amount at a time. Mix well between every addition, and make sure there aren’t any flour lumps. Stir in freshly grated zest. Set aside.
4. Place egg whites in a large clean bowl. (Note: Make sure there’s no oil or water in the bowl at all.) Use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites for 3 minutes, then add cream of tartar and blend again. Pour sugar in the egg whites and blend until very stiff peaks form. (Please refer to this video: How To Beat Egg Whites.)
5. Fold-in the egg whites into the cream cheese mixture gently with a rubber spatula just until all ingredients are incorporated. Do not stir or beat. For a better result, fold in egg whites with a small amount at a time, at least for 3 times. (Please refer to this post with video: How To Fold-in Egg Whites).
6. Pour the mixture into the two baking pans. Place the pans into another larger baking tray. Add hot water in the tray up to half way. Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes. Test with a needle or skewer that comes out clean.
7. Turn off the oven. Leave the oven door ajar for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove from the pans. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Chill in a fridge for about 3 hours. Enjoy!

Notes：

• Get cream cheese block to make this cheesecake. 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.
• The beaten egg whites generate very small air pockets in the inner structure of the cake. So, when it comes to making this cake, it’s very important to know how to beat egg whites and how to fold-in egg whites properly. I’ve uploaded two videos on youtube for those who need them, here and here.
• To prevent the surface of the cheesecake from cracking: use low temperature and water-bath method during baking. The surface of the cake has a tendency to rise high to a point that breaks the structure. So, the basic principle is to keep the oven as low as the recipe suggests as 150C (302F). Mind you, every oven is so different, know your oven. And you have to keep an eye on it when baking. When the cake surface rises too high, that means the temperature of your oven is too high. Reduce the temperature accordingly.
• To prevent the cheesecake from shrinking: open the oven door ajar for 10 minutes or so, and let your cheesecakes cool down gradually. But don’t keep them there too long because moist would develop at the bottom of the baking pans.
• If using a loose base cake tin, cover the outside of the tin bottom with double layers of aluminium foil to prevent water from seeping in.

Other delicious Japanese cheesecake recipes:

• Repost - Japanese Cotton Cheesecake from Anncoo Journal
• Cotton Soft Japanese Cheesecake from Lily's Wai Sek Hong