Light, jiggly, and fluffy, Japanese Cheesecake (Soufflé Cheesecake) is seriously the most delicious dessert to serve a crowd. It has the melt-in-your-mouth combination of creamy cheesecake and airy soufflé. A second serving (or more) is a guarantee!
Japanese cheesecake (also goes by soufflé cheesecake) is a glorious dessert known for its ultra-creamy, super luxurious, slightly tangy flavor and airy, soufflé-like character. It has swept the food world by storm and almost every dessert fanatic goes wild for it.
Why is it so popular? What’s the difference between Japanese cheesecake and regular cheesecake? For a start, I think it has the ideal texture that appeals to everyone. With elements of both a rich velvety custard and a cottony sponge cake, the dessert simply hits all the right notes. It is not heavy and a lot less sweet than typical Western-style cheesecakes. Even those who are not into cheesecake will fall head over heels for this delicious treat.
Here, I’ll show you how to make the best Japanese cheesecake and we’ll cover these topics:
- What (exactly) is Japanese cheesecake
- A little background on cheesecakes in Japan
- Ingredients & equipment you’ll need
- Helpful tips & tricks
The recipe, while having several different steps, is simple enough to execute. Let’s get started!
What is Japanese Cheesecake?
This particular Japanese cheesecake recipe is a soufflé-style cheesecake that incorporates whipped egg whites in the cake mixture and is baked in a bain-marie (water bath), which results in its characteristically light and fluffy texture. Yes, it is basically the cheesecake version of the Japanese soufflé pancakes!
As there are a few varieties of cheesecakes in Japan, we call this cheese soufflé or soufflé cheesecake. Outside of Japan, however, it becomes synonymous with the generic “Japanese cheesecake”. Because of its unique texture, it is also called jiggly cake or Japanese cotton cheesecake. I agree, that’s a lot of names for a cheesecake!
Cheesecakes in Japan
While this has become the de facto ‘Japanese cheesecake’, I do want to mention that there are 3 main types of cheesecakes available in Japan:
- Baked cheesecake (ベイクドチーズケーキ)
- Rare cheesecake (レアチーズケーキ)
- Soufflé cheesecake (スフレチーズケーキ)
Baked cheesecake is the typical cheesecake. It has eggs, cream cheese, heavy cream, and flour and it’s baked in the oven. Some may have a biscuit crust on the bottom, and some don’t.
Rare cheesecake is the “no-bake cheesecake”. The cream cheese and heavy cream are mixed with gelatin or lemon juice, then poured over the biscuit crust, and cooled to set inside the refrigerator. Eggs are not used in this version. This type of cheesecake is often served with berries or other types of fruits.
Soufflé Cheesecake is the one we’re making today and originated in Japan. The technique is created by Yasui Juichi (安井寿一), a pastry chef at the patisserie of the Plaza Hotel.
How to Make the Best Japanese Cheesecake
Ingredients You’ll Need
First, let’s go over the ingredients and equipment you will need to make this amazing cheesecake. I wrote this section so it’s helpful for beginner bakers. If you bake often, please skip this section.
1. Unsalted butter: When a baking recipe calls for unsalted butter or is written as just “butter”, that means the salt is not required. As baking is chemistry, I recommend using only unsalted butter.
2. Eggs: An American large egg is about 50 grams without shell (56.7 g with shell).
3. Cream Cheese: Buy two Philadelphia Original Cream Cheese 8 oz. boxes instead of the round container type. You will need one full box (8 oz.) and 2.5 oz. from the second box (there is the measurement on the package in case you don’t have a kitchen scale).
4. Heavy (Whipping) Cream: Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream is the richest type of liquid cream with a fat content of at least 36%. You can also go light and use whole milk in this recipe.
5. Granulated Sugar: I often receive questions about sugar whether you can use a substitute or reduce the amount of sugar. As I mentioned before, the amount of sugar affects the baking results. My recommendation is to follow the recipe first before adapting so you will know what works and what not. I use regular white granulated sugar for my baking unless stated otherwise.
6. Cake Flour: I use the King Arthur cake flour blend, but if you don’t have the cake flour in hand, you can always make it yourself. All you need is all-purpose flour and corn starch. To get 1 cup cake flour, take one level cup of all-purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoons, then add 2 tablespoons of corn starch back in, and sift to combine.
