Japanese Cotton Cheesecake
Adapted from: Chinadoll-Bakingdiary
250g Philadelphia cream cheese, cut into small cubes
6 egg yolks
70g castor sugar
60g butter
100 ml full cream milk
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
60g cake flour
20g cornflour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 tsp Vanilla extract
6 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
70g castor sugar
1. Preheat oven to 200C, prepare an 8-inch round cake tin, grease and dust with flour. You can lined the bottom with paper, trust me on this. And, prepare a bigger pan for the waterbath.
2. Melt butter, cream cheese and sugar over waterbath, whisk until smooth, no lumps and the colour of pale yellow.
2. Melt butter, cream cheese and sugar over waterbath, whisk until smooth, no lumps and the colour of pale yellow.
3. Remove from heat, and whisk egg yolks. (Tips: egg yolks tends to dry out if expose to air, cover them prior to mixing).
4. Whisk in milk, lemon juice, salt and vanilla.
5. Gently whisk in flour mixture. Set aside.
6. Whip egg whites until foamy. (Tips: you can add in cream of tartar and sugar from start, as these ingredients do not in any way disturb the end result).
7. Slowly drizzle in sugar + cream of tartar, and whip at high speed until just before stiff peaks. But, since I can't pinpoint the exact moment, my egg whites ends up to stiff peak stage, but it is fine.
8. Gently fold in the egg whites into the batter, Do not overmix, spots of whites is fine.
9. Pour into preprared pan and place into the bigger pan with hot water.
(P/S: my tip: Place the cake tin into a larger pan, slide into oven then only pour the hot water. This is to avoid the need to carry hot water filled heavy pan into your oven.)
(P/S: my tip: Place the cake tin into a larger pan, slide into oven then only pour the hot water. This is to avoid the need to carry hot water filled heavy pan into your oven.)
10. There is two steps to bake this baby:
a) at 200C for about 15 minutes until top is golden brown (this, of course depends on individual oven, I proceed to step 2 at around 20 minutes).
b) at 160C for the next 30 minutes, again based on ovens, check at 25 minutes mark, mine go way past 30 minutes, at around 45 minutes as I switch to bottom heat only for this step.
Left to cool in unopened oven, for approximately 20 minutes. Remove from waterbath and place back in the oven. Turn on ONLY the bottom heat at around 120C at 10 minutes, which according to Ms. Chinadoll-Bakingdiary, it is to dry the bottom, as it sits in a waterbath it is going to be a bit "wet".
Again, left cool in the oven, this time with the oven door slightly ajar, for 30 minutes. Unmould, and left to cool on cooling rack. Do let it cool completely before cutting, and advisable to chill it before cutting.
Enjoy!
Notes:
1. After first trial, following exactly to the T of original recipe, my cake cracks as its too soft, and the texture is totally of a cheesecake, no trace of chiffony cottony to it at all.
2. After second trial, I tweak the baking time a little bit, at the texture do improve tremendously as it comes out chiffony and cottony but not yet the exact texture of this cake. though my cake still burst in the oven which I suspect due to overwhipped egg whites, I believe the egg whites should be whipped only until medium stiff peak, at around 4 minutes of high speed. I will update this section after third trial.
Notes:
1. After first trial, following exactly to the T of original recipe, my cake cracks as its too soft, and the texture is totally of a cheesecake, no trace of chiffony cottony to it at all.
2. After second trial, I tweak the baking time a little bit, at the texture do improve tremendously as it comes out chiffony and cottony but not yet the exact texture of this cake. though my cake still burst in the oven which I suspect due to overwhipped egg whites, I believe the egg whites should be whipped only until medium stiff peak, at around 4 minutes of high speed. I will update this section after third trial.