The first time I had this fluffy and jiggly cheesecake was when a former colleague gave me a few tiny slices to try. He and his GF (fiancé now) brought some back from LA, which was pretty awesome of them to think of me!
Needless to say, I was hooked and wanted more.
So light and fluffy, but wasn’t too sweet! Finally Buzzfeed Tasty posted a recipe and I had to try to make it on my own. The first time was somewhat a success, but the center almost had this custard like texture.
I didn’t care as long as it jiggled because that’s really the point of all of this. The reaction was capture on my IG stories and you would think that I had won the lotto or something.
The original recipe yields a ton, so I made some adjustments to make a smaller version. Also, I found the cream cheese flavor didn’t really come through as much as I liked.
JAPANESE CHEESECAKE
INGREDIENTS (6in cake pan, cook time 1hr 20m) – recipe adapted from Tasty
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 5 eggs – separate yolks from whites
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- Hot water for water bath
- Powdered sugar for serving
PREPARATION
- Preheat oven to 320°F.
- Grease your cake pan and line bottom and sides. I wouldn’t recommend using a springform pan because it could be a disaster waiting to happen if you don’t wrap the bottom well and tight.
- In a small pot, add butter, cream cheese, and milk. Whisk until it’s all incorporated and smooth. Remove from heat and allow it to cool.
- Separate your the egg yolks from the whites if you haven’t done so already.
- Whisk the yolks and slowly pour cream cheese mixture while mixing vigorously. You want to make sure you do this quickly while pouring slowly. If you need help, ask someone to pour the cream cheese mixture into the bowl for you so you don’t end up with scrambled eggs. Set aside.
- Beat your egg whites and gradually add the sugar until it forms stiff peaks. Use spatula to fold it into the egg and cream cheese mixture. You want to do this in a few stages, so don’t put them all in there at once.
- When it’s all combined, pour or scoop out your mixture into the prepared cake pan. Fill about 3/4 of the way.
- When you are ready to bake, place cake pan in larger baking dish, and pour the hot water in the larger dish. This will be your water bath and will help your cheesecake bake evenly.
- Bake at 320°F for 25 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 280°F for 55 minutes.
- Carefully remove the cake pan and invert the cheesecake onto your hand. Please use a kitchen towel to hold the pan so you don’t burn yourselves!
- Remove parchment paper around the cheesecake and serve on a plate.
- Dust with powdered sugar, slice a piece, and enjoy!
FEW NOTES:
- I reduced the sugar so this is NOT sweet.
- I prefer it cooled, while Tasty recommends you eat this warm. I think you can taste the eggs more than the cream cheese if you do this, but try it both ways and see what you like.
- If you have trouble folding the egg whites into the mixture, you can use the edge of your spatula to cut into the stubborn egg whites.
- If all you have is a springform pan, then by all means, use it. Just make sure to wrap it well with foil.
- You can also scoop the hot cream cheese mixture into the egg yolks instead of pouring so you can control how much goes in a time.
More Than A Craving 