Imagine a cake so light and fluffy that it seems to disregard the law of gravity and melts like cotton candy in your mouth. Welcome to the realm of Japanese desserts, where art meets science and elegance meets simplicity. Today, I will share the secrets behind making the ultimate cheesecake from this unique world of Japanese cheesecakes.
There are a couple of types of cheesecakes found in Japan, but this is the one that crossed borders to find fame all across the globe because of its unique foam-like texture.
Japanese cheesecake vs New York cheesecake
Also known as cotton cheesecake or soufflé cheesecake, Japanese cheesecake is quite different from its New York equivalent. Made with almost the same ingredients, the Japanese version is much lighter, fluffier in texture, and doesn’t have a biscuit base. The technique used to prep the ingredients is slightly different, along with the proportion of ingredients, which makes this cheesecake much lighter. Japanese cheesecake is more similar to a chiffon cake in texture than it is to a regular counterpart.
Cheesecake recipe
You will find many Japanese cheesecake recipes online, but this one is my favourite as it only requires four ingredients. The process is also straightforward, leaving close to no chance of failing. The only elements that require additional care are the whipping up of the egg whites and its mixing in the batter.
Japanese cheesecake is impressive, and you only need to garnish it with a sugar dusting to serve this gorgeous wonder of a dessert.
Preparation time - 15 minutes
Baking time - 1 hour 20 minutes
Setting time - 1 hour
Serves - 6
Ingredients
160 gms cream cheese
2 whole eggs
100 gms castor or superfine sugar
30 gms all purpose flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Method
Preheat the oven to 150°C with a water bath, line a 6-inch round baking tin with parchment paper and separate the egg yolks and whites.
Take the cream cheese, egg yolks, sifted flour and vanilla extract in a bowl and mix them until well combined.
In another bowl, start whipping the egg whites using an electric beater. Once the whites fluff up and turn foamy, add the sugar gradually. Once all the sugar is added, whip the whites till they have reached soft peaks and all the sugar is dissolved.
Add the cream cheese mixture in parts to the egg whites and gently fold it in using a spatula.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and steam bake it in the preheated oven at 150°C for about 40 minutes. Then, lower the temperature to 120°C and bake it for another 40 to 50 minutes.
Once the cheesecake has a golden top and is completely baked, take it from the oven and let it come to room temperature.
De-mould it and remove the parchment paper.
Serve immediately for the soft texture.
Tips:
1. Only use full fat cream cheese and room temperature eggs.
2. Be extremely careful while separating the eggs. The egg whites should have no yolks; otherwise, it won’t fluff up.
3. Ensure that the bowl for the whites is spotless and dry for the egg whites to reach soft peaks.
4. Fold the batter very gently to ensure that no or minimum amount of air is knocked out of the batter, as aerated egg whites provide the cheesecake with its unique texture.
5. Ensure the temperature is not too high; otherwise, the top will crack because of the heat.
6. You may store the cheesecake in an air tight container in the refrigerator to serve within 24 hours. However, it might lose its texture.
7. You can easily customise it by flavouring it with extracts of your choice and serving it with fresh fruits or compotes.
What would you like to learn about cooking and baking from Chef Namrata? Tell us at food@gulfnews.com
