Japanese Soufflé Cheesecake

Name: Japanese Soufflé Cheesecake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 125 min
Total time: 395 min
Ingredients: 200 grams cream cheese, room temperature; 4 large eggs, divided; 80 grams granulated sugar, divided into 20 grams and 60 grams; 100 ml heavy whipping cream; 100 ml whole milk; 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest; 40 grams all purpose flour; 10 grams cornstarch; 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar; confectioners sugar (garnish); fresh fruit (garnish); whipped cream (garnish)

January 31, 2021

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If you follow trendy food posts on Instagram, you have most likely seen someone jiggling a Japanese Soufflé Cheesecake. These tall, airy cheesecakes have a super cute wobble when you shake the surface they are on and its really hard to not fall in love with the way that they move. Also called a cotton cheesecake, this unique dessert marries the super light texture of a genoise sponge cake with the moist, creaminess of cheesecake… and it is incredible.

I would like to start off with the caveat that this recipe is not one that you would whip up an hour before dinner, it takes time, patience and your best recipe following abilities, BUT it is 100% worth the time and effort that it requires.

If you have been following my recipes, I occasionally hint at how important a kitchen scale can be for certain recipes and this is one of them. You really need to have exact amounts in order to have success with this cheesecake. Soufflés are made successful by a delicate balance of ingredients and if you want a tall, cloud-like cheesecake that is so light that it jiggles adorably, then a scale will be required. Once you buy a kitchen scale, you will use it more often than you think! It has been about the best $20 I have invested in to my kitchen…

The very first step is to take 1 box of cream cheese out of the refrigerator at least an hour before you start. Having the cream cheese softened to room temperature is absolutely necessary for this recipe, so if my house is chilly, I set it out well in advance.

You will also need to separate 4 eggs and place the egg whites into the refrigerator, zest 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and juice 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and prepare the cake pan situation…

This cheesecake is baked in a bain-marie or a water bath, so you will need the 7 inch round deep cake pan for the actual cheesecake plus a larger rectangular deep cake pan for the water bath. If you have never baked using a water bath before, it is really simple. You place the pan containing whatever it is you are baking inside of a larger pan and fill the larger pan with enough hot water to come about half way up the sides of the pan inside. The hot water surrounding your baking dish will help to provide a consistent heat around that dish. The addition of this water into the oven also provides extra moisture, which can help to prevent surface cracks from forming on certain recipes and can also prevent dishes meant to remain soft during baking from becoming rubbery. It is a cool technique to become familiar with.

Lightly butter the interior of the 7 inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Place the prepared cake pan into the refrigerator to chill while you make the batter.

I find it easiest to weigh everything at once, so I weighed out 200 grams of cream cheese (which is about one small pinch below an 8oz box), 20 grams and 60 grams of granulated sugar, 100 ml of heavy whipping cream, 100 ml of whole milk, 40 grams of all purpose flour and 10 grams of cornstarch. In addition to the lemon juice and zest from above, you will also need 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar.

We are ready to get started!

Begin by stirring the softened cream cheese with a stiff wooded spoon until it is smooth and creamy. Press out any lumps and really stir it vigorously until everything looks super smooth.

Now switch to a whisk and add 100 ml of heavy cream. Whisk until it is fully incorporated and smooth and then add 100 ml of whole milk.

Whisk in 20 grams of granulated sugar and then begin adding the egg yolks, one at a time.

Once all 4 egg yolks have been fully incorporated, pour the batter through a mesh strainer into a large bowl. This will remove any lumps in the batter and will ensure that everything is smooth and fine in texture. Lumps can negatively effect a soufflés ability to lift evenly, so this step is important and should not be skipped. Any fine mesh strainer or sieve will work.

Scrape off any excess batter from the bottom of the strainer with a flexible silicone spatula. Using a clean, dry sifter, sift 40 grams of all purpose flour and 10 grams of cornstarch into the batter and mix until fully incorporated. Set this batter aside and remove the egg whites from the refrigerator.

Using either a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium high speed in a clean, dry bowl until the surface is covered with large bubbles. Add 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar and continue beating the egg whites on medium high speed. Once the egg whites begin to foam up and lighten in color, gradually begin adding 60 grams of granulated sugar about 20 grams at a time.

Once all of the sugar has been added and the egg whites will hold stiff peaks, we will start combining them with our egg yolk batter.

Transfer about 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the batter and whisk very gently to combine. Continue gently incorporating the whipped egg whites with the batter until they are combined, but not overmixed. Be very careful with your egg whites!! If you deflate them, there is no coming back, so be gently and respect their fluffiness.

Bring your cake pan out of the refrigerator and pour your super, light fluffy batter into it. Fill it all the way to about 1/2 inch from the top of the pan. You will most likely have a little batter left over and thats ok. Don’t fill the pan 100% full or it will overflow during the rising process and this will ruin the cakes ability to rise upward. Bang the cake pan on your counter a few times to help work any air bubbles up to the surface of the batter.

Place the round cake pan containing your batter into a rectangular deep cake pan and carefully add hot water into the rectangular pan until it comes about half way up the sides of the round pan inside.

Now that the pans are ready to go, carefully place them into an oven preheated to 340 degrees. As soon as you close the oven door, reduce the heat to 325 degrees and set the timer for 20 minutes. We will be changing the oven temperature and timer several times during this bake, but you do not want to open the door until the end. If you have an internal oven thermometer, place it in an area that is easy to read while the oven door is closed, so you can monitor the temperature during the baking time.

Once the 20 minute timer goes off, reduce the oven temperature to 285 degrees and set the timer for 55 minutes. It may take as long at 20 minutes for your ovens internal temperature to reduce to 285 degrees, but don’t stress about it! Just let it reduce slowly and keep that door shut.

Once the 55 minutes timer goes off, turn the oven heat off and set the timer for 30 minutes still keeping the oven door closed. This will allow the cheesecake to begin very slowly cooling down and that is an important step in maintaining the most amount of lift as possible.

Once the 30 minute timer goes off, crack the oven door about 2 inches. My oven does not want to stay open that small amount, so I fold a big towel and place it between the door and the door frame to keep it cracked open about 2 inches. Set the timer for 20 minutes.

After the 20 minute timer goes off, carefully remove the pans from the oven and remove the round cake pan out of the water bath

This cheesecake needs to chill in the refrigerator still in the pan in an air tight container for 4 or more hours. I do not have an air tight container large enough to fit the cake inside the pan in, so I covered the cake with the glass cover from my cake stand and it works perfectly.

The chilling portion of this recipe helps to set the texture of the soufflé. It takes about 4 hours, but can be left in the refrigerator overnight, as well.

Once the cake is fully chilled, transfer it out of the cake pan by carefully inverting it onto your hand and then setting it gently down onto your plate. Dust with a healthy layer of confectioners sugar and top with a beautiful pile of fresh berries.

Isn’t she gorgeous?

Cut into wedges using a very sharp knife and serve chilled.

The texture of this Japanese soufflé cheesecake is like nothing you have ever had before. It is cloud like and even though there is a bit of substance to it, it almost melts in your mouth. It is more creamy than angel food cake, but just as airy. This cake is not as sweet as cheesecakes often are, but the tartness of the lemon and the richness of the cream cheese makes the flavor truly incredible.

If you are a fan of cheesecakes, but want something super light for summertime… this is exactly what you are looking for. It has become very popular in Japan and once you try it, you will know exactly why. From its cotton like softness to its adorable wobble, the Japanese soufflé cheesecake deserves all of the love that it receives and I am a fan for life…

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