I often have the weirdest craving at the weirdest hour. This was last night. I desperately wanted some Japanese cheesecake, at 10pm. By the time my tastebuds were finally satiated, it was past midnight. Yes, this is how compulsive I can get and hence my nickname of an OCD queen.
A good Japanese cheesecake is known for its creamy and light texture and I am glad mine worked. Most recipes will recommend adding some lemon zest into the mixture but I am personally not a fan of lemon in my cheescake but please do so if you must. The crucial part of this recipe is to ensure that 1) your egg whites are whisked enough or else your cake will be heavy, 2) your oven must not be too hot as it will cause the cake to crack and finally 3) do not skip the water bath as you would want a moist and fluffy cake on your table. Have fun!
Ingredients:
150g cream cheese
60ml milk
50g unsalted butter
40g self raising flour
10g cornflour
3 tablespoons white sugar
3 eggs, yolk and white separate
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Method:
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celsius.
Mix the cream cheese, milk and butter in a bowl, over a pot of simmering water. Stir until the cream cheese and butter have melted and are blended together with the milk. Leave aside to cool.
Add the self raising flour, cornflour and egg yolks into the mixture, mixing in a little at a time. Whisk to ensure that there are no lumps of flour.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites for about a minute. Add the cream of tartar, sugar and continue whisking until the egg whites are able to form a soft peak.
Fold the egg whites into the prepared mixture earlier, mixing in a little at a time. Pour the combined mixture into a greased tin lined with grease paper and place the tin in a water bath (i.e. into a larger pot, and filled half with water).
Place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes. When ready, leave the oven ajar for 10 minutes before removing the cake as too fast a drop in temperature will cause the cake to collapse. Remove from tin and cool on rack before refrigerating it. Serve cold.
