Japanese cotton cheesecake

Japanese cotton cheesecake is one of my FAVOURITE desserts of all time. It’s texture is similar to a souffle so it’s nice and fluffy soft; hence the name cotton cheese cake!

This cottony texture comes from the fact that the cake is made similarly to how you would make a sponge cake or souffle where you need to make a meringue and fold ingredients into it.

Admit-ably I’ve made this cake before but all other times I’ve made it has been the “quick and easy” version so this was quite the adventure.

But even though there were a few hiccups along the way and a few bouts of impatience from lil’ ol’ me…the cheesecake turned out absolutely fluffy, silky and irresistibly delicious!

Japanese cotton cheesecake recipe

Ingredients (makes one 8-inch cake)

8 oz softened cream cheese (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup milk
5 eggs (room temperature)
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil or butter (softened)
1/4 cup cake flour (or 1/2 cup all purpose + 2 tablespoons cornstarch)

Method

1. Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Place the egg whites in a large mixing bowl and the yolks in a small one.

2. Beat egg whites with an electric mixer until foamy. Add the cream of tartar. Continue to beat until soft peaks form.  Add 1/4 cup of the sugar a tablespoon at a time. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk the cream cheese and milk together until smooth. Mix in the coconut oil, the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar until creamy. Stir in the flour and egg yolks. The batter should be smooth but if there are lumps, strain the batter through a sieve.

4. Fold the egg whites 1/3 at the time into the batter.

5. Line the bottom and sides of an 8″ cake pan with parchment paper.  A springform pan works best but if you don’t have one, a round cake pan will work as well.

6. Wrap the springform pan with several sheets of foil, sealing it completely because you will be placing the pan in a water bath.

7. Pour the batter into the lined springform pan ensuring that the batter is evenly spread throughout the pan.

8. Fill a large baking pan halfway with HOT water. Place the springform pan into the water bath and bake the cake for 1 hour at 325F on the lowest rack. It will be done when a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle and the top should be golden brown.

9. Turn off oven, and let the cake cool in the oven with the oven door ajar for 45 minutes. This will help it set. Refrigerate the cake for 2 – 4 hours before consuming.

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