Japanese Cotton Cheesecake Recipe

Step 2

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Lay the bottom of a 9” Spring form pan with some parchment paper, then spray very well with some non stick spray or brush it liberally with some vegetable shortening. Wrap the outside of the pan with a couple layers of aluminum foil and set aside.

Step 3

In a small saucepan add the cream cheese, milk and butter and on very low heat until the mixture is smooth and creamy making sure to whisk the whole time. Pour mixture into a bowl and allow it to cool.

Step 4

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks and 1/3 cup of sugar until thick and pale (this takes a few minutes so be patient) add the cornstarch, lemon juice and salt and mix until combined.

Step 5

Pour in the cooled cream cheese mixture and mix until thoroughly combined, set aside.

Step 6

In a separate clean bowl, using a handheld electric whisk, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy, then while whisking, slowly add the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar and whisk until stiff peaks form (once again, this takes some time so patience is key).

Step 7

A little at a time, fold in the egg whites into the cream cheese and egg yolk mixture as gently as possible, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, then put that pan in a roasting pan (watch video for a clear visual) and pour some hot water around the sides of the pan until it reaches half way up.

Step 8

Bake the cake for 1 hour and 10 minutes making sure not to open the oven door for the first 45 minutes. If you feel like the top is browning too quickly, loosely cover with some aluminum foil while it continues to bake.

Step 9

Turn the oven off and leave the cake in the oven for an additional hour then carefully remove from the oven, take the pan out of the water bath and allow it to cool completely.

Step 10

Once it has completely cooled, remove the sides of the spring form pan, place it on a plate and serve right away! NOTES: The cake will rise quite a bit while baking but as it cools in the oven it will fall. This is perfectly normal so don’t panic. The end result is a lighter than air cake that is worth every bit of effort.