A light and soft cheesecake

So while baking this Super Fluffy Japanese Cheesecake I noticed is only uses a small amount of cream cheese. And upon further investigation I found out the following: A cheesecake, the way we know it, is more like a custard (not a cake) because of how much cream cheese is used. But because a Japanese Cheesecake uses very little cream cheese, it is more of like an airy sponge cake. My mind was blow, but totally made sense while making the recipe.

The cheesecakes we know, are a lot more dense. While they are also very creamy and light, the cream cheese does add the density to it. This cheesecake, however, incorporates whipped egg whites, which is why it rises so well. This is also the reason it tastes more like a sponge cake.

I made this for Eid yesterday and it’s all gone! This was such a hit. The one thing I have to say about this cheesecake is that it doesn’t have a very strong flavour of anything really. There are hints of vanilla, sponge cake flavours and sugar but all in all it is quite simple in taste. I think this is what the appeal is for sure. It’s the kind of recipe that most people would enjoy because it doesn’t resemble anything like we usually know.

Below I have mentioned a few tips and trick for baking this super fluffy Japanese cheesecake:

How to make this Super Fluffy Japanese Cheesecake

For this recipe I kept my butter and cream cheese out for 30 minutes before cooking it down. This makes the process easier for you.
Make sure your cream cheese is of a good quality, I used Lancewood cream cheese.
This recipe calls for 8 egg yolks. Be sure to keep the egg whites as well, even though you will need more to complete the recipe.
Allow the cream cheese mixture too cool for about 5 minutes off heat so the eggs don’t curdle.
When you temper the warm mixture with the egg yolks, make sure to do it in stages. Add about 1/2 cup of the warm mixture to the egg yolks, stir it well. Then pour the rest of the cold mixture into the pot with the butter and cream cheese. Then put it all back into the large bowl, where you will be doing the rest of the mixing. This is important so the egg yolks don’t curdle.
Whisk the egg whites until they become very foamy, then add in the sugar. You want the egg whites to reach a soft-medium peak stage. If you over whip and the egg whites are very stiff, it will be very hard to incorporate that into the wet ingredients.
Fold the egg whites very gently, in multiple inclusions, into the cream cheese mixture. This allows air to come into the batter and helps the cake rise.

Trouble shooting:

Why are is my Japanese cheesecake not fluffy? One of the reasons for this is that your egg whites may be over beaten. Remember that as much as we want medium-stiff peaks, we don’t want to kill the egg whites. They need to be glossy and smooth, when they are over whipped you will notice they don’t come off the whisk easily. If they get stuck in the whisk and seem “foamy”, they may be over beaten.
So many egg yolks: This recipe doesn’t contain flour and only 65g of corn starch, so the egg yolks are there for thickening and structure. The yolks also provide a rich texture and taste to the cheesecake.

Preparing the tin and water bath

Use a 20cm-23cm tin to bake you cheesecake in. Line the base with parchment paper and spray with a non-grease spray. Then measure the circumference of the cake tin, and line baking paperbound the whole tin. Allow the width of the paper to start from the base of the tin and come up about 15 cm. This gives the cake structure to bake higher and not simply melt over the tin. Place the batter inside the prepared in.

Then use a baking tray slightly large than the cake tin. It should be about 10-15cm deep because we are going to pour hot water into it. Place two pieces of paper towel, fold in half, in the middle of the baking tray you’re going to use. Fill it half way with boiling water. Then place the tin holding the batter inside the water bath. And then bake until ready.

This image is from : https://www.craftybaking.com/howto/waterbath-water-bath-or-bain-marie. So this is a regular cheesecake, but the preparation is the same. This is the water bath that you should make before placing the cheesecake into the oven.

What type of cake tin should be used for the super fluffy Japanese Cheesecake

I like to use a cake tin that is not a springform tin. I find that clipping the base into the cake tin could allow water to get in. In this recipe, I used one that is completely covered if you can. If not, and a springform tin is all you have, make sure to cover the base and half way up the tin with foil. This needs to be done as tightly as possible so that no water can get in. You should still place paper towels underneath as described above.