Jiggly and fluffy Japanese Cheesecake is a crowd-pleasing dessert that everybody loves! I’ll information you thru every step of this recipe and share my finest ideas so you possibly can whip up a creamy, dreamy soufflé cheesecake that’s as gentle and ethereal as a cloud.
Japanese cheesecake (additionally goes by soufflé cheesecake) is an excellent dessert identified for its ultra-creamy, tremendous luxurious, barely tangy taste and ethereal, soufflé-like character. It has swept the meals world by storm and virtually each dessert fanatic goes wild for it.
Why is it so standard? What’s the distinction between Japanese cheesecake and common cheesecake? For a begin, I believe it has the best texture that appeals to everybody. With components of each a wealthy velvety custard and a cottony sponge cake, the dessert merely hits all the fitting notes. It isn’t heavy and loads much less candy than typical Western-style cheesecakes. Even those that should not into cheesecake will fall head over heels for this scrumptious deal with.
Right here, I’ll present you easy methods to make the finest Japanese cheesecake and we’ll cowl these subjects:
- What (precisely) is Japanese cheesecake
- A bit background on cheesecakes in Japan
- Substances & gear you’ll want
- Useful ideas & methods
The recipe, whereas having a number of totally different steps, is straightforward sufficient to execute. Let’s get began!
What’s Japanese Cheesecake?
This specific Japanese cheesecake recipe is a soufflé-style cheesecake that includes whipped egg whites within the cake combination and is baked in a bain-marie (water bathtub), which ends up in its characteristically gentle and fluffy texture. Sure, it’s principally the cheesecake model of the Japanese soufflé pancakes!
As there are a number of forms of cheesecakes in Japan, we name this cheese soufflé or soufflé cheesecake. Exterior of Japan, nonetheless, it turns into synonymous with the generic “Japanese cheesecake”. Due to its distinctive texture, it is usually referred to as jiggly cake or Japanese cotton cheesecake. I agree, that’s plenty of names for a cheesecake!
Cheesecakes in Japan
Whereas this has develop into the de facto ‘Japanese cheesecake’, I do wish to point out that there are 3 foremost sorts of cheesecakes accessible in Japan:
- Baked cheesecake (ベイクドチーズケーキ)
- Uncommon cheesecake (レアチーズケーキ)
- Soufflé cheesecake (スフレチーズケーキ)
Baked cheesecake is the everyday cheesecake. It has eggs, cream cheese, heavy cream, and flour and it’s baked within the oven. Some might have a biscuit crust on the underside, and a few don’t.
Uncommon cheesecake is the “no-bake cheesecake”. The cream cheese and heavy cream are blended with gelatin or lemon juice, then poured over the biscuit crust, and cooled to set contained in the fridge. Eggs should not used on this model. Any such cheesecake is commonly served with berries or different sorts of fruits.
Soufflé Cheesecake is the one we’re making at present and originated in Japan. The method is created by Yasui Juichi (安井寿一), a pastry chef on the patisserie of the Plaza Lodge.
The best way to Make the Finest Japanese Cheesecake
Substances You’ll Want
First, let’s go over the components and gear you have to to make this superb cheesecake. I wrote this part so it’s useful for newbie bakers. In case you bake usually, please skip this part.
1. Unsalted butter: When a baking recipe requires unsalted butter or is written as simply “butter”, which means the salt isn’t required. As baking is chemistry, I like to recommend utilizing solely unsalted butter.
2. Eggs: An American massive egg is about 50 grams with out shell (56.7 g with shell).
3. Cream Cheese: Purchase two Philadelphia Authentic Cream Cheese 8 oz. containers as a substitute of the spherical container kind. You’ll need one full field (8 oz.) and a pair of.5 oz. from the second field (there’s the measurement on the bundle in case you don’t have a kitchen scale).
4. Heavy (Whipping) Cream: Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream is the richest kind of liquid cream with a fats content material of a minimum of 36%. You too can go gentle and use complete milk on this recipe.
