cotton soft Japanese cheesecake

I've never made cheesecake before so it took me awhile to gain enough confidence to make this. This was the result of my attempt at making this version popularly called cotton soft Japanese cheesecake. It's also known as souffle cheesecake because of its fluffy and light texture. There are so much information available online so I had no problem researching about it. I went to YouTube, my favorite source of cooking and baking videos, to find demos on making it. As I've mentioned a few times before, the videos are very helpful. It will definitely not be the last time I bake this.

Using just one 8 oz block of cream cheese, this was not heavy and dense at all like regular cheesecakes. Gradually folding the beaten eggwhites into the cream cheese, butter and milk mixture resulted in a light-textured cake dessert.

Cotton soft Japanese cheesecake served with fresh sweet strawberries :-)

(1) The springform pan was greased and lined with parchment paper. (2) Just to make sure the water doesn't seep inside the pan while baking bain marie (hot water bath), wrap it in heavy-duty foil. (3) The light and fluffy mixture and (4) the finished product with very lightly browned top, shown in the pictures below. The technique of folding the beaten eggwhites into the cheesecake batter was very much like that of making chiffon cakes.

Interested in the recipe?
COTTON SOFT JAPANESE SOUFFLE CHEESECAKE

6 large eggs, separated (at room temperature)
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
140 g sugar

8 oz cream cheese
100 ml milk
50 g butter

60 g cake flour, sifted
20 g cornstarch, sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Grease and line a 9" springform pan with parchment paper. In a small bowl set over simmering water, melt the cream cheese, butter and  milk then mix well together with a wire whisk. Allow to cool. Add the slightly beaten eggyolks into the cream cheese mixture then mix well. Stir in the sifted flour and cornstarch followed by the salt and lemon juice. Strain the mixture.

Beat the eggwhites with the cream of tartar until bubbly then add the sugar a tablespoon at a time. Beat until stiff (will form soft peaks) but do not overmix. Fold about 1/3 of the beaten eggwhites into the cream cheese mixture. Continue folding the rest of the mixture until well mixed. Pour into prepared springform pan then tap a few times on the counter to reduce the air bubbles. Bake bain marie for 1 hour 20 minutes at 310F. After baking, leave inside the oven for about 30 minutes with the oven door slightly ajar (prop it open wih a wooden spoon or  wood ruler) to prevent the top of the cake from cracking and to avoid shrinkage. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with sliced fruits.