Japanese Cheesecake

I wanted to try this Japanese Cheesecake that I saw on Green Cilinatro a long time ago and now I finally have.  Japanese cheesecake is NOT a cheesecake like we know here.  It is more like a sponge cake and you might often see it referred to as "cotton soft".  It is very light and airy.  I am not sure what they rage is unless of course this is not representative.



In my oven, I needed to bake it a touch less to have a lighter-coloured top, but other than that it was just fine.

Japanese Cheesecake
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
10.5 ounces cream cheese
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 egg with yolks and whites separated
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch sifted
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
Use a 7" round or square cake pan with a fixed bottom

Directions:
1)  Line the cake pan with parchment paper including the edges.
2)  Preheat the oven to 350°F.
3)  Put the egg whites into the freezer so it just begins to freeze around the edges.
4)  Microwave the cream cheese until it becomes soft to the touch. You do not want to heat it up. (Do this in 10 to 15 seconds intervals.)
5)  In a large bowl, melt the butter over a double boiler.  Add the cream cheese and whisk well to combine.
6)  In another bowl, combine the egg yolks and 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon sugar.  Mix in the cornstarch.
7)  Heat the milk so it comes to a boil.  Add it to the egg yolks and whisk until it thickens in a double boiler over boiling water.  Add this mixture to the cream cheese and combine well.
8)  Add a small amount of the 1/4 cup of sugar to the egg whites and mix on medium low speed for about 2 minutes.  Gradually add the remaining sugar to the egg whites and beat on medium until a soft meringue forms.
9)  Add ¼ of the meringue to the cream cheese mixture and combine. Add the remaining meringue to the cream cheese mixture and fold to combine.  Fill the cake pan and smooth the top.
10)  Put the cake pan in a roasting pan and add boiling water so it comes up 1/2 inch up the cake pan. Bake for 15 minutes and then lower the temperature to 320°F and continue to bake for 25 minutes until the top turns slightly golden.  Turn off the oven and leave the cake pan for another 40 minutes to an hour.

Note: The cake will continue to bake with the heat off so do not over bake.  Depending on the oven, the cake may not turn golden but should avoid cooking much longer than the suggested time.

11)  Remove cake pan and cool on a wire rack.  Refrigerate and chill completely before taking it out of the pan.  It is best served the second day.