7. Lemon: To me, it’s important to include the lemon juice for a touch of tanginess and the zest for the fragrance.
8. Apricot Jam: Typical soufflé cheesecake is covered with apricot jam. It gives the right amount of tanginess and sweetness as well as a shiny sheer on the cake. I highly recommend getting a jar (my favorite brand is Bonne Maman).
Equipment You’ll Need
1. Cake Pan: I use this 9-inch cake pan with a 4-inch height. If your 9-inch cake pan is not 4-inch tall, you can still use it with parchment paper to support the rising cake. If you have a smaller or bigger cake pan, please adjust your ingredients as I used one egg as a unit of calculation.
- 1 large egg (50 g without shell)
- 50 g cream cheese
- 10 g unsalted butter
- 33 g (33 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 10 g granulated sugar
- 13 g cake flour
- 1 tsp. lemon juice + some zest
- 17 g granulated sugar for beating egg whites
I used to use a springform pan for my soufflé cheesecake, and most of the time I didn’t have any water seepage issues (I used a heavy-duty 8″ long aluminum foil to secure). However, I discovered a better solution (read below) with this new cake pan, so now I don’t use my springform pan for making this cheesecake.
2. Parchment Paper: You will need to pull out 30 inches of parchment paper. You will need one 30″ x 4″ (height of cake pan) sheet, and two 30″ x 2″ strips which are used to lift up the cake. To save time, I recommend this 9-inch round parchment paper liner for the bottom of the cake.
3. Mixing Bowls: You need 2 large mixing bowls for the cake batter, and a third one to beat egg whites (or a stand mixer bowl if using a stand mixer).
4. Fine Mesh Strainer: It’s important to sift the cake flour for the perfect texture. If you are going to make your own cake flour, then it’s even more important to have a fine-mesh strainer. We also use it to pass through the cake batter to achieve an extra refined texture.
5. Whisk: I use a whisk (I love this one) instead of a silicone spatula to incorporate air in the egg whites into the batter.
6. Stand Mixer or Electric Mixer: Have you beaten egg whites with your hand? It’s a real workout for your arm. I’ve done it before and let’s say I’m thankful for my stand mixer. You can use a hand mixer too; however, the speed level will be different, so trust your eyes.
7. Large Baking Sheet: You will need an oven-safe container to keep your 9-inch cake pan inside along with 1 inch of water. I use a large baking sheet.
Note: I know it looks like a lot to prepare, but these are basic things you’ll need for any baking. And you’ll definitely make this cheesecake more than once (because it’s so good)! Let’s talk about techniques next.
10 Helpful Tips to Bake Japanese Cheesecake
The instructions for this cheesecake are straightforward yet it does require some skills and care. The common difficulties include shrinking and cracking, which are mostly caused by the outcome of beating egg whites or the wrong oven temperature.
I had enough of my share of trials and errors before I finalized the recipe. So please take time to read through the tips and follow the directions closely so you’ll have a perfect outcome in your first try!
1. Measure Everything First
This sounds basic, but you must measure all the ingredients and prepare everything before you start making the cake.
Timing is very important here. Any missteps can easily alter the outcome of the cake batter and egg whites.
2. Make Parchment Paper “Strips”
These strips of parchment paper are for pulling the cheesecake out of the cake pan after it comes out from the oven. Normally you will just flip and take the cake out, but it gets tricky for a cake with a jiggly, soufflé-like texture. With this trick, you don’t have to worry about the cake collapse on you.
3. Grease The Pan and Parchment Paper
Grease the inside of the cake pan so that the parchment paper will stick to it nicely. And you will also need to grease the parchment paper that will touch the cake batter.
If the cheesecake is stuck with the parchment paper while rising, the cake will be pulled and end up cracking.
4. Use Double Boiler
The double boiler method allows you to speed things up. You do NOT need to bring your ingredients (cream cheese, heavy cream, and egg yolks) to room temperature before making the cake!
Ingredients such as egg yolks mix better with the batter and rise more easily at room temperature. If you’re like me who tends to forget to take the ingredients out from the refrigerator ahead of time, you can count on a double boiler for mixing the batter.
5. Use Cold Egg Whites
The Japanese method always uses cold egg whites (we even chill the bowl) to achieve a refined texture. I noticed American recipes call for room temperature egg whites to achieve the fullest volume instead. Maybe we look for different things? You can decide if you prefer cold or room temperature egg whites.
