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This light & fluffy Japanese style cheesecake (or soufflé cheesecake) will totally melt in your mouth – perfect for that cheesecake lover in your life!
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Fluffy, creamy, light and airy. With just the perfect amount of sweetness. We’re talking about Japanese Cheesecake (or Souffle Cheesecake as it’s often called). Perfect, delicious Japanese cheesecake.
Asian desserts tend to be much less sweet than Western desserts. Which is why I like them.
They are typically not sugary sweet, but have just the right amount of sweetness to curb that after dinner sweet tooth.
I don’t know about you, but I most definitely have an after dinner sweet tooth.
I’m pretty sure I could eat this whole cheesecake myself. Seriously guys, this is good stuff.
It may even help to curb that mild sadness that happens after the holidays are over and we’re all back at work.
This light & fluffy Japanese style cheesecake, also known as soufflé cheesecake, is made by folding sweetened whipped egg whites into the cream cheese batter. This results in a light, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth kind of cheesecake.
Like I mentioned above, this Japanese cheesecake is less sweet than it’s American counterpart. If you have a problem with this, you can sweeten it up by adding some extra sugar to the cream cheese batter.
But I think it’s perfect like it is.
We bake the cheesecake in a water bath to keep the top from cracking.
So listen guys, this recipe is not hard. It’s actually quite easy.
However, you must be careful to make the meringue correctly and make sure you don’t over mix. Otherwise you will end up with a dense, flat cheesecake.
That defeats the whole purpose.
Whenever you’re folding in egg whites, you want to be very gentle. It’s actually ok if you still have some egg white streaks in your batter when you’re done.
Make sure your spring form pan is WELL GREASED before pouring the batter in. A well greased pan will make it so much easier to get the cheesecake out.
Then, when all is said and done , sprinkle it with some powdered sugar. This is my favorite part. The powdered sugar puts this light & fluffy Japanese style cheesecake right over the edge of delicious decadence. If you really want to make it special, add some fresh berries.
Just talking about this cheesecake is making my mouth water.
Too bad the boyfriend ate the last piece just last night….
Now I want to hear from you guys. What’s your favorite kind of cheesecake? What toppings do you like to use?
Looking for some other sweets to curb that after dinner sweet tooth? Check out some of my most popular dessert recipes:
Caramel Marshmallow Crunch Brownies
Salted Toffee Peanut Butter Fudge
Souffle Cheesecake (Japanese Cheesecake)
Ingredients
- 5 eggs whites and yolks separated
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1-8 ounce package cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F degrees.
- In a medium sized saucepan, melt the cream cheese, butter and milk over medium-low heat. Stir often to ensure the mixture doesn't burn.
- Beat the egg yolks in a separate small bowl.
- Remove the cream cheese mixture from the heat and pour a very small amount in the bowl (about 3 tablespoons) with the egg yolks, whisking continuously.
- Pour another small amount in (about 3-4 tablespoons) while whisking continuously.
- Pour the cream cheese mixture in a bowl and whisk the tempered egg yolk and lemon juice in. Be sure to whisk continuously.
- Combine the flour, cornstarch and salt in a small bowl and mix to combine.
- Gently fold the flour mixture into the cream cheese mixture, being careful not to over-mix.
- In a separate bowl, use a mixer (either a hand mixer or a counter top mixer), to beat the egg whites until the become frothy and bubbly, about 2 minutes.
- Add the cream of tartar and beat for 1 minute.
- Add the sugar, 1/8 cup at a time, beating until the mixture is smooth (not grainy), between each 1/8 cup.
- Continue beating the mixture until soft peaks form.
- Fold 1/3 of the egg whites mixture into the cream mixture, being careful not to over-mix and deflate the egg whites.
- Fold another 1/3 of the egg whites in, then the last 1/3 of the egg whites, always being careful to fold gently and not over-mix.
- Wrap foil around the bottom 2 inches of a 8-9" greased springform pan.
- Pour the mixture into the springform pan.
- Fill a large baking dish or pan with 1 inch of water. Place the springform pan into the baking dish.
- Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Turn off the heat and leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door cracked open for an hour.
- Remove from the oven and let cool fully on the counter. Remove it from the springform pan and serve immediately, or refrigerate overnight.
- Slice and serve with fresh berries, lemon curd, whipped cream and/or powdered sugar.
Expert Tips:
- Use cold egg whites to make the egg white mixture - they will whip up easier leading to a better texture in your cheesecake.
- Whenever you're folding in egg whites, you want to be very gentle to ensure you don't deflate the egg whites.
- Make sure your spring form pan is WELL GREASED before pouring the batter in. A well greased pan will make it easier to get the cheesecake out.
- Baking the cheesecake in a water bath helps to keep it from cracking.
- Bake the cheesecake on the bottom rack for the best results.
Nutrition
[nutrifox id=”24548″]
My cheesecake didn’t end up rising, could folding too much be a factor & does this happen if my egg whites aren’t whipped enough?
I ended up having to cover the top with foil for about 15 mins so the top doesn’t burn as well.
My top layer started to crumble when I was cutting it as well.
Any tips for the future?
Hmmmm…the egg whites not being whipped enough could definitely be an issue. Also, over folding can cause the air to release from the egg whites – that could also be a problem. I also sometimes have issues if I’m in a lot of humidity – they don’t rise as well.
As far as the browning, ovens are so different it’s hard for me to tell you what the issue is. If your oven heats from the top, perhaps move the grate down towards the bottom when cooking. Covering it with foil is probably a good option as well to prevent too much browning.
I’m guessing the crumbling happened because of the browning on the top. It may have also been because it didn’t rise properly.
I’m so sorry it didn’t work for you! I know how disappointing it is when that happens. I hope you are able to give it another shot.
Should the texture of the egg whites be more whipped/stiff?
& how do you know when you’re over mixing the mixture together?
Yes, the texture should be pretty stiff for the egg whites. When mixing the egg whites with the cream cheese, you should use a spatula to lightly fold the egg whites into the batter. The mixture should stay somewhat airy. It’s ok if there are a couple streaks of egg whites left. You’d rather it be slightly under mixed than over mixed.
I feel like I’m being a bother. But since the mixture is bit too warm and it’s not liquid. Tempering the eggs, can I add the egg yolks little at a time instead of the batter to the eggs?
I actually always recommend adding the mixture to the egg yolks. I’ve never tried it the other way, it might work, but I would stick with adding mixture to eggs. And you’re no bother!