Japanese Soufflé Cheesecake (Cotton Cheesecake)

Name: Japanese Soufflé Cheesecake (Cotton Cheesecake)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 5 h 10 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 250 g full-fat cream cheese, softened; 50 g unsalted butter; 100 ml Milk; 4 large eggs, separated; 20 g caster sugar, for the batter; 40 g plain or cake flour; 15 g Cornflour (cornstarch); 1 tbsp lemon juice, plus the zest of ½ lemon; ¼ tsp Cream of tartar (optional); 60 g caster sugar, for the meringue; 2 tbsp apricot jam, warmed with 1 tsp water, to glaze (optional)

The wobbly, cloud-light cheesecake: a souffle-like batter baked slowly in a water bath until it melts on the tongue.

Japanese · Desserts · prep 30 min · cook 1 h 10 min · waiting 3 h 30 min · serves 8 · Vegetarian, Nut-free, Pescatarian

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Ingredients

250 g full-fat cream cheese, softened
50 g unsalted butter
100 ml Milk
4 large eggs, separated
20 g caster sugar, for the batter
40 g plain or cake flour
15 g Cornflour (cornstarch)
1 tbsp lemon juice, plus the zest of ½ lemon
¼ tsp Cream of tartar (optional)
60 g caster sugar, for the meringue
2 tbsp apricot jam, warmed with 1 tsp water, to glaze (optional)

Method

Heat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Line the base and sides of an 18 cm round cake tin with baking paper, letting the side paper stand 5 cm above the rim. If the tin is loose-bottomed, wrap the outside tightly in foil.
Warm the cream cheese, butter and milk in a bowl set over simmering water, whisking until completely smooth. Take it off the heat and cool for a few minutes.
Whisk in the yolks one at a time, then the 20 g sugar, lemon juice and zest. Sift in the flour and cornflour and whisk until smooth, then strain the batter into a large bowl.
In a clean bowl, whip the whites with the cream of tartar until foamy, then add the 60 g sugar gradually and whip to soft-medium peaks: the tip should curl over. Stiffer whites make the cake crack.
Fold a third of the meringue into the batter to loosen it, then fold in the rest gently until no streaks remain. Pour into the tin and tap it on the counter to release large bubbles.
Stand the tin in a roasting tin and pour in hot water to 2 cm deep. Bake for 20 min, then lower the oven to 140°C (285°F) and bake for 50 min more, until puffed, golden and just set with a gentle wobble.
Turn off the oven and leave the cake inside with the door ajar for 30 min so it settles slowly. Cool fully, then chill for at least 3 hours. Brush the top with apricot glaze before serving.

Tips

Everything at room temperature and gentle folding are the keys to a smooth, uncracked top.
Every oven differs; if the top browns too quickly, lay a sheet of foil loosely over it.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Just One Cookbook RecipeTin Japan Chopstick Chronicles Japanese Cooking 101

Open Japanese Soufflé Cheesecake (Cotton Cheesecake) in Nouns Cooking