Some recipes call for cream of tartar but it is not a common product in Japan, so we do not use it for this recipe.
6. Beat Until a Firm Peak
This is the most important (trickiest) part of making Japanese cheesecake. The beaten egg whites generate small air pockets in the structure of the cake, keeping the cake airy and fluffy.
When you beat egg whites, there are 3 stages: a soft, firm, and stiff peak. For this recipe, we are aiming for a firm peak.
When you lift the whisk and turn it upside down, the egg whites still cling to the whisk and hold their shape fairly well, but the tip of the peak folds back on itself.
I used to whip until a stiff peak formed and it worked fine. However, once in a while when I whipped a tiny bit too much, the cheesecake became a bit lopsided and cracked. Overall, it was a bit harder to control. Many soufflé cheesecake recipes in Japan call for both a firm peak or a stiff peak, so find what works for you, knowing this variable.
7. Fold in The Egg Whites
I learned that a whisk does a better job than a silicone spatula when you gently fold the egg whites into the batter. It’s very important to keep the small air bubbles so that the cake will rise higher without flopping.
8. Bake in Bain-Marie
A bain-marie (ban mah-REE) is the fancy term for a water bath. We use this cooking technique to cook delicate foods like soufflé and custards. The hot water creates a gentle and uniform heat around the food as well as provides moisture inside the oven.
9. Bake at 2 Different Temperatures
The oven temperature is probably the second most important factor for a successful Japanese cheesecake.
If the oven temperature is too high, the cheesecake will rise too fast, break the structure, and eventually crack. If the heat source is too close to the cake, the cake will also get big cracks. The taste will be fine, and after the cake cools down, the big cracks will be less obvious.
I preheat the oven to 350 ºF (180 ºC) first, but this is not the temperature for baking the cheesecake. Every time you open the oven to set up bain-marie or put the cake into the oven, the temperature drops significantly. Therefore we set the temperature higher.
Then when we put the cheesecake in the oven, we start baking at 320 ºF (160 ºC) and then reduce to 300 ºF (150 ºC) to make sure the cake is cooked through. My current oven is much bigger than my previous oven, and I had to test a few times to get the right baking time. If your oven is smaller than mine, you will probably need to reduce the baking time to 60 minutes. I have a “convection bake” option, but I used regular “bake” in this recipe so I could test the baking time for the majority of recipe users.
10. Cool Down Slowly
After baking in the oven, do not take out your cheesecake immediately. Let it cool down gradually by leaving the oven door ajar for a while.
This prevents a sudden change in temperature that could cause the cake to shrink or collapse. You want the cake to slowly come down to half the height, from 4 inches (tallest point) to 2 inches.
I’ve made the cheesecake countless times for parties or potlucks and it never fails to impress. It is truly a crowd-pleasing dessert that everyone loves. I hope you enjoy it too!
More Japanese Dessert Recipes You’ll Love
- Basque Burnt Cheesecake
- Matcha Basque Cheesecake
- Blueberry Cheesecake
- Pon de Ring Donuts
- Matcha Tiramisu
- Castella Cake (Honey Sponge Cake)
- Japanese Strawberry Shortcake
Disclaimer: In order to achieve the best SEO (search engine optimization) practice, we can no longer keep my original Japanese Cheesecake post (published on September 24, 2012) as it has the same recipe name as an updated version. Now the original post is redirected to this post. The original Cheesecake post has over 500 comments which will be very difficult for readers to go through when they look for an answer to similar questions they have. Therefore, we decided to create a brand new post. For those of you who really enjoyed my original Cheesecake recipe, you can still read the post by clicking here (and zooming in to read).
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Japanese Cheesecake
Video
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter (for greasing the pan and parchment paper)
- 6 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) (10.6 oz, 300 g without shell)
- 10.6 oz cream cheese
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- ¾ cup heavy (whipping) cream (¾ cup + 4 tsp, to be precise)
- 4½ Tbsp sugar (for the cream cheese mixture)
- ⅔ cup cake flour (weigh your flour or use the “fluff and sprinkle“ method and level it off; you can make your own Homemade Cake Flour)
- ½ lemon (for the zest)
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice (from ½ large lemon)
- ½ cup sugar (for beating the egg whites)
- 2 Tbsp apricot jam (for the glaze)
- 2 tsp hot water (for the glaze)
Instructions
Before You Start
- I highly encourage you to weigh your ingredients in metric using a kitchen scale for this recipe. Click on the “Metric“ button at the top of the recipe to convert the ingredient measurements to metric. If you‘re using a cup measurement, please follow the “fluff and sprinkle“ method: Fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle the flour into your measuring cup, and level it off. Otherwise, you may scoop more flour than you need. Please read the blog post for more detailed information that I shared about this recipe.