5. Granulated Sugar: I usually obtain questions on sugar whether or not you need to use a substitute or scale back the quantity of sugar. As I discussed earlier than, the quantity of sugar impacts the baking outcomes. My advice is to comply with the recipe first earlier than adapting so you’ll know what works and what not. I exploit common white granulated sugar for my baking until acknowledged in any other case.
6. Cake Flour: I exploit the King Arthur cake flour mix, however should you don’t have the cake flour in hand, you possibly can all the time make it your self. All you want is all-purpose flour and corn starch. To get 1 cup cake flour, take one degree cup of all-purpose flour, take away 2 tablespoons, then add 2 tablespoons of corn starch again in, and sift to mix.
7. Lemon: To me, it’s necessary to incorporate the lemon juice for a contact of tanginess and the zest for the perfume.
8. Apricot Jam: Typical soufflé cheesecake is roofed with apricot jam. It offers the correct amount of tanginess and sweetness in addition to a shiny sheer on the cake. I extremely suggest getting a jar (my favourite model is Bonne Maman).
Tools You’ll Want
1. Cake Pan: I exploit this 9-inch cake pan with a 4-inch top. In case your 9-inch cake pan isn’t 4-inch tall, you possibly can nonetheless use it with parchment paper to assist the rising cake. When you have a smaller or greater cake pan, please modify your components as I used one egg as a unit of calculation.
- 1 massive egg (50 g with out shell)
- 50 g cream cheese
- 10 g unsalted butter
- 33 g (33 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 10 g granulated sugar
- 13 g cake flour
- 1 tsp. lemon juice + some zest
- 17 g granulated sugar for beating egg whites
I used to make use of a springform pan for my soufflé cheesecake, and more often than not I didn’t have any water seepage points (I used a heavy-duty 8″ lengthy aluminum foil to safe). Nevertheless, I found a greater resolution (learn under) with this new cake pan, so now I don’t use my springform pan for making this cheesecake.
2. Parchment Paper: You’ll need to tug out 30 inches of parchment paper. You’ll need one 30″ x 4″ (top of cake pan) sheet, and two 30″ x 2″ strips that are used to carry up the cake. To save lots of time, I like to recommend this 9-inch spherical parchment paper liner for the underside of the cake.
3. Mixing Bowls: You want 2 massive mixing bowls for the cake batter, and a 3rd one to beat egg whites (or a stand mixer bowl if utilizing a stand mixer).
4. Positive Mesh Strainer: It’s necessary to sift the cake flour for the right texture. If you’re going to make your personal cake flour, then it’s much more necessary to have a fine-mesh strainer. We additionally use it to go by means of the cake batter to realize an additional refined texture.
5. Whisk: I use a whisk (I like this one) as a substitute of a silicone spatula to include air within the egg whites into the batter.
6. Stand Mixer or Electrical Mixer: Have you ever crushed egg whites along with your hand? It’s an actual exercise to your arm. I’ve accomplished it earlier than and let’s say I’m grateful for my stand mixer. You should use a hand mixer too; nonetheless, the pace degree can be totally different, so belief your eyes.
7. Giant Baking Sheet: You’ll need an oven-safe container to maintain your 9-inch cake pan inside together with 1 inch of water. I exploit a big baking sheet.
Be aware: I do know it appears to be like like loads to arrange, however these are primary stuff you’ll want for any baking. And also you’ll undoubtedly make this cheesecake greater than as soon as (as a result of it’s so good)! Let’s speak about strategies subsequent.
10 Useful Tricks to Bake Japanese Cheesecake
The directions for this cheesecake are easy but it does require some expertise and care. The widespread difficulties embrace shrinking and cracking, that are principally attributable to the end result of beating egg whites or the incorrect oven temperature.
I had sufficient of my share of trials and errors earlier than I finalized the recipe. So please take time to learn by means of the ideas and comply with the instructions carefully so that you’ll have an ideal final result in your first attempt!
1. Measure Every thing First
This sounds primary, however you should measure all of the components and put together every thing earlier than you begin making the cake.
