Japanese Cheesecake

4.47 from 287 votes
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Cotton soft, light, fluffy and the best Japanese cheesecake. This is a tried and tested Japanese cheesecake recipe. A must-bake for cheesecake lovers!

Japanese cheesecake.
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Japanese Cheesecake Recipe

Japanese cheesecake is very different from regular cheesecake.

It is cotton soft, light, fluffy and the one of the best cheesecakes I have ever tasted.

Japanese cotton cheesecake is also jiggly, due to the meringue egg white mixture in the recipe.

Make this and I will guarantee that you will never go back to regular cheesecake again!

Soft, fluffy and jiggly Japanese cheesecake.

Ingredients

Ingredients for Japanese cheesecake.
  • Cream cheese
  • Butter – use a good quality butter for the best results. In the United States, I always buy Challenge butter.
  • Milk
  • Cake flour – this lower gluten flour is idea for the cotton soft, spongy and airy texture.
  • Corn starch
  • Eggs
  • Sugar
  • Cream of Tartar – this is the secret ingredient that stabilizes the tiny bubbles in the egg white meringue. It prevents the egg proteins from sticking together, hence holding the bubbles together for the jiggly and spongy texture of this cheesecake.
  • Lemon juice

Please take note that there is no baking soda or baking powder in the ingredients list as the meringue mixture will ensure that the cake rise tall.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.


How To Make Japanese Cheesecake

Greased 9 inch springform pan with parchment paper lined on the bottom.

Step 1: Preheat oven to at 325°F (160°C). Prepare and measure all the ingredients and set out on your working area. I used a 9-inch springform pan. Grease the entire pan and line the bottom part with parchment paper. Please refer to notes if you use other pan.

Cream cheese, butter and full milk being melted and mixed together with a spatula in a sauce pan.

Step 2: On a stove top, melt cream cheese, butter and full milk on low heat. Use a whisk to mix well until the cream cheese melts completely without lumps. Remove from heat.

Cake flour and corn starch being sifted into a bowl.

Step 3: Sift the cake flour and corn starch.

Egg yolks, lemon juice and salt added into the cream cheese mixture and is mixed using a whisk.

Step 4: Add egg yolks, lemon juice and salt to the cream cheese mixture. Whisk to combine well. Add the cake flour and corn starch, whisk until a smooth batter forms and there is no lump.

Meringue with soft peaks in a stand mixer.

Step 5: Make the meringue by whisking egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar until light, foamy and soft peaks form. You can beat with a stand mixer or electronic hand mixer. I used speed 4 and beat for 1-2 minutes or until soft peaks form. DO NOT over beat.

Cream cheese mixture and meringue in a bowl are gently folded using a spatula.

Step 6: Add the cream cheese mixture gently into the meringue, FOLD GENTLY until well incorporated.

Japanese cheesecake mixture is poured into the springform pan.

Step 7: Pour the mixture into the springform pan. Tap the cake pan gently before baking.

Hot water is poured onto a larger pan in which the springform pan with the Japanese cheesecake mixture is placed in the center.

Step 8: Bake the cake using hot water bath. Place the cake pan in a larger pan and add 1 inch (2.5cm) of hot water in the larger pan. Bake at the bottom shelf of the oven for 1 hour 10 minutes.

Japanese cheesecake in an oven.

Step 9: Leave the Japanese cheesecake to cool down in the oven with the oven door open, about 30 minutes. This will prevent sudden change of temperature that may cause the cake to shrink. However, it’s normal that the cake will shrink about 1/2 – 1 inch (1cm-2.5cm) after cooling.

Japanese cheesecake dusted with powdered sugar and served on a plate with strawberries.

Step 10: Refrigerate the cake (with or without the cake tin) for at least 4 hours or overnight. Top the cake with powdered sugar before serving.


Baking Tips

Japanese cotton cheesecake.

Even though DIY and homemade Japanese cheesecake is relatively easy, there are potential troubles when the cake turns out less than perfect.