To Prepare the Cake Pan
- Use a 9-inch (23-cm) cake pan that is 4 inches (10 cm) high. Cut parchment paper to line the bottom and sides of the cake pan. Cut one circle 9 inches (23 cm) in diameter for the bottom and one rectangular strip 4 x 30 inches (10 x 76 cm) for the sides of the cake pan. In addition, cut two strips of paper 2 x 30 inches (5 x 76 cm) each. We will use these as “straps” to lift the baked cake from the pan.
- With 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, grease the cake pan and the parchment paper (for the bottom and the sides only; grease the paper on one side). You don‘t need to use all the butter.
- Place the two parchment paper “straps” crisscross on the bottom of the cake pan so they form an “X.” Allow the excess paper to hang over the sides. Then, line the bottom and sides with the greased parchment paper. The greased side of the paper circle should face up, and the greased side of the rectangular strip should face in toward the center of the pan.
To Preheat the Oven and Prepare a Double Boiler
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). For a convection oven, reduce the cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Note: You will be baking at 320ºF (160ºC). However, when you open the oven to place the cheesecake, you’ll lose some heat, so we’ll start off a bit higher.
- Prepare a double boiler: Set a medium saucepan filled with 2 inches (5 cm) of water over high heat and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, cover and reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer.
To Gather the Ingredients
- Gather all the ingredients. Please note that it is very important to measure all your ingredients before starting. Separate 6 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) into yolks and whites. Refrigerate the egg whites.
To Make the Cake Batter
- In a large bowl, add 10.6 oz cream cheese, 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, ¾ cup heavy (whipping) cream, and 4½ Tbsp sugar. Rest the bowl on the saucepan above the simmering water.
- Using a silicone spatula, mash the cream cheese and butter. Once they are melted, use a whisk to blend everything together. Remove from the heat.
- While whisking, add the egg yolks into the warm cream cheese mixture, one at a time. Make sure each yolk is blended well with the cream cheese mixture before adding the next one.
- Using a fine-mesh strainer, sift ⅔ cup cake flour into the batter. Whisk and blend together.
- Then, pass the batter through the same fine-mesh strainer into a clean large bowl. This creates a silky texture for the batter.
- Add the zest of ½ lemon into the batter. Make sure you only zest the flavorful yellow part and not the bitter white pith. Into a separate small bowl, squeeze the juice from the lemon. Measure 2 Tbsp lemon juice and add it to the batter. Whisk well to blend and set aside.
To Set Up the Bain-Marie
- Put the baking sheet inside the preheating oven and pour in hot water until it is halfway up the sides or ½ inch deep. Close the oven door.
To Beat and Incorporate the Egg Whites
- Add the cold egg whites into the dry, clean mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Make sure there is no oil or water in the bowl. If you have space in your refrigerator, I highly recommend keeping the mixing bowl cold until you’re ready to use it. Start whisking on medium speed (Speed 4) until the egg whites become opaque, foamy, and bubbly, about 2 minutes. Then, slowly add ½ cup sugar, one-third of it at a time, while the mixer runs.
- Once you’ve added all the sugar, increase the mixer speed to high (Speed 8–9) and beat the egg whites until you have firm peaks. When you lift the whisk and turn it upside down, the egg whites should still cling to the whisk and hold their shape fairly well, but the tip of the peak folds back on itself.
- Using a hand whisk, mix one-third of the egg whites into the cream cheese mixture until incorporated. Then, gently fold another one-third into the mixture.
- Lastly, pour the mixture back into the mixer bowl (with the last one-third of the egg whites still in it) and fold very gently until just combined.
- Pour the mixture into the cake pan all at once, avoiding air pockets while pouring. Tap the cake pan a few times on the kitchen counter to release any air pockets in the batter.
