Japanese Cotton Cheesecake

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F, line the 8x3 round cake pan with parchment paper on both the bottom and sides, and prepare hot water and pan for water bath*.*You can make a water bath by lining a pan, that's larger than the pan that you will be using for the cheesecake, with a towel and filling it up with hot water. The pan should be able to hold enough water to go half way up the side of the cake pan for the cheesecake.*

Step 2

In a heatproof bowl over a simmering pot of water (or a bain-marie), add the block of cream cheese and whisk until soft and smooth. Whisk in the melted butter until evenly combined.

Step 3

Add a couple of egg yolks to the mixture at a time while whisking between each addition until all the yolks are incorporated. Whisk in the sugar.*Make sure to not overheat the mixture or it'll curdle! If the mixture feels too hot, take it off the simmer water and keep whisking*

Step 4

Sift the flour and cornstarch into the mixture and whisk until just combined and no more lumps are visible.

Step 5

Add the remaining ingredients (lemon zest and juice, cream, salt, and vanilla) and whisk to combine.Remove from the simmering water. Set aside until needed.

Step 6

In a clean mixing bowl, beat together egg whites and lemon juice on medium speed until completely frothy. Once frothy, slowly add small amounts of sugar to the egg white while continuing to beat on medium speed. Increase the speed to medium high and whip the meringue until it reaches a soft medium peak. The meringue should be able to form a peak, but the peak will hook.*DO NOT over-beat the meringue!*

Step 7

Transfer ⅓ of the meringue to the cheesecake batter base and whisk it until the batter is homogenous. Add another ⅓ of the meringue to the batter and this time, gently FOLD the meringue into the batter until just incorporated. Repeat with the remaining ⅓ meringue.

Step 8

Pour the Japanese cheese cake batter into the parchment lined 8x3 round cake pan and tap the pan on the table a couple of times to remove large air bubbles.

Step 9

Place the cake pan with the cheesecake batter inside the large pan lined with towel. Fill the pan with hot water, half way up, the 8x3 cake pan.*Make sure to not get any water in the batter!*

Step 10

Bake the cheesecake at 400°F for 15 minutes then turn the oven temperature down to 300°F. Bake the cheesecake for another 25-30 minutes or until the cheesecake is golden brown on top and an inserted toothpick comes out mostly clean.

Step 11

This step will help with keeping the cheesecake wrinkle free and prevent a huge shrinkage:Turn off the oven and keep the cheesecake in the oven for 15 minutes with the oven door closed. After the 15 minutes, remove the water bath, but keep the cheesecake in the oven with the oven door cracked for 30 minutes.

Step 12

Remove the Japanese cheesecake from the oven and carefully remove it from the cake pan. Unwrap the side parchment and let the cheesecake cool on a wire rack at room temperature.

Step 13

You can enjoy the cheesecake while it's warm, room temperature, or chilled. We recommend chilling the cheesecake for at least 1 hour in the fridge for best flavor.