For the best, jiggly and perfect result just like Uncle Tetsu, here are the tips and tricks:

  • Make sure you have a smooth cream cheese mixture that is not lumpy.
  • Use room temperature eggs to ensure that the meringue has the maximum volume.
  • Make sure your egg whites are beaten until soft peaks form. Dot not over beat, we don’t want stiff peaks.
  • DO NOT OVER MIX the meringue with the cream cheese batter. Fold very gently, do not stir or blend as the bubbles in the meringue will disappear.
  • To avoid the sudden drop in oven temperature and room temperature, leave the cake in the oven with the oven door open. This will make sure that the cake doesn’t lose volume and sink.
  • To avoid cracking at the top, please make sure you use a water bath for baking. The steam from the water will circulate in the oven, hence minimizing cracking at the top.
  • To avoid over browning, bake the cake at the bottom part of your oven.
  • Before you start baking, make sure you have all the ingredients measured up and ready. This is very important because every step has to be very precise.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can you keep Japanese cheesecake?

You can keep it in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
You shouldn’t have to worry about the leftover because this is the best cheesecake ever, and I can assure you that you won’t have anything left to keep for more than a day!

What other pans can I use?

Other than springform pan and round cake tin, you can also use a 8×8-inch or 9×9-inch square pan. You can also make them into cupcakes by using cupcake tins.

Can I add matcha powder to the cake?

Yes, you sure can. You may add 1 – 2 tablespoons of matcha powder in the cream cheese mixture if you like.

How many calories per slice?

Japanese cheesecake has the lowest calories of all cheesecake. Each slice is only 214 calories.

Jiggly Japanese cheesecake with powdered sugar.

What To Serve With This Recipe

Japanese fluffy cheesecake.

Japanese cheesecake is best served on its own, with your favorite cup of tea or coffee. For an afternoon tea, make the following desserts to go with it.

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4.47 from 287 votes

Japanese Cheesecake (Fail Proof Recipe)

Cotton soft, light, fluffy and the best Japanese cheesecake. This is a tried and tested Japanese cheesecake recipe. A must-bake for cheesecake lovers!
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 12 slices
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Ingredients  

  • 8 oz (230g) Philadelphia cream cheese
  • 2 oz (60g) unsalted butter
  • 100 ml full milk
  • 2 oz (60g) cake flour
  • 1 oz (30g) cornstarch
  • 6 egg yolks, room temperature
  • 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 6 egg whites, room temperature
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 5 oz (140g) fine granulated sugar

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to at 325°F (160°C). Prepare and measure all the ingredients and set out on your working area. I used a 9-inch springform pan. Grease the entire pan and line the bottom part with parchment paper. Please refer to notes if you use other pan.
  • On a stove top, melt cream cheese, butter and full milk on low heat. Use a whisk to mix well until the cream cheese melts completely without lumps. Remove from heat.
  • Sift the cake flour and corn starch.
  • Add egg yolks, lemon juice and salt to the cream cheese mixture. Whisk to combine well. Add the cake flour and corn starch, whisk until a smooth batter forms and there is no lump.
  • Make the meringue by whisking egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar until light, foamy and soft peaks form. You can beat with a stand mixer or electronic hand mixer. I used speed 4 and beat for 1-2 minutes or until soft peaks form. DO NOT over beat.
  • Add the cream cheese mixture gently into the meringue, FOLD GENTLY until well incorporated.
  • Pour the mixture into the springform pan. Tap the cake pan gently before baking.
  • Bake the cake using hot water bath. Place the cake pan in a larger pan and add 1 inch (2.5cm) of hot water in the larger pan. Bake at the bottom shelf of the oven for 1 hour 10 minutes.
  • Leave the Japanese cheesecake to cool down in the oven with the oven door open, about 30 minutes. This will prevent sudden change of temperature that may cause the cake to shrink. However, it's normal that the cake will shrink about 1/2 – 1 inch (1cm-2.5cm) after cooling.
  • Refrigerate the cake (with or without the cake tin) for at least 4 hours or overnight. Top the cake with powdered sugar before serving.

Video

Notes

  • If you use a springform pan or loose base cake tin, make sure it’s closed tight. It’s best to wrap the base of your pan with 2 layers of aluminum foil (outside of the pan) to prevent the water bath from seeping inside the bottom part of the cake.
  • If you use a 8″ round pan, it is very important to line the sides of the 8″ pan with parchment paper, make sure the parchment paper extends higher than the cake tin by about 1.5″.
  • If you use a 9″ pan, you can line the bottom part and not the sides. You may line the entire pan with parchment paper, if you like.
  • You can also use an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan.
  • If the cake shrinks too much, the main reason is over mixing the egg white mixture with the cream cheese mixture.
  • Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, FOLD VERY GENTLY using a flipping motion.
  • Do not stir or blend vigorously.
Recipe contributor: CP Choong

Nutrition

Serving: 12slices, Calories: 214kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 127mg, Sodium: 141mg, Potassium: 89mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 516IU, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 44mg, Iron: 0.3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Please rate and comment below!