To Bake the Cheesecake
- Open the oven and place the cake pan onto the baking sheet with the bain-marie. Reduce the oven temperature to 320ºF (160ºC)—25ºF (15ºC) lower for a convection oven—and bake for 70–75 minutes. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 300ºF (150ºC) and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. To test if the cake is done, open the oven door slightly and insert a skewer into the cake. If it comes out without a wet liquid batter, it‘s done.
To Cool
- Turn off the oven and leave the oven door slightly ajar for 15–20 minutes with the cake inside. If you take the cake out immediately to the kitchen counter, the sudden change in temperature could cause the cake to collapse. You want the cake to slowly shrink down to half the height, roughly from 4 inches to 2 inches high. After 15–20 minutes, remove the pan from the oven. Gently pull out the cake from the cake pan using the two parchment paper straps (with help from another set of hands).
- Place the cake on a plate. Remove the parchment paper around the sides of the cake (but leave the bottom paper). Combine 2 Tbsp apricot jam and 2 tsp hot water in a small bowl. Brush the apricot mixture over the top of the cheesecake. Let cool to room temperature.
To Serve
- You can serve the cake at room temperature (fluffiest!) or chill the cake for 1–2 hours before serving.
To Store
- You can store the cake in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days or in the freezer for 3–4 weeks. Defrost the cake overnight in the refrigerator. The cold cheesecake is dense, so leave it on the counter until just chilled or at room temperature before serving.
Notes
- Make sure your beaters and mixing bowl are clean and dry. A speck of oil, water, or egg yolk on either one can minimize the volume of the beaten egg whites.
- Avoid plastic bowls—even clean ones may hold oily residue that can affect the successful whipping of the egg whites.
- Use a bowl that’s wide enough to keep the beaters from being buried in the egg whites.
Very clear and informative!
hank you Felix!
Hi Nami, thank you so, so much for sharing your japanese souffle cheesecake recipe! Unfortunately, my oven no longer works, so I am wondering: is it possible to make this souffle cheesecake using a steamer?
Hi Mia! I don’t think you can make a souffle cheesecake with a steamer. Sorry about your oven. 🙁
Hi Nami,
I only have 9×9 square cake pan. Will it work with your recipe?
Thanks for all your wonderful recipes!
Hi Sandrine! Hmm I have never tried with square pan, but if I were you, I’d give it a try… Please make sure you have about 4 inch parchment paper wall so it will support the cake while it rises. 🙂
Hi Nami,
What a great looking recipe.
Would you be able to clarify one point for me?
You wrote: “we start baking at 320F (160C) and then reduce to 300F (150C) to make sure the cake is cooked through.”
How long do you bake at 160C before dropping the temperature to 150c?
Thanks Nami.
Hi Yomow! You bake for 70-75 minutes at 320F (160C).
I edited the recipe and included 350F (180C) in the sentence, so it’s clear.
Reduce the oven temperature from 350F (180C) to 320F (160C) and start baking for 70-75 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300F (150C) and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and skewer inserted comes out clean.
Hi Nami,
To test if this cake has done cooking, can I use a cake tester? I had trouble browning the top, even after cooking for 30min after turning the oven down to 300F.
Thank you,
Jin
Hi Jin! I’ve never used a cake tester, but if that helps, sure! 🙂
Seems yummy, Will have a try. Thank you.
Hi Nancy! Hope you enjoy! 🙂
This is so amazing, thank you for sharing!! My non-dessert eating husband loved it too. I made it twice – once with a removable bottom cheesecake pan – that got soggy. Then I bought a regular non-removable pan, followed your steps exactly, and perfection. It was a lot of work, but worth it for special occasions.
Hi Jackie! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. I’m so happy that your husband enjoyed it too. It’s light and not so sweet, so it’s easy to eat… 🙂 Yeah, I think it’s not worth having “soggy” result after spending so much time to make this, so it’s best to use non-removable pan. So glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for writing!
I made this cake for the first time, and it turned out beautifully! It might have been a little denser since I used a 2″ tall pan, but my mom and I loved it; I was initially worried that the cake might be too dry, but that was definitely not the case! I was originally going to bring the cake to my internship to share with 22 other people, but now I’m definitely glad I didn’t; haha 🙂 If I had no self-control, I would’ve eaten the whole thing in one sitting!
Hi Sanjana! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. I’m so happy to hear yours came out well! Good thing you have self control… otherwise it you would turn into me! >_< Hehe.
