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Prep time
15 minutes
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Cook time
1 hour 15 minutes
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Serves
4-6
Author Notes
Cheesecakes are known to be one of the most belly-filling cakes around. They’re often densely rich and heavy in its creamy cheesiness. But this Japanese souffle cheesecake turns that idea on its head.
As its name might suggest, this style of cheesecake is light, airy, and souffle-like in its texture. So instead of being stuffed after a cloying slice of classic New York-style cheesecake of Basque burnt cheesecake, with souffle cheesecake, you’ll have slice after slice, and still yearn for more, which to me is the sign of the best kind of cake!
Making it is easy. Just cream up some cream cheese, butter, and milk, add egg yolks, sugar, and salt, and flour to it. Then, to turn it light and fluffy, a heap of meringue — made by whisking egg whites and sugar into stiff peaks — gets folded in, giving it airy volume. The batter is then poured in a cake tin that’s put in a hot water bath, which is then baked low and slow to cook it without losing its airy structure, before it’s finished off over higher heat to lightly brown the top of the cheesecake.
It turns out extra light and fluffy, but still has that rich cheesecake-cheesiness to it. It’s truly unlike any other cheesecake. Give it a try! —Jun
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Ingredients
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1 cup
(240g) cream cheese, softened at room temperature
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2 tablespoons
(30g) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
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⅓ cups
(80ml) whole milk
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3
eggs, yolks and whites separated
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½ cups
(100g) sugar, divided
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¼ teaspoons
(2g) kosher salt
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½ cups
(60g) all-purpose flour, sifted
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1 tablespoon
(15ml) lemon juice
Directions
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Heat an oven to 250°F (121°C). Line an 8-inch cake tin with baking paper. (I used a round springform cake tin but a square one works too; do not use cake tins with a loose bottom because the cake will be baked in a water bath.)
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Put the cream cheese, unsalted butter, and whole milk in a large bowl and beat with a spatula for 1-2 minutes until fluffy and evenly combined, then add in the egg yolks, half of the sugar, and salt. Mix for 20-30 seconds until combined, then add in the all-purpose flour and mix again until even and no flour clumps remain.
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Whisk the egg whites, the remaining sugar, and lemon juice together in a large bowl by hand, or in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, to stiff peaks.
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Put ⅓ of the stiff meringue into the cream cheese mixture, and mix with a spatula until combined. Then, fold the remaining meringue into the cream cheese until just mixed, careful not to overmix it lest it deflates.
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Pour the cake batter into the lined cake tin, give it 2-3 taps to release any big air bubbles, then put the cake tin into a deep oven tray. Fill the tray up with boiling water at least 1-inch up the sides of the cake tin, then put the tray, cake tin and all into the oven to bake for 50 minutes.
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After 50 minutes, turn the oven temperature up to 300°F (149°C) and bake for a further 20-25 minutes, until the top of the cake is lightly browned.
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When the cake is done, turn off the oven and open the oven door so it’s slightly ajar, and let the cake cool in the oven for 10 minutes this way, before taking it out of the oven.
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Take the cake out of the cake tin, slice it up, and eat! If not consuming immediately, the cake can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.
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