Timing is essential right here. Any missteps can simply alter the end result of the cake batter and egg whites.
2. Make Parchment Paper “Strips”
These strips of parchment paper are for pulling the cheesecake out of the cake pan after it comes out from the oven. Usually you’ll simply flip and take the cake out, nevertheless it will get difficult for a cake with a jiggly, soufflé-like texture. With this trick, you don’t have to fret concerning the cake collapse on you.
3. Grease The Pan and Parchment Paper
Grease the within of the cake pan in order that the parchment paper will keep on with it properly. And additionally, you will must grease the parchment paper that may contact the cake batter.
If the cheesecake is caught with the parchment paper whereas rising, the cake can be pulled and find yourself cracking.
4. Use Double Boiler
The double boiler technique lets you pace issues up. You do NOT must deliver your components (cream cheese, heavy cream, and egg yolks) to room temperature earlier than making the cake!
Substances akin to egg yolks combine higher with the batter and rise extra simply at room temperature. In case you’re like me who tends to overlook to take the components out from the fridge forward of time, you possibly can rely on a double boiler for mixing the batter.
5. Use Chilly Egg Whites
The Japanese technique all the time makes use of chilly egg whites (we even chill the bowl) to realize a refined texture. I seen American recipes name for room temperature egg whites to realize the fullest quantity as a substitute. Perhaps we search for various things? You’ll be able to determine should you want chilly or room temperature egg whites.
Some recipes name for cream of tartar however it isn’t a typical product in Japan, so we don’t use it for this recipe.
6. Beat Till a Agency Peak
That is a very powerful (trickiest) a part of making Japanese cheesecake. The crushed egg whites generate small air pockets within the construction of the cake, preserving the cake ethereal and fluffy.
Once you beat egg whites, there are 3 levels: a comfortable, agency, and stiff peak. For this recipe, we’re aiming for a agency peak.
Once you carry the whisk and switch it the other way up, the egg whites nonetheless cling to the whisk and maintain their form pretty nicely, however the tip of the height folds again on itself.
I used to whip till a stiff peak shaped and it labored high quality. Nevertheless, infrequently after I whipped a tiny bit an excessive amount of, the cheesecake grew to become a bit lopsided and cracked. General, it was a bit more durable to regulate. Many soufflé cheesecake recipes in Japan name for each a agency peak or a stiff peak, so discover what works for you, understanding this variable.
7. Fold in The Egg Whites
I discovered {that a} whisk does a greater job than a silicone spatula whenever you gently fold the egg whites into the batter. It’s essential to maintain the small air bubbles in order that the cake will rise larger with out flopping.
8. Bake in Bain-Marie
A bain-marie (ban mah-REE) is the flowery time period for a water bathtub. We use this cooking method to cook dinner delicate meals like soufflé and custards. The recent water creates a mild and uniform warmth across the meals in addition to gives moisture contained in the oven.
9. Bake at 2 Completely different Temperatures
The oven temperature might be the second most necessary issue for a profitable Japanese cheesecake.
If the oven temperature is just too excessive, the cheesecake will rise too quick, break the construction, and ultimately crack. If the warmth supply is just too near the cake, the cake will even get large cracks. The style can be high quality, and after the cake cools down, the large cracks can be much less apparent.
I preheat the oven to 350 ºF (180 ºC) first, however this isn’t the temperature for baking the cheesecake. Each time you open the oven to arrange bain-marie or put the cake into the oven, the temperature drops considerably. Due to this fact we set the temperature larger.
Then after we put the cheesecake within the oven, we begin baking at 320 ºF (160 ºC) after which scale back to 300 ºF (150 ºC) to verify the cake is cooked by means of. My present oven is way greater than my earlier oven, and I needed to take a look at a number of occasions to get the fitting baking time. In case your oven is smaller than mine, you’ll in all probability want to cut back the baking time to 60 minutes. I’ve a “convection bake” possibility, however I used common “bake” on this recipe so I might take a look at the baking time for almost all of recipe customers.