Hi Nami! First of all, let me say that I love your recipes! I watched your YT video on making this cheesecake many many times, and I love all the tips and detail you put in creating this recipe for us (your readers!). I really looked forward to making your recipe’s Japanese cheesecake, but after two attempts, I ended up with the same result: my cake had two distinct layers – the top layer was fluffy and beautiful, and the bottom layer was like a set egg custard. I have made Japanese cheesecake before, but with a different recipe (Cooking with Dog), and both times I attempted that recipe, it came out successful! However, I prefer the flavor of your cheesecake, and I also want to make a larger cake (6inch vs 9inch).
I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong – I don’t believe I’m underbaking the cake because my toothpick always comes out clean at the end of the bake time. Also, as the cake bakes, it doesn’t rise the way I saw the Cooking with Dog one rise. It rises just a small amount (maybe about 1/4-1/2inch?) and then stays there. I also beat the meringue to soft/med peaks and was very careful when incorporating it.
Could it be that I reduced the amount of sugar added to the cream cheese mixture? The first time I made your cake, I took out sugar both from the cream cheese mixture and the meringue because I felt it would be too sweet for my family’s tastes. Then my friend explained that I should never change the sugar amount for a meringue, so the second time, I took out about 50g of sugar from only the cream cheese mixture. Unfortunately, I ended up with the same results… Perhaps your experience when creating this recipe can lend me some insight as to what is going wrong? Thank you so much!
Hi Krystine! Thank you for trying out my Souffle Cheesecake recipe. If the bottom part of the cake is still egg custard, the wooden skewer that you insert should catch the egg custard and will not come out clean. The skewer comes out clean when the cake is completely cooked through (sponge texture). If it was custardy on the bottom, the skewer must have some custard wet batter on the skewer.
I never had the issue so I looked up to see if I can find the same situation as yours (in Japanese).
Some suggested that when you fold the egg white into the batter, the two didn’t mixed well which could cause the custard texture on the bottom (cream cheese is heavier so it sinks). Do you think you can thoroughly incorporate it?
Regarding the amount of sugar, usually it’s not recommended to change the amount of sugar significantly. Sugar helps the egg to make fluffy and keeps the structure of the cake. Without it, it can easily collapse as it can’t keep up the air. However, if you’re an experienced baker, your technique of mixing and how you handle the cake can sustain without some sugar (the amount is up to the baker).
So… in short, unless you’re comfortable with the recipe, I don’t recommend changing the sugar. It’s easier to deal with one problem at a time, and you can cut down on sugar when the recipe works. You can slowly reduce the amount of sugar so you’d know what can cause the problem.
Hope this helps?
I see! This was very helpful!! It is quite strange as the custard is a set solid custard, rather than a loose custard (and with time in the refrigerator, it actually somehow gains a more american cheesecake texture!?!?).
I will try the recipe again and be much more thorough when incorporating the meringue! Although it will be a little sweeter, I’ll also include the full amount of sugar. Thank you so much for your time and suggestions, and I hope you and your family are settling back at home well (:
Thank you Krystine! Let me know how it goes, I’m curious and I’d like to know how we can solve this issue too. 🙂 Today was first day of school. Time flies so fast…. Thank you for your kind words. xo
Hi Nami! I’m here with an update!
As I mentioned before, I planned to use the full amount of sugar you listed in the meringue and the cream cheese mixture, and I found that the cheesecake really wasn’t that much sweeter. I also took my time when combining the cream cheese mixture over the double boiler. I noticed that as the cream cheese melted, there were some smaller curds left, so I mixed it over the heat a little longer and allowed the residual heat from my glass bowl make these curds as small as possible.
Finally, when incorporating the meringue, I took my time. I believe I added it in roughly 4 additions, and since my stand mixer bowl is small, I decided to just add the meringue to the cream cheese mixture (which was in a very large/wide mixing bowl). This way, I could get rid of the lumps of meringue in the batter..
I placed the cake into the oven, and I had a really good feeling. Within 30 minutes, the cake was rising! Since I used an 8 inch pan, I was worried that the height of the parchment paper wouldn’t be enough, and I was right. The cake didn’t overflow or mushroom over the edges of the paper; it was well-supported by the paper. Instead, it just rose as a dome and cracked quite badly. Of course, when it deflated, the crack wasn’t so horrible, but I was just so ecstatic that it rose!
