Japanese Cotton Cheesecake
I first discovered these wobbly wonders on Instagram, watching endless videos of Japanese bakeries packaging them. Determined to make one myself, I tried recipes by Diana’s Desserts and Jennie Tay. While not as difficult as they seem, these cheesecakes can be temperamental. Treating them more like soufflés than baked cheesecakes, I’ve developed a reliable recipe for making them.
Serves 8
Hands-on Time 40 minutes
Baking Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Ingredients
50g unsalted butter (plus extra for greasing)
250g cream cheese
120g caster sugar (divided into two 60g portions)
150ml full-fat milk
6 medium eggs (separated)
60g plain flour
30g cornflour
1 tsp vanilla extract
Juice of ½ lemon
¼ tsp cream of tartar
Water (1 kettle’s worth)
Equipment
Scissors
Baking parchment
20cm fixed-bottom cake tin (at least 5cm deep) or springform tin*
*Extra-wide, thick foil (if using a springform tin)
Kitchen paper
Roasting tray (at least 5cm deep)
Saucepan
Heatproof bowl
Whisk
Tea towel
2 large mixing bowls
Small sieve
Spatula
Flat board (e.g., thin chopping board)
Wire rack
Method
1. Prepare the tin
Cut a parchment circle for the base of the tin and two strips for the sides (trim if taller than 4–5cm above the rim).
Lightly grease the tin with butter and line with the parchment.
If using a springform tin, wrap the outside tightly with 3 layers of foil to make it watertight.
Place the tin on a double layer of kitchen paper in a roasting tray.
2. Make the batter
Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C (fan)/325°F/Gas Mark 3.
Simmer water in a saucepan. Place a heatproof bowl over it (ensure the water doesn’t touch the bowl).
Add the cream cheese, butter, and 60g sugar to the bowl. Whisk until smooth and thick. Remove from heat and dry the bowl.
Whisk in the milk, then let cool.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks until pale and thick. Add the cooled cream cheese mixture and whisk to combine.
Sieve in half the flours, whisk gently, then repeat with the remaining flours. Stir in the vanilla and lemon juice.
3. Whip the egg whites
In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add the remaining 60g sugar and whisk to stiff peaks.
Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter to loosen it, then gently fold in the rest until fully incorporated.
4. Bake the cake
Boil the kettle. Pour the batter into the prepared tin from a height of 30cm to reduce air bubbles. Tap the tin gently to release trapped air.
Place the tin in the roasting tray and pour boiling water into the tray (a few cm deep).
Bake on a low shelf for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 140°C/120°C (fan)/275°F/Gas Mark 1 and bake for 70 minutes.
5. Cool and serve
Remove the cake from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes. It will shrink slightly and pull away from the sides.
Tear the side parchment and fold it down over the tin’s edges.
Place a parchment-lined board over the tin, flip it, and remove the tin and parchment.
Place a parchment-lined wire rack over the cake, flip again, and remove the board.
Cool completely, then refrigerate overnight for best flavour.
Tips
For a smooth top, avoid over-mixing the batter.
If the cake browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil during baking.
Enjoy!