10. Cool Down Slowly
After baking within the oven, don’t take out your cheesecake instantly. Let it settle down regularly by leaving the oven door ajar for some time.
This prevents a sudden change in temperature that might trigger the cake to shrink or collapse. You need the cake to slowly come all the way down to half the peak, from 4 inches (tallest level) to 2 inches.
I’ve made the cheesecake numerous occasions for events or potlucks and it by no means fails to impress. It’s actually a crowd-pleasing dessert that everybody loves. I hope you get pleasure from it too!
Extra Japanese Dessert Recipes You’ll Love
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Servings: 1 cake (9 inches, 23 cm)
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To Put together the Cake Pan
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Use a 9-inch (23-cm) cake pan that’s 4 inches (10 cm) excessive. Minimize parchment paper to line the underside and sides of the cake pan. Minimize one circle 9 inches (23 cm) in diameter for the underside and one rectangular strip 4 x 30 inches (10 x 76 cm) for the edges of the cake pan. As well as, lower two strips of paper 2 x 30 inches (5 x 76 cm) every. We are going to use these as “straps” to carry the baked cake from the pan.
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With 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, grease the cake pan and the parchment paper (for the underside and the edges solely; grease the paper on one aspect). You don‘t want to make use of all of the butter.
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Crisscross the 2 parchment paper straps on the underside of the cake pan so that they type an “X.” Enable the surplus paper to hold over the edges. Then, line the underside and sides with the parchment paper so the greased sides will contact the cake batter. The greased aspect of the paper circle ought to face up, and the greased aspect of the oblong strip ought to face in towards the middle of the pan.
To Preheat the Oven and Put together a Double Boiler
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Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). For a convection oven, scale back the temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Be aware: You may be baking at 320ºF (160ºC). Nevertheless, we’ll preheat a bit larger as a result of your oven will lose some warmth whenever you open it to put the cheesecake inside.
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Put together a double boiler: Set a medium saucepan stuffed with 2 inches (5 cm) of water over excessive warmth and produce it to a simmer, then cowl and scale back the warmth to keep up a gentle simmer.
To Collect the Substances
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Collect all of the components. It is vitally necessary to measure all of your components earlier than beginning. Separate 6 massive eggs (50 g every w/o shell) into yolks and whites and place the egg whites again within the fridge. I extremely encourage you to weigh your components utilizing a kitchen scale. For weights, click on the Metric button above to transform the measurements to metric. If you do not have a scale, here is easy methods to measure flour (the fitting method) with a measuring cup: Fluff the flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into the measuring cup, and degree it off. In any other case, you could scoop greater than you want.
To Make the Cake Batter
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In a big bowl, add 10.6 ozcream cheese, 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, 200 ml heavy (whipping) cream, and 4½ Tbsp sugar. Relaxation the bowl on the saucepan above the simmering water. Tip: The double boiler will heat up and soften the cream cheese and butter, so that you need not deliver these components to room temperature forward of time.
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Mash the cream cheese and butter with a silicone spatula. As soon as they’re softened, use a hand whisk to mix every thing collectively. Take away the bowl from the warmth.
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Whisk the egg yolks, one by one, into the nice and cozy cream cheese combination. Make certain every yolk is mixed nicely with the cream cheese combination earlier than including the subsequent one.
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Utilizing a fine-mesh strainer, sift ⅔ cup cake flour into the batter. Whisk and mix collectively.
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Then, go the batter by means of the identical fine-mesh strainer right into a clear massive bowl. This creates a silky texture for the batter.
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Add the zest of ½ lemon into the batter. Ensure you solely zest the flavorful yellow half and never the bitter white pith. Right into a separate small bowl, squeeze the juice from the lemon. Measure 2 Tbsp lemon juice and add it to the batter. Whisk nicely to mix and put aside.
To Set Up the Bain-Marie (Water Tub)
To Beat and Incorporate the Egg Whites
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Add the chilly egg whites into the dry, clear mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Make certain there isn’t any oil or water within the bowl. When you have house in your fridge, I extremely suggest preserving the blending bowl chilly till you’re prepared to make use of it. Begin whisking on medium pace (Pace 4) till the egg whites develop into opaque, foamy, and bubbly, about 2 minutes. Then, slowly add ½ cup sugar, one-third of it at a time, whereas the mixer runs.