In short (despite my long ramblings), even though the cake had a waist and cracked top, it had a beautiful fluffy texture! Thank you so much for your help, Nami!
Also, I hope this helps readers out there who end up two “layers” like I did; don’t mess with the sugar amounts, thoroughly “melt” the cream cheese mixture over the double boiler to get very small curds, and take your time incorporating the meringue!
Hi Krystine! Thank you so much for your thorough feedback and I really enjoyed reading your process!
In general, Japanese (and maybe other “Asian”) desserts are not too sweet. So don’t worry too much about changing sugar amount. We can’t take our sweets too sweet, so you probably don’t need to adjust (or at least try once before adjusting – for your future trial of other recipes).
From what I read, it might be over-beaten or the oven temp was too hot or both. Yours rise well, because of nice air pockets in the egg whites, but it didn’t have enough structure to hold it higher so it cracked, or heat source was too close that it might have cracked. Not sure what’s the case, but I feel like you can fix this issue. 🙂
Thanks again for writing! Oh next time, make the parchment paper wall taller – it should hold and no more mushroom shape. 😉
I always like this soft Japanese cheesecake 🙂 One question though, would it be possible making it with gluten free flour (rice flour + potato starch for example) or even coconut flour?
Hi Jos! I wish I have an answer to that, but as I haven’t tried it, I am not sure. But I feel like someone told me she used GF flour and it worked… maybe somewhere in the comments here or email or social media… sorry I can’t recall. If you give it a try, let us know!
Hi Nami..
My son asked for chocolate cheesecake for his birthday next week. Could you please suggest what I have to add in your recipe? I really really want to try your recipe. Thank you.
Hi Elizabeth! Oh no! Sorry for my late response… I have never made a chocolate cheesecake… I can’t ruin your son’s birthday cake with incorrect information. Hope you figured out… I hope your son has (had) a wonderful birthday. Happy Birthday to him!
Dear JOC, I am a huge fan of this cake and I tried baking it many, many times but it never comes out like yours! I think that the main issue is the setting of my oven. For baking cakes, I have three possible setting: normal heat spread above and below, heat and ventilation, and ventilation alone. I tried following the suggested setting of the oven’s informative manual, but it came out with the top browned and caked. I tried using the ventilation and heat setting, but I got the same results. Obviously, I followed your instruction of preheating and lowering the temperature at the right time, yet I got an almost burned cake!
Can you please tell me if your oven’s setting? Do you use ventilation? Do you use the heat setting “above and below”? Or what else?
Thank You!
Hi Stefania! My oven has convection (fan) too, but not everyone has convection oven, so I use regular bake option without fan for all my recipes (I mentioned it in my FAQ page). My “bake” setting uses top and bottom heating. I am not sure where you’re from, but my oven is American size and it’s big. I’ve seen a Japanese oven, and it’s so small, and much closer to heat source. So… each oven is different and this is something I can’t control. Hope this helps?
Delicious! so light and fluffy! And not too sweet either. The recipe was easy to follow. The tutorial and all the pics really helped. Since our springform pans are only 3 inches tall we baked in a 10 inch instead of a 9 inch springform.. The cake was done after 65 min at 320.. We didn’t lower the temp and bake the additional 10 min. We DID leave it in the turned-off oven with the door cracked to cool for 20 min. Perfect – no cracks. We will definitely make this again. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
HI Abbie! Thank you for trying this recipe! I’m so happy yours came out well! Thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂
cheesecake in the oven right now! BUT…I missed a very important step…
forgot to add sugar when beating the egg whites, and I only remembered that AFTER folding the egg whites into the batter, and added the sugar then. It’s probably not going to taste the same but crossing my fingers that it’d still be edible…
HI Joyce! So… how did it go? 😀 Hope it was still edible. 🙂
The cake didnt rise….BUT it was still really yummy and taste like a NY cheesecake! ???? gotta give it another try!
Hi Joyce! Thanks for trying this recipe! Maybe it’s the egg white part – try to incorporate more air while whisking and fold gently. 🙂
This turned out really great! Although now I am very curious as to how I would make the other 2 types of cheesecake??
Hi Nick! I’m glad your cake came out well. Baked Cheesecake and Rare Cheesecake? I’ll work on the recipes one day! Thank you so much for trying my recipe!