Japanese Fluffy Cheesecake
This cheesecake is honestly like nothing I have had before. It is fluffy and soufflé like, but with all the rich flavors of a just-sweet citrusy cheesecake. My husband deemed it an Angel Cheesecake and I think that is about right. Seriously fluffy and extraordinarily tasty, I highly recommend it!
The recipe is from Serious Eats written by Yvonne Ruperti. Honestly, I think I have a slight addiction to Serious Eats. After receiving The Food Lab for Christmas this last year, Kenji Lopez-Alt and his team have been my trustworthy source for so many cooking questions.
When I make recipes from their site, I can’t even say "adapted from" because there is no adapting... they have figured it out and they make it so clear and easy to follow I can’t mess up, or make it better! For pictures and step by step, definitely check out the link to the site, and if you haven’t checked out the Serious Eats blog yet, You’re Welcome!
Japanese Cheesecake
From: Serious Eats
Makes 8-12 servings depending on how you slice your cake :)
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar, divided
Pinch of kosher salt
5 large eggs, separated
1 packed teaspoon zest and 2 tablespoons fresh juice from 1 lemon
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1/3 cup (1 1/3 ounces) cake flour
2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 340°F. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8- by 3-inch springform pan and wrap the bottom half of the pan with foil to create a waterproof seal. Set into a roasting pan.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, butter, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt on medium speed until very creamy scraping down sides as necessary with a rubber spatula (about 2 minutes). Beat in egg yolks and lemon zest until smooth, about 30 seconds. Replace paddle attachment with whisk attachment. Whisk in the lemon juice and sour cream on medium speed, scraping down sides as necessary with a rubber spatula, until combined.
3. Sift the flour and cornstarch over the batter and whisk until completely combined. Transfer mixture to a large bowl, using a rubber spatula. Thoroughly wash and dry stand mixer bowl and whisk (a dirty bowl will prevent whites from aerating properly)
4. Using the mixer's whisk attachment, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on high speed until frothy. Slowly pour in the remaining sugar and continue to whip to medium-peak stage. Don't over-whip.
5. Fold a third of the meringue into the batter with a rubber spatula until almost combined. Gently fold in the remaining meringue in two more batches.
6. Pour the batter into the springform pan and set on the oven rack. Pour about 2 inches hot water into the roasting pan. Bake until the cake is golden and just firm in the center, 40 to 45 minutes.
7. Remove roasting pan from oven and let springform pan remain in water bath for 30 minutes. Set on wire rack to cool for another 30 minutes, then chill until set, about 3 hours.
My only addition is that you can serve this with just about any fruit, we had mango and kiwi on hand but sliced strawberries, raspberries, or other fruit would be equally lovely.