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When you’ve added all of the sugar, improve the mixer pace to excessive (Pace 8–9) and beat the egg whites till you could have agency peaks. Once you carry the whisk and switch it over, the egg whites ought to cling to the whisk and maintain their form pretty nicely, however the tip of the height ought to fold again on itself.
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Utilizing a hand whisk, combine one-third of the egg whites into the cream cheese combination till included. Then, gently fold one other one-third into the combination.
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Lastly, pour the combination again into the mixer bowl with the final one-third of the egg whites nonetheless in it. Fold very gently till simply mixed.
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Pour the batter into the cake pan unexpectedly, avoiding air pockets whereas pouring. Faucet the cake pan a number of occasions on the kitchen counter to launch any air pockets within the batter.
To Bake the Cheesecake
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Open the oven and place the cake pan onto the baking sheet with the bain-marie. Scale back the oven temperature to 320ºF (160ºC)—25ºF (15ºC) decrease for a convection oven—and bake for 70–75 minutes. Then, scale back the oven temperature to 300ºF (150ºC) and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or till the highest is golden brown. To check for doneness, open the oven door barely and insert a skewer into the cake. If the skewer comes out with out moist batter, it‘s accomplished. Depart the cake contained in the oven.
To Cool
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Flip off the oven and go away the oven door barely ajar for 15–20 minutes with the cake inside so it cools regularly. In case you instantly take away the cake pan to the kitchen counter, the sudden change in temperature might trigger the soufflé cheesecake to break down. Whereas cooling within the oven, you need the cake to slowly shrink all the way down to half its top, from roughly 4 inches to 2 inches excessive. After 15–20 minutes, take away the cake pan from the oven. Gently carry out the cheesecake from the pan utilizing the 2 parchment paper straps (with assist from one other set of fingers).
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Place the cake on a plate. Take away the parchment paper from across the sides (however go away the underside paper). Mix 2 Tbsp apricot jam and 2 tsp sizzling water in a small bowl. Brush the apricot glaze excessive of the cheesecake. Let cool to room temperature.
To Retailer
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You’ll be able to retailer the cake within the fridge for as much as 3–4 days or within the freezer for 3–4 weeks. Defrost the cake in a single day within the fridge. The chilly cheesecake is dense, so go away it on the counter till simply chilled or at room temperature earlier than serving.
All-purpose flour and cake flour don’t carry out the identical. Cake flour is extra delicate, and should you use all-purpose flour as a substitute of cake flour, the feel can be dense and hard. In case you can’t discover cake flour, use this substitution:
To Make Cake Flour:
Take one degree cup of all-purpose flour, take away 2 Tbsp, after which add 2 Tbsp of corn starch again in. (1 cup of AP flour – 2 Tbsp of AP flour + 2 Tbsp of cornstarch = 1 cup of cake flour). You should definitely sift the flour 3–4 occasions to distribute the cornstarch nicely.
Suggestions for Beating Egg Whites:
- Make certain your beaters and mixing bowl are clear and dry. A speck of oil, water, or egg yolk on both one can decrease the amount of the crushed egg whites.
- Keep away from plastic bowls—even clear ones might maintain oily residue that may have an effect on the profitable whipping of the egg whites.
- Use a bowl that’s extensive sufficient to maintain the beaters from being buried within the egg whites.
Serving: 9 inch cake · Energy: 3560 kcal · Carbohydrates: 266 g · Protein: 70 g · Fats: 252 g · Saturated Fats: 142 g · Trans Fats: 2 g · Ldl cholesterol: 1838 mg · Sodium: 1488 mg · Potassium: 1137 mg · Fiber: 3 g · Sugar: 189 g · Vitamin A: 10053 IU · Vitamin C: 21 mg · Calcium: 631 mg · Iron: 8 mg
