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Expert Tips
- Whip the egg whites until medium-soft peaks. Make sure to whip the egg whites with your electric mixer until the meringue is soft, glossy, and has medium-soft peaks. This means that when you lift your mixer from the egg whites the pointed tip will slowly curve over and not stick straight up.
- Bake the cheesecake in a hot water bath. Baking the Japanese souffle cheesecake in a hot water bath regulates the heat in the oven and provides moisture to the cake which prevents the cheesecake from cracking.
- If you have a springform baking pan, place a slightly larger round baking pan in between the 6-inch baking pan and the larger deep baking pan to prevent any water from seeping into the cake. Alternatively, you can wrap the bottom of the springform pan with aluminum foil.
- Bake the cheesecake low and slow. You will need to bake the cheesecake at two different temperatures. Make sure to keep an eye out for the cheesecake. If it begins to crack slightly open the oven to release some of the heat.
- Turn off the oven and keep the cheesecake in the oven when it is done baking. When the cheesecake is done baking, turn off the oven, remove the cheesecake from the water bath and let the cheesecake stay in the oven with the oven door cracked open for about 20 minutes. This will reduce the shock in temperature which will shrink the Japanese cotton cheesecake.
Storage Instructions
This Japanese cheesecake is best served immediately. However, you can store this Japanese souffle cheesecake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.FAQ
Japanese souffle cheesecakes have a similar taste as regular American cheesecakes however the texture is drastically different. American cheesecakes are dense, and velvety smooth whereas Japanese jiggly cheesecakes have a very soft, airy cake-like texture that melts in your mouth.
A crack in your cheesecake mainly comes down to the temperature of your oven. If the oven is too hot, the cheesecake will bake too quickly creating a crack down the middle. A low and slow baking temperature allows the cheesecake to rise without baking. If you notice any small cracks beginning to form, slightly open your oven door to release some steam. Also, remember to use a hot water bath for the cake. The hot water stabilizes the temperature of the oven and prevents the top of the cake from drying out—cracking.
There may be a couple of reasons that your Japanese jiggly cheesecake is not fluffy: 1. You may have under whipped your egg whites. Make sure the egg whites are whipped until they reach medium-soft peaks. This means when you lift your whisk out of the egg whites they slowly fold over the tip. The meringue should look glossy and shiny. 2. Your egg whites are under folded in the batter. You may have under-mixed the egg whites into the batter leaving a denser bottom and an airy top. 3. Your egg whites are over-mixed in the batter. You may have over-mixed your egg whites deflating all the air in the egg whites which creates a flat and dense cake.
The Japanese cheesecake will most likely shrink because of the structure of the cake. To prevent any shrinkage, make sure the cheesecake is baked through and leave the cheesecake in the oven, with a cracked door for about 15 minutes. Then remove the water bath and keep the cheesecake in the oven with a cracked door for another 15 minutes. This will temper the Japanese souffle cheesecake from any shock in temperature that will shrink the cheesecake.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (30 g) cake flour
- 2 tablespoon (20 g) cornstarch
- ¾ cup (180 g) cream cheese full fat brick
- 2 tablespoon (30 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 ½ tablespoon (50 g) milk full fat
- 3 large egg yolks room temperature
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) vanilla extract
- 3 large egg whites room temperature
- ⅓ cup (70 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) lemon juice
- powdered sugar garnish
Instructions
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Preheat and prepare pan. Preheat your oven to 300°F and line the bottom and sides of your 6 inch round baking pan with parchment paper.
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Melt the butter and cream cheese over a double boiler. Fill a small saucepan with water halfway and then bring it to a boil. In a mixing bowl that fits on top of the sauce pan, add the cream cheese, butter and milk. Whisk until the butter and cream cheese are melted and fully combined and reach about 130°F (55°C)
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Add egg yolk and vanilla. Remove the cream cheese bowl from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks and vanilla until combined.
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Sift in the cake flour. Using a fine mesh sieve, sift in the cake flour and cornstarch. Whisk until smooth. Then pour the batter through the fine mesh sieve to make sure batter does not have any remaining lumps.
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Make the meringue. In a large mixing bowl, add the egg whites and lemon juice. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites on high until white and frothy. Then working in 3 batches, slowly pour in 1/3 of the sugar while the mixer is running. Keep mixing with the remaining thirds of sugar until the meringue reaches medium soft peaks or when you lift the mixer the peaks will slowly fold over like soft serve ice cream. Once it reaches soft peaks, turn the mixer on low and mix the eggs for an additional 30 seconds to beat out any large bubbles.
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Mix 1/3 of the meringue into the egg batter. Mix 1/3 of the meringue into the egg batter and fold until it is completely combined and smooth.
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Mix the egg batter into the meringue. Then take the egg batter and gently pour it into the meringue and carefully fold the batter with a rubber spatula until just combined. Make sure to not over-mix and deflate all the air in the batter.
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Prepare the pan. Pour the batter into the lined baking pan at about 5 inches from the pan to pop the remaining large air bubbles. Place the cheesecake round pan into a larger deep baking tray and fill it up with about 1-2 cm of hot boiling water.
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Bake. Bake in the oven at 300°F (150°C) for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, lower the temperature to 230°F (110°C) and bake for another 30 minutes. Then increase the temperature to 275°F (135°C) for 13-15 minutes. Keep a close eye to prevent it from cracking, if the cake begins to crack that means your oven is too hot so slightly crack the oven to remove the steam for about 5 seconds. The cake is done when the top is golden and if you place a toothpick in the center and it comes out mostly clean.
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Cool. Once the cake is done cooking, turn off the oven and leave the cake in the oven for about 15 minutes with the oven door cracked. Then remove the water bath and let the cake sit in the oven for another 15 minutes. This will prevent any shock in temperature and having the cake shrink dramatically. Remove the cake from the tin and place the cake on the rack to cool completely. Sift some powdered sugar on top and enjoy!
Notes
- Whip the egg whites until medium-soft peaks. Make sure to whip the egg whites with your electric mixer until the meringue is soft, glossy, and has medium-soft peaks. This means that when you lift your mixer from the egg whites the pointed tip will slowly curve over and not stick straight up.
- Bake the cheesecake in a hot water bath. Baking the Japanese souffle cheesecake in a hot water bath regulates the heat in the oven and provides moisture to the cake which prevents the cheesecake from cracking.
- If you have a springform baking pan, place a slightly larger round baking pan in between the 6-inch baking pan and the larger deep baking pan to prevent any water from seeping into the cake. Alternatively, you can wrap the bottom of the springform pan with aluminum foil.
- Bake the cheesecake low and slow. You will need to bake the cheesecake at two different temperatures. Make sure to keep an eye out for the cheesecake. If it begins to crack slightly open the oven to release some of the heat.
- Turn off the oven and keep the cheesecake in the oven when it is done baking. When the cheesecake is done baking, turn off the oven, remove the cheesecake from the water bath and let the cheesecake stay in the oven with the oven door cracked open for about 20 minutes. This will reduce the shock in temperature which will shrink the Japanese cotton cheesecake.
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