How To Make Japanese Style Cheesecake

February 08, 2016

To us, cheesecake is often either a tub of philly mixed with caster sugar on a digestive base, or a cooked concoction of mascarpone and eggs if we are feeling fancy, but in Japan, it's a whole different affair. Like many Japanese cakes, Japanese cheesecakes are pillowy soft, like air has been whipped into every little bit of it. It's light and cottony, and nowhere near as rich as its western counterpart. 

Obviously to achieve that magical texture you'll require a little more expertise and technique, but it's well worth it! Don't forget to serve with ripe strawberries in summer, or yummy raspberry compote in the off-seasons.

You will need

• 95g Caster Sugar
• 4 Egg Whites
• 4 Beaten Egg Yolks
• 1 Tsp Lemon Juice
• 35g Softened Butter
• 200g Cream Cheese
• 4 Tbsp Milk
• 40g Self Raising Flour
• 13g Corn Starch

Method

• Take a saucepan, and fill with the milk, butter and cream cheese. Melt together over a gentle heat until combined.
• Remove from the heat then mix in the flour and corn flour. Ensure you use a sieve as this will help you achieve the pillowy texture. 
• Now add the beaten egg yolks to the mix and stir until well combined.
• In a seperate bowl (a freestanding mixer if possible), whip up the egg whites until they are foamy. Then add the lemon juice, and 1/3 of the sugar. Mix again on high and gradually add the remaining 2/3 sugar.
• You should now have a mix that resembles meringue and forms soft peaks.
• Take 1/3 of the meringue mix and add it to the cream cheese mix. Fold together carefully as not to remove any of the air from the batter. When just combined, pour the cream cheese mixture all into the remaining meringue mix, and fold together.
• Pour the batter into a 7 inch wide tin. Ensure you have lined the tin with baking paper.
• Now take a large tray which is bigger than the cake tin, and fill it 1 inch full with water. Place the cake tin in the middle of the water tray, then place in the oven at 190c.
• After 15 minutes, lower the heat to about 110c, then cook for a further 55 minutes. 
• Finally, slightly leave the oven door open, and cook at 110c for another 30 minutes. 
• Cool on a wire rack when golden on top and firm to the touch.