About Rasa Malaysia

Bee is a recipe developer and best-selling cookbook author, sharing easy, quick, and delicious Asian and American recipes since 2006. With a strong following of almost 2 million fans online, her expertise has been featured in major publications, TV and radio programs, and live cooking demos throughout the United States and Asia.

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345 Comments

  1. Lillian says:

    Could I do this with a square springform pan?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      I think so!

  2. Madeline says:

    My cotton cheese cake came out as 2 levels. The lower level is hard and the upper level is soft like cotton as you described. Why is this so. Grateful to have your advise

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      I am sorry but I have no idea. Maybe it’s not properly mixed.

  3. RD says:

    Hello! I made this cheesecake several times, and it is absolutely the best! By the way, did you update the recipe recently? I don’t remember melting the cream cheese on stovetop last time I made it. If it’s changed, is the old recipe posted somewhere else? Thanks!

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Yes I changed the recipe. There is no need to use double boiler to melt the cream cheese. You can just use low heat on stovetop.

  4. KQ says:

    Hi.. If using 8inch square oan do i just follow the same measurements of the recipe? Thank u

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Yes.

      1. Dawn says:

        Hi, is cream of tartar a must and can it be substituted?

        1. Rasa Malaysia says:

          You need cream of tartar to make the meringue stable. If you don’t have it, you can skip but your cake might not be as fluffy or might sink.

    2. Winnie says:

      I tried this weekend and it was delicious. I didnโ€™t mix the egg whites and the batter well enough so some of it settled at the bottom but it was still very yummy. My nephew ate more of the cheesecake than his own birthday cake ? Iโ€™m going to make this again because heโ€™s already requesting it. However, this time Iโ€™ll make sure to mix it better.

      1. Rasa Malaysia says:

        Awesome!

  5. Mary Jo says:

    OMG this is delicious. I only have a 7 inch spring form so cut the recipe by 75% but probably should have cut it down more as I ended up with a “muffin top” cheese cake. It is pretty cute and very tasty. We love traditional cheesecake but this is so much lighter. Thank you for this amazing recipe.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Thanks Mary Jo!

  6. SHARYN says:

    could you please give the ounce measurements in tablespoons or cups. thank you

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Hi Sharyn, sorry I can’t. You have to weight for this recipe. It needs to be very precise.

      1. SHARYN says:

        SHOOT I knew you were going to say that. I am just going to have to be content at looking at the pictures. thank you again

        1. Joseph dagostino says:

          A baking scale is pretty inexpensive. Most of the world uses weight for baking. It’s far more accurate. You’ll be a better baker :) Not a bad thing.

    2. Michael Coovert says:

      This looks incredible. Any sweet dessert with cheese in it, and Iโ€™m all in. I canโ€™t wait to try it.

      1. Rasa Malaysia says:

        Awesome, please try!

  7. Deepa George says:

    Any substitute for cake flour please?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      All purpose flour is fine.

  8. sonia says:

    The cheesecake is looking delicious and very soft! I am going to bookmark the recipe and shall try it soon. Thanks for sharing.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Awesome!

  9. Lisa says:

    This looks delicious! I’d like to make cupcakes with this for my daughters.
    How many cupcakes will this recipe make using a standard-size cupcake tray?
    What should the temperature be and how long should the cupcakes bake for in the oven?
    Thank you!

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Hi Lisa, I am not sure without trying myself.

  10. Pete Mathis says:

    What size springform pan did you use? Don’t see any parchment in the photos, so I’m guessing it wasn’t 8″, and obviously not square, but the recipe doesn’t recommend an ideal pan. Can’t wait to try this!

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Hi Pete, there is no ideal pan. You can use any pans you like, round, square. I gave instructions if you have a different pan. For me, I used a springform pan that is 9-inch diameter.

      1. Pete Mathis says:

        9 inch it is! Thanks for your reply – I’ll make it this weekend!

      2. Mrsdao says:

        Can I use low fat milk? Like 2% milk?

        1. Rasa Malaysia says:

          You can try, I am not sure how it affects the cake texture.