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Cotton soft, light, fluffy and the best Japanese cheesecake. This is a tried and tested Japanese cheesecake recipe. A must-bake for cheesecake lovers!
Table of Contents
Japanese Cheesecake Recipe
Japanese cheesecake is very different from regular cheesecake.
It is cotton soft, light, fluffy and the one of the best cheesecakes I have ever tasted.
Japanese cotton cheesecake is also jiggly, due to the meringue egg white mixture in the recipe.
Other Cake Recipes You Might Like:
- Butter Cake
- Marble Cake
- Brownie Butter Cake
Recipe Ingredients
This recipe calls for the following main ingredients:
- Cream cheese
- Butter – use a good quality butter for the best results. In the United States, I always buy Challenge butter.
- Milk
- Cake flour – this lower gluten flour is idea for the cotton soft, spongy and airy texture.
- Corn starch
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Cream of Tartar – this is the secret ingredient that stabilizes the tiny bubbles in the egg white meringue. It prevents the egg proteins from sticking together, hence holding the bubbles together for the jiggly and spongy texture of this cheesecake.
Please take note that there is no baking soda or baking powder in the ingredients list as the meringue mixture will ensure that the cake rise tall.
How to Make Japanese Cheesecake?
Before you start baking, make sure you have all the ingredients measured up and ready. This is very important because every step has to be very precise.
First step is to make the batter by melting cream cheese, butter and milk on low heat. Whisk in the egg yolks, salt and lemon juice until smooth.
Next, add cake flour and corn starch to form the cream cheese batter.
To make the cake fluffy and jiggly, you will need meringue. Whisk the egg whites with sugar and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Fold in the cream cheese mixture and mix well.
Bake the cake with a water bath and you will have this amazingly light and fluffy cake!
Baking Tips and Troubleshooting
Even though DIY and homemade Japanese cheesecake is relatively easy, there are potential troubles when the cake turns out less than perfect.
For the best, jiggly and perfect result just like Uncle Tetsu, here are the tips and tricks:
- Make sure you have a smooth cream cheese mixture that is not lumpy.
- Use room temperature eggs to ensure that the meringue has the maximum volume.
- Make sure your egg whites are beaten until soft peaks form. Dot not over beat, we don’t want stiff peaks.
- DO NOT OVER MIX the meringue with the cream cheese batter. Fold very gently, do not stir or blend as the bubbles in the meringue will disappear.
- To avoid the sudden drop in oven temperature and room temperature, leave the cake in the oven with the oven door open. This will make sure that the cake doesn’t lose volume and sink.
- To avoid cracking at the top, please make sure you use a water bath for baking. The steam from the water will circulate in the oven, hence minimizing cracking at the top.
- To avoid over browning, bake the cake at the bottom part of your oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Can You Keep Japanese Cheesecake?
You can keep it in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
You shouldn’t have to worry about the leftover because this is the best cheesecake ever, and I can assure you that you won’t have anything left to keep for more than a day!
What Other Pans Can I Use?
Other than springform pan and round cake tin, you can also use a 8×8-inch or 9×9-inch square pan. You can also make them into cupcakes by using cupcake tins.
Can I Add Matcha Powder to the Cake?
Yes, you sure can. You may add 1 – 2 tablespoons of matcha powder in the cream cheese mixture if you like.
How Many Calories Are in Japanese Cheesecake?
Japanese cheesecake has the lowest calories of all cheesecake. Each slice is only 221 calories. Make this and I will guarantee that you will never go back to regular cheesecake again!
What to Serve with This Recipe?
Japanese cheesecake is best served on its own, with your favorite cup of tea or coffee. For an afternoon tea, make the following desserts to go with it.Dalgona Coffee
Banana Cake
Blueberry Butter Cake
French Yogurt Cake
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Japanese Cheesecake (Fail Proof Recipe)
Cotton soft, light, fluffy and the best Japanese cheesecake. This is a tried and tested Japanese cheesecake recipe. A must-bake for cheesecake lovers!
4.47 from 287 votes
Yield 12 slices
Prep 30 minutes mins
Cook 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Total 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins
Ingredients
- 8 oz (230g) Philadelphia cream cheese
- 2 oz (60g) unsalted butter
- 100 ml full milk
- 2 oz (60g) cake flour
- 1 oz (30g) corn starch
- 6 egg yolks (room temperature)
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 egg whites (room temperature)
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 5 oz (140g) fine granulated sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to at 325°F (160°C). Prepare and measure all the ingredients and set out on your working area. I used a 9-inch springform pan. Grease the entire pan and line the bottom part with parchment paper. Please refer to notes if you use other pan.
On a stove top, melt cream cheese, butter and full milk on low heat. Use a whisk to mix well until the cream cheese melts completely without lumps. Remove from heat.
Sift the cake flour and corn starch.
Add egg yolks, lemon juice and salt to the cream cheese mixture. Whisk to combine well. Add the cake flour and corn starch, whisk until a smooth batter forms and there is no lump.
Make the meringue by whisking egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar until light, foamy and soft peaks form. You can beat with a stand mixer or electronic hand mixer. I used speed 4 and beat for 1-2 minutes or until soft peaks form. DO NOT over beat.
Add the cream cheese mixture gently into the meringue, FOLD GENTLY until well incorporated.
Pour the mixture into the springform pan. Tap the cake pan gently before baking.
Bake the cake using hot water bath. Place the cake pan in a larger pan and add 1 inch (2.5cm) of hot water in the larger pan. Bake at the bottom shelf of the oven for 1 hour 10 minutes.
Leave the Japanese cheesecake to cool down in the oven with the oven door open, about 30 minutes. This will prevent sudden change of temperature that may cause the cake to shrink. However, it's normal that the cake will shrink about 1/2 - 1 inch (1cm-2.5cm) after cooling.
Refrigerate the cake (with or without the cake tin) for at least 4 hours or overnight. Top the cake with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
1. If you use a springform pan or loose base cake tin, make sure it's closed tight. It's best to wrap the base of your pan with 2 layers of aluminium foil (outside of the pan) to prevent the water bath from seeping inside the bottom part of the cake.
2. If you use a 8" round pan, it is very important to line the sides of the 8" pan with parchment paper, make sure the parchment paper extends higher than the cake tin by about 1.5".
3. If you use a 9" pan, you can line the bottom part and not the sides. You may line the entire pan with parchment paper, if you like.
4. You can also use an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan.
5. If the cake shrinks too much, the main reason is over mixing the egg white mixture with the cream cheese mixture. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, FOLD VERY GENTLY using a flipping motion. Do not stir or blend vigorously.
Recipe contributor: CP Choong
Course: Baking Recipes
Cuisine: Japanese
Keywords: Japanese Cheesecake
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Japanese Cheesecake (Fail Proof Recipe)
Amount Per Serving (12 slices)
Calories 221Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 8g50%
Cholesterol 132mg44%
Sodium 150mg7%
Carbohydrates 19g6%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 13g14%
Protein 5g10%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
