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 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.

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Recipe Ingredients

This Japanese cheesecake recipe calls for the following main ingredients:

Cream cheese
Butter
Milk
Cake flour
Corn starch
Eggs
Sugar
Cream of Tartar

There is no baking soda or baking powder in the recipe as the egg white meringue will make the cake rise tall.

How to Make Japanese Cheesecake?

Before you start baking, make sure you have all the ingredients measured up and ready.

First step is to make the batter by melting cream cheese, butter and milk on low heat. Whisk in the egg yolks, salt and lemon juice until smooth.

Next, add cake flour and corn starch to form the cream cheese batter.

To make the cake fluffy and jiggly, you will need meringue. Whisk the egg whites with sugar and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Fold in the cream cheese mixture and mix well.

Bake the cake with a water bath and you will have this amazingly light and fluffy cake!

Baking Tips and Troubleshooting

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.

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 Are in Japanese Cheesecake?

Japanese cheesecake has the lowest calories of all cheesecake. Each slice is only 221 calories. Make this and I will guarantee that you will never go back to regular cheesecake again!

What to Serve with this Recipe?

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.

Yield: 12 slices

Japanese Cheesecake (Fail Proof Recipe)

Name: Japanese Cheesecake (Fail Proof Recipe)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 8 oz. (225 g) Philadelphia cream cheese; 2 oz. (50 g) unsalted butter; 100 ml full milk; 2 oz. (50 g) cake flour; 1 oz. (28 g) corn starch; 6 egg yolks, room temperature; 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice; Scant 1/4 teaspoon salt; 6 egg whites, room temperature; 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar; 5 oz fine granulated sugar

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

Ingredients

8 oz. (225 g) Philadelphia cream cheese
2 oz. (50 g) unsalted butter
100 ml full milk
2 oz. (50 g) cake flour
1 oz. (28 g) corn starch
6 egg yolks, room temperature
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
Scant 1/4 teaspoon salt
6 egg whites, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
5 oz 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 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 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.

Notes

1. 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 aluminium foil (outside of the pan) to prevent the water bath from seeping inside the bottom part of the cake.

2. 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".

3. 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.

4. You can also use an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan.

5. 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 Information

Serving Size

12 slices
Amount Per Serving Calories 221Total Fat 14gSaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 132mgSodium 150mgCarbohydrates 19gFiber 1gSugar 13gProtein 5g

Comments

Lillian

at

Could I do this with a square springform pan?

- Rasa Malaysia
  
  at
  
  I think so!
  
Madeline

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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

- Rasa Malaysia
  
  at
  
  I am sorry but I have no idea. Maybe it’s not properly mixed.
  
RD

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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!

- Rasa Malaysia
  
  at
  
  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.
  
KQ

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

- Rasa Malaysia
  
  at
  
  Yes.
  
  - Dawn
    
    at
    
    Hi, is cream of tartar a must and can it be substituted?
    
    - Rasa Malaysia
      
      at
      
      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.
      
- Winnie
  
  at
  
  I tried this weekend and it was delicious. I didn’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 ? I’m going to make this again because he’s already requesting it. However, this time I’ll make sure to mix it better.
  
  - Rasa Malaysia
    
    at
    
    Awesome!
    
Mary Jo

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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.

- Rasa Malaysia
  
  at
  
  Thanks Mary Jo!
  
SHARYN

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

- Rasa Malaysia
  
  at
  
  Hi Sharyn, sorry I can’t. You have to weight for this recipe. It needs to be very precise.
  
  - SHARYN
    
    at
    
    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
    
    - Joseph dagostino
      
      at
      
      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.
      
- Michael Coovert
  
  at
  
  This looks incredible. Any sweet dessert with cheese in it, and I’m all in. I can’t wait to try it.
  
  - Rasa Malaysia
    
    at
    
    Awesome, please try!
    
Deepa George

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Any substitute for cake flour please?

- Rasa Malaysia
  
  at
  
  All purpose flour is fine.
  
sonia

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

- Rasa Malaysia
  
  at
  
  Awesome!
  
Lisa

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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!

- Rasa Malaysia
  
  at
  
  Hi Lisa, I am not sure without trying myself.
  
Pete Mathis

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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!

- Rasa Malaysia
  
  at
  
  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.
  
  - Pete Mathis
    
    at
    
    9 inch it is! Thanks for your reply – I’ll make it this weekend!
    
  - Mrsdao
    
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    Can I use low fat milk? Like 2% milk?
    
    - Rasa Malaysia
      
      at
      
      You can try, I am not sure how it affects the cake texture.

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