Spongy Japanese Cheesecake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C).
• In a small pot over medium heat, whisk together the butter, cream cheese, and milk until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth, then slowly drizzle in the cream cheese mixture, stirring until evenly combined.
• Sift in the flour and the cornstarch, whisking to make sure there are no lumps.
• In another large bowl, beat the egg whites with a hand mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar while continuing to beat until stiff peaks form.
• Fold about ¼ of the egg whites and into the yolk mixture, then repeat with the remaining egg whites until the batter is evenly combined.
• Grease the bottom of a 9 x 3-inch (23 x 7.5 cm) round cake pan, then line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. If using a springform pan, make sure to wrap the bottom and sides completely in foil twice to prevent any leakage.
• Pour the batter into the pan and shake to release any large air bubbles.
• Place the pan into a larger baking dish lined with 2 paper towels at the bottom. The paper towels ensure that the heat is distributed evenly along the bottom of the pan. Fill the larger pan about 1-inch (2-cm) high with hot water.
• Bake for 25 minutes, then reduce the heat to 285°F (140°C), and bake for another 55 minutes, until the cake has risen to almost double its original height.
• Remove from oven, and carefully invert the cake onto your dominant hand and peel off the paper. Be extremely careful, the cake will be hot. You can also invert the cake onto a plate, but this will cause the cake to deflate more.
• Dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar, then slice and serve with strawberries while still warm!
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment. Place a 3 1/2-inch-wide strip of parchment around the inside of the pan so that it comes up about 1 inch higher than the edge; set aside.
• Heat the cream cheese, milk and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk together the vanilla, egg yolks and lemon juice in a large bowl until smooth. Pour the cooled milk mixture into the yolk mixture and whisk until smooth and combined. Whisk in the flour and cornstarch until combined; set aside.
• Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the granulated sugar and continue beating on medium speed until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes longer.
• Gently fold the egg white mixture into the yolk mixture in 3 batches, making sure not to overmix (you want the whites to stay as fluffy as possible). As soon as the white streaks disappear from the batter, pour it into the prepared pan.
• Place the cake pan inside of a larger pan and pour enough hot water into the larger pan so that it comes 1 inch up the sides of the cake pan. Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven to 250 degrees F and continue baking until the cake is doubled in size, golden brown on top and around the edges and jiggly in the center but set, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
• Let the cake cool for 10 minutes. Carefully invert the cake onto your dominant hand (right onto your palm--this is the most gentle way to handle it), then invert it back onto a cake stand or plate so that the top is facing up. Sprinkle the entire top with confectioners' sugar and serve while still warm.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F and place a rack in the center of the oven. Line the bottom of an 8x3" round cake pan with a parchment paper circle or generously butter ONLY the bottom of the pan. Set it aside.
• Separate the eggs and place the whites in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Place the yolks in a small bowl. Set both aside.
• Place the cream cheese in a metal or heatproof glass bowl and place over a pot of simmering water. Stir occasionally until the cream cheese softens and melts and becomes totally smooth. Whisk in the crème fraîche and butter until well combined. Remove from the heat and whisk in the lemon zest and vanilla. Whisk in the egg yolks and 3 Tbsp. (40 g) of the superfine sugar. Sprinkle the cake flour and salt evenly over the top. Use the whisk to gently fold in the flour.
• Whip the egg whites on medium speed until you start to see the wires of the whisk leave a trail in the whites. Slowly add the remaining superfine sugar, 1 Tbsp. at a time, whipping all the while, until all the sugar is mixed in. Continue whipping for another 30 seconds or so, until the whites hold a soft peak and look a bit like soft seafoam. Stop the mixer and take a few spoonfuls of the whites. Gently fold them into the cream cheese mixture. Once that mixture has been lightened up with some of the whites, go ahead and add the rest of the whites and fold gently and quickly to combine thoroughly.
• Carefully pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan or another baking dish that is at least as tall as the cake pan. Place both pans in the oven and fill the larger pan with water so that it comes about one-quarter of the way up the side of the cake pan. (This will protect the cheesecake from baking in direct heat, giving it a nicer texture.) The cake is really light so if you pour in too much water it will float. Bake the cheesecake for 35-40 minutes, until the top of the cake is golden brown and it doesn't give when you press it gently in the middle.
• Turn off the oven and crack the oven door so that it cools off. Leave the cheesecake in the cooling-off oven for 2 hours so that it cools slowly, which keeps the top from cracking.
• Remove the cheesecake pan from the pan of water and let it cool completely on a wire rack, at least another 2 hours. It will deflate by a half inch or so. Run a knife around the edges of the cheesecake. Very quickly invert the cheesecake onto a flat plate, lift off the pan, carefully peel off the parchment, then invert it right side up on a serving plate. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• Dust the cheesecake with confectioners' sugar before serving.
• The cheesecake can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 320 degrees F (160 degrees C). Grease an 8-inch round pan with butter and line the bottom with parchment paper.
• Fill a pot about 1/4 full with water and bring to a boil. Combine and milk in a heatproof bowl large enough to sit on top of the pot without touching the water. Reduce heat to medium and whisk until butter is melted, about 1 minute. Add cream cheese and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add honey and whisk until melted, about 1 minute. Remove bowl from heat.
• Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, to the cream cheese mixture; whisk batter well after each addition. Add lemon juice and zest.
• Use a fine mesh strainer to sift flour, cornstarch, and salt into the batter. Whisk until blended together. Pour batter through the strainer into a clean bowl to remove any lumps. Set aside.
• Whisk egg whites in a bowl until foamy. Add cream of tartar. Whisking continuously, slowly adding white sugar, until soft peaks form. Fold 1/3 the egg whites into the batter using a whisk. Fold in remaining egg whites. Pour batter into the prepared pan and tap on a flat surface to remove any air bubbles.
• Place a clean towel in the bottom of a shallow baking sheet. Place filled cake pan on top of the towel. Pour enough water into the baking sheet to come 1 to 2 inches up the side of the cake pan.
• Place baking sheet on the lowest rack of the preheated oven; bake for 20 to 22 minutes. Reduce temperature to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C), leaving oven door closed. Continue baking until mostly set but center is still jiggly, about 55 minutes more. Turn oven off and leave door ajar with cake inside for 30 minutes.
• Remove cake from pan. Decorate with confectioners' sugar and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours before serving. Cake may also be served at room temperature.