Japanese Cotton Cheesecake – Light And Fluffy!

Have you ever heard of Japanese cotton cheesecake? Some call it light cheesecake, others prefer jiggly cheesecake. Whatever the name, it’s basically a cross between a chiffon cake and a cheesecake.

Though widely popular, this tantalizing hybrid hasn’t been around for that long. It wasn’t developed until the late 40s and really didn’t gain much popularity until the 90s. Today it seems to be everywhere, and the more I see it the more I want to try it. The recipes I have encountered seem to vary in everything from sequence of ingredients to baking times.

Some recipes start in a hot oven then finish in a medium oven. Some require you to open the door when turning the oven down. And some start in a cool oven and finish in a hot oven. With this recipe, there is only one oven temperature. No fussy temperature gauging manoeuvres to attain the lightest, highest cake. There are a few tips however, to get the best results. Here they are!

Use a Scale

If you don’t have a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients, this cake might not turn out for you. In baking, weights are far more accurate than volumes.

For example, a pound of flour might look like 3 1/2 cups of Five Roses flour, but it might be four cups worth of Robin Hood flour. Moisture content varies among different brands of flour, which can make their weights inconsistent with their volumes. You can read more about why you should measure flour here.

Kitchen scales are inexpensive and necessary for measuring out accurate weights. This way, your recipes are more likely to turn out. You don’t need an expensive one, just one that will allow you to weigh everyday ingredients.

Use Room Temperature Eggs

Because the cream cheese, milk and butter get melted together, they don’t need to be pulled from the fridge ahead of time. The eggs however, will give you an easier time if they are at room temperature. They may be more difficult to separate, but both the yolks and whites will achieve more volume if they are a bit warm. If you must, separate your eggs when they are fresh from the fridge. When they are cold, their texture is more firm so the yolk is less likely to break. Then let them come up to room temperature.

You Need a Whisk

A whisk is a must have when making Japanese cheesecake because each step has to be lump free. When melting the cream cheese mixture, whisk it until it’s very smooth. Also when you sift the dry ingredients into the batter, whisking it smooth is essential. And finally just like with my Angel Food Cake recipe, when you fold in the egg whites nothing works better than a whisk!

Preparing The Pan

You must grease the pan and line it with parchment paper if you want your cake to release easily. Be sure to use the proper size pan for this recipe. You can use a square pan but your cake will be the proper height if you follow the measurement. If you would like a larger cake, doubling the recipe and using an 8 inch pan will work.

If you are using a springform pan, be sure to double line the outside with aluminum foil. It should fully isolate the bottom and sides to prevent water from leaking in when you bake it in the water bath.

The rest of the steps to make this cake are so easy, the recipe will tell you everything. Try out Japanese cotton cheesecake today and feed your palate a little taste of heaven.

Print Recipe

Japanese Cotton Cheesecake

Fluffy, cottony cake that is a cross between sponge cake and cheesecake.

Course

Dessert

Cuisine

Japanese

Keyword

Cheesecake

Prep Time

20 Minutes

Cook Time

1 Hour

Passive Time

2 Hours

Servings

Servings

Ingredients

• 4 Ounces Cream cheese Full fat
• 100 Millilitres Whole milk
• 30 Grams butter Unsalted
• 3 eggs Room temperature
• 70 Grams sugar
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla
• 30 Grams Cake flour
• 10 Grams Cornstarch

Course Dessert Cuisine Japanese Keyword Cheesecake Prep Time 20 Minutes Cook Time 1 Hour Passive Time 2 Hours Servings Servings Ingredients 4 Ounces Cream cheese Full fat 100 Millilitres Whole milk 30 Grams butter Unsalted 3 eggs Room temperature 70 Grams sugar 1 Teaspoon vanilla 30 Grams Cake flour 10 Grams Cornstarch

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine cream cheese, milk and butter. Whisk over low heat until cream cheese and butter melts and mixture is smooth. You can also do this in a double boiler. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
2. Prepare a 6 inch cake pan with tall sides by greasing well with butter. Cut a round piece of parchment to fit on bottom, then line sides with more parchment. Trim top if necessary. NOTE: If you are using a springform pan, double line the bottom going up the sides with aluminum foil.
3. Preheat oven to 300F. Separate the egg yolks from the whites into 2 large bowls. Using an electric mixer, beat the yolks while slowly adding about half of the 70 grams of sugar until light and creamy. Add vanilla.
4. With clean beaters, beat egg whites until soft peaks begin to form. Slowly add in the remaining sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
5. Add cooled cheese mixture into egg yolks and whisk until blended. Combine cake flour with cornstarch and sift into the cheese mixture. Whisk until well combined and lump free. Now fold in egg whites, one third at a time, until no white streaks remain.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan. Smooth top and slam pan a few times to release air bubbles. Place into a larger cake pan and add enough boiling water to go halfway up the sides of cake pan. Bake for 1 hour, free of drafts. Turn off oven and open oven door slightly. Leave in opened oven for an additional hour.
7. Once cooled, remove cake from pan and peel off all paper. Dust with powdered sugar if desired and serve at room temperature or chilled.