Japanese Soufflé Cotton Cheesecake

4.50 from 2 votes

Japanese Soufflé Cotton Cheesecake

Japanese cheesecake (also called soufflé cheesecake or cotton cheesecake) is a soft and fluffy Japanese cake. Light and delicate, not too sweet, a delight!

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Cooling Time30

Total Time2

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Asian, Japanese

Servings: servings

Calories: 128kcal

Author: Jolina

Equipment

Ingredients

60 g all purpose flour
15 g cornstarch
¼ tsp salt
1 250-g block cream cheese room temperature
50 g unsalted butter room temperature
100 ml milk room temperature
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
6 large eggs separated, room temperature
¼ tsp cream of tartar
120 g granulated sugar

Instructions

Line the base of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Wrap the pan completely with aluminium foil as this cake will be cooked in a water bath.
Sift flour, cornstarch and salt. Set aside.
60 g all purpose flour, 15 g cornstarch, ¼ tsp salt
Gently melt the cream cheese in a double boiler until soft, then add the butter and milk. Whisk well until smooth and combined.
1 250-g block cream cheese, 50 g unsalted butter, 100 ml milk
Remove from the heat and add in the flour mixture and lemon juice. Whisk really well again until the mixture is smooth and creamy. You don’t want any lumps. Set aside to cool.
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 150C / 302F.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or using a handheld electric mixer, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy.
6 large eggs, ¼ tsp cream of tartar
Gradually add the sugar, a little at a time whisking constantly on medium speed.
120 g granulated sugar
Once all of the sugar has been added, turn the speed up to high and whisk until soft peaks form. This looks like the meringue mixture being shiny and holding its shape, but the peak falls over itself when you pull out the beater. Set aside.
Add the egg yolks to the cooled cream cheese mixture and whisk well to combine.
6 large eggs
Put the kettle on to boil water for the water bath.
Add a third of the egg whites to the cream cheese and egg yolk mixture and gently fold through. Add another third and continue to fold. Finally, add in the remaining egg whites and fold through until just combined. Be careful to keep the air and volume in the batter but there should be no streaks remaining.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, it will be quite full. If there are large air bubbles on top you can gently tap the pan on the counter a couple of times to settle them.
Place the pan in a deep roasting pan and fill with boiling water about an inch deep. It should be around half way up the sides of the springform pan.
Place the pan in the oven for 20 minutes. During this time it should rise high.
After 20 minutes, gently open the oven door about 1 cm to release steam. Hold it slightly open using an oven mitt and continue baking for another 20 minutes.
Close the oven door and turn off the oven for a final 20 minutes. It’s important at this step to not open the door all the way as the residual heat is going to continue to cook the cheesecake. At this point the top should be golden brown and starting to look a little dry.
Gently open the oven door and prop open with a wooden spoon for a final 20-30 minutes to allow the cheesecake to slowly cool. This helps prevent shrinking and cracking.
Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and gently release it from the pan. Allow to cool completely before dusting the top with icing sugar and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Important things to remember:

Read through the recipe and follow it to a T for best results.
Use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients.
Use an oven thermometer so you know your oven temperature is accurate.
Do not grease the sides of the cake pan, as this allows the cake to climb up the sides and results in a better looking cheesecake that doesn’t pull away from the sides too much.
Whisk the egg whites only to the soft peaks stage. Do not over-whisk.
Use hot/boiling water for the water bath and not cold as this can result in temperature shock when going in the oven.

See post for more baking tips, FAQs and step-by-step photos.

Nutrition