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japanese cheesecake served

Japanese Cheesecake

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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 8 oz  cream cheese, softened
  • 4 tablespoons  unsalted butter
  • ½ cup  whole milk
  • 6 large eggs separated
  • ¾ cup  granulated sugar divided
  • ½  cup   cake flour
  • 2 tablespoons  cornstarch
  • ¼  teaspoon  salt
  • 1 teaspoon  vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon   cream of tartar

Method
 

  1. Line the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper
  2. Wrap the outside of the pan with foil 
  3. In a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water
  4. Melt the cream cheese, butter, and milk together. Stir until smooth, then remove from the heat. 
  5. Whisk the egg yolks into the cream cheese mixture
  6. Add the vanilla, salt, cake flour, and cornstarch
  7. In a clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy.
  8. Add the sugar (about ½ cup total) and keep beating until stiff peaks form. 
  9. Take about one-third of the whipped egg whites and gently fold them into the cream cheese batter 
  10. Then fold in the remaining egg whites 
  11. Pour the batter into your prepared cake pan.
  12. Place the roasting pan with the cake pan into the oven, and pour hot water into the roasting pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the cake pan.
  13. Bake for 60–70 minutes
  14. Turn off the oven, crack the oven door open, and let the cheesecake sit inside for about 15 minutes
  15. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before slicing.

Notes

Bake it low and slow to avoid cracks, and don’t skip the water bath — it keeps the oven moist and the cake tender. 
 
Whipping the egg whites correctly is crucial, so aim for stiff peaks that hold their shape but aren’t dry.