Japanese Cheesecake

Japanese Cheese Cake

This Japanese version of the crowd-pleasing dessert combines cheesecake flavor with a soufflé-like, cakey texture that jiggles and tastes light and airy. Made with The Farmer’s Cow milk and eggs, it is a lightened-up alternative to traditional cheesecake, which is heavy and calorie-dense. Our farmhouse taste testers rated it 5 stars!

Yield: 10-12 servings

Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese, cubed
4 tbsp butter, melted
6 The Farmer’s Cow large egg, seperated
2/3 cup sugar, divided
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ tbsp cornstarch
¼ The Farmer’s Cow Whole Milk
1 tbsp lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
1 tbsp plus 2 tsp lemon juice, divided
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp kosher salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 F, line an 8” x 3” round cake pan with parchment paper on the bottom and sides, and line a larger pan with a tea towel (it needs to be big enough to hold the cake pan).
Place the cream cheese in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water (or double boiler) and whisk until soft and smooth. Add the melted butter and whisk until evenly combined.
Add 6 egg yolks to the mixture one at a time, whisking each addition until all the yolks are incorporated. Add 1/3 cup sugar and whisk to combine. Be careful not to overheat the mixture or the eggs will curdle. If it feels to hot, take the bowl off the simmering water and keep whisking.
Sift the flour and cornstarch into the mixture and whisk just until combined and no more lumps are visible.
Add the lemon zest, 1 tbsp lemon juice, milk, vanilla, and salt, and whisk gently. When everything is combined, remove the bowl from the simmering water and set it aside while you prepare the meringue.
In a clean mixing bowl, beat egg whites with 2 tsp lemon juice on medium speed until completely frothy. Once frothy, slowly add 1/3 cup sugar in small amounts while continuing to beat on medium.
Increase the speed to medium-high and whip the meringue until it reaches a soft medium peak. The meringue should be slightly stiff but not hook. Be careful not to over-beat the meringue!
Transfer 1/3 of meringue to the batter and gently fold until just incorporated. Repeat with the remaining meringue in two batches. You want the whites to stay as fluffy as possible.
Pour the cheese cake batter into the prepared cake pan and gently tap the pan on a hard surface a couple of times to remove any air bubbles.
Place the cake pan inside a larger pan lined with a tea towel. Fill the large pan with hot water to a level half-way up the sides of the cake pan. Be careful not to get any water in the batter!
Bake the cheese cake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes then turn the temperature down to 300 F and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes until it is golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
Turn the oven off and keep the cheesecake in the oven for 15 minutes with the door closed. After the 15 minutes, remove the water bath, and keep the cake in the oven with the door cracked for 30 minutes.
Take the Japanese cheese cake out of the oven and carefully remove it from the cake pan. Invert the pan onto your dominant hand, remove the parchment paper, then invert it back onto a cake stand or plate so that the top is facing up.
You can enjoy the cheese cake while it’s warm, at room temperature, or chilled. We recommend chilling it for at least an hour in the fridge for the best flavor.