Japanese Cheesecake
What can I say about this little cake that looks so tempting, besides the fact that it’s absolutely delicious? Whatever I say will fall short, but let’s start from the beginning. A few months ago I published a cheesecake recipe (you can see it here), the result of my own trials and tastings to find the proportions that excited me the most.
One of the conditions was that it had to be baked in the oven, since I liked the resulting texture much more than those made in the fridge, usually with gelatin to set them. After several attempts and adjustments, I finally found the formula that best matched what I was looking for.
But that wasn’t the end of the story. The next challenge was to create another cheesecake meant to be eaten on its own, without a biscuit base or jam topping. And you might say… well, just make the same one without those! If it were that simple, I probably wouldn’t be here writing this post… 🙂
The other cheesecake is designed to be paired with biscuits and the syrup from the jam. This one, however, is completely self-sufficient; you’ll eat it without even noticing, and it doesn’t need biscuits or jam at all.
Give it a try and you’ll see the difference between the two. Which one do I prefer? Each has its moment—I love them both, and I’ll keep experimenting for a third one!
Ingredients
70 g flour
20 g cornstarch
250 g mascarpone cheese
175 g cream cheese (Philadelphia-style)
100 ml whole milk
40 g butter
3 medium eggs
120 g white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (or a white soda sachet substitute)
5 drops lemon essence
Zest of 1/2 lemon
A pinch of salt (I used fleur de sel)
Preparation
Take the butter out of the fridge and let it soften for at least 1 hour. Mix the butter with the milk, sugar, and cheeses until you get a smooth cream, then heat it over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, separate the egg whites from the yolks. Beat the yolks and add the lemon zest and lemon essence.
Once the mixture in the saucepan has cooled slightly, add the yolk mixture and stir until combined.
Add the sifted flour and cornstarch and mix well until there are no lumps.
Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form, adding the cream of tartar after about 2 minutes.
Fold the whipped egg whites into the main mixture until you get a smooth batter.
Preheat the oven to 200ºC for 5 minutes and prepare two molds. Fill the larger one with water to create a water bath. Ideally, the water should reach at least halfway up the smaller mold. Place the smaller mold inside and pour the batter into it. Any method that achieves a bain-marie will work.
Bake for approximately 1 hour, then let it cool at room temperature before refrigerating.
Notes
The original recipe used 6 eggs, but since that seemed excessive for such a small cake, I only used 3. If you use 6, it will turn out even fluffier, and just as delicious in flavor.
You can serve it with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, or fruit sauces—it pairs well with almost anything.