Recipe

Eating a Cloud: Japanese Cheesecake Recipe

By Dorianne Ma at Northwestern University

I can hear your disbelief. Is it really that fluffy? The answer is yes. My dad has been bringing Japanese cheesecakes back from Japan for years and whenever we spotted them at the Asian grocery store we throw about 100, give or take, into our carts.

Clearly, I'm kidding, although I wish it were true. We were only allowed to buy one each, which was never quite enough to satisfy. But now, with this recipe, I have an entire cake to enjoy. Since the hardest part of this is waiting for it to cool to eat, it's entirely possible to make multiple and just go crazy. I'm not saying you should, but you already have the ingredients - so why not?

Japanese Cheesecake Recipe

  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 6 hrs 10 mins
  • Total Time: 6 hrs 40 mins
  • Servings: 8
Ingredients
  • 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 5 eggs room temperature
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream tartar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoon cornstarch

Photo by Dorianne Ma

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 315°F and make a water bath by taking a large baking pan and filling it halfway with water. Put the water bath in the oven.

Step 2

Separate the eggs and place the yolks aside for now.

Photo by Dorianne Ma

Step 3

Beat egg whites until foamy, then add cream of tartar.

Photo by Dorianne Ma

Step 4

Continue beating eggs until they start to thicken. Add 1/4 cup of sugar gradually.

Photo by Dorianne Ma

Step 5

Continue beating egg whites until it reaches at least a soft peaks stage, when the peaks will form momentarily and then collapse back down.

Photo by Dorianne Ma

Step 6

Set aside the egg whites, and in a separate bowl mix together the cream cheese and milk until smooth.

Photo by Dorianne Ma

Step 7

Add butter, the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and lemon juice and beat together.

Photo by Dorianne Ma

Step 8

Add flour and cornstarch and beat together

Photo by Dorianne Ma

Step 9

Add egg yolks to the batter and beat together until smooth.

Photo by Dorianne Ma

Step 10

Take the beaten egg whites and slowly and carefully, a bit at a time using a rubber spatula, fold them into the batter. Mix well so that it is all incorporated.

Photo by Dorianne Ma

Step 11

Line a cake pan well with foil and pour batter into the pan.

Photo by Dorianne Ma

Step 12

Lift and drop the pan a few times to get rid of any air bubbles and then place into the water bath in the oven.

Photo by Dorianne Ma

Step 13

Bake for 70 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let it chill in the oven for about an hour and then place it into the fridge to chill for another 3-4 hours.

Photo by Dorianne Ma

Don't let your family put anything on top of your cheesecake while it's in the fridge because it might ruin what otherwise would have been a very aesthetically pleasing dessert. Also, speaking from experience, don't let your brother eat the entire thing without getting to enjoy your own masterpiece. Although, it's hard to get mad at him because this cake does taste like heaven. Just make sure to save a slice for yourself.