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Creamy, light and airy, this fluffy Japanese cotton cheesecake is lightly sweetened, slightly tangy, and perfect served sprinkled with powdered sugar, fresh berries and/or fresh whipped cream.
Also known as Japanese souffle cheesecake or Japanese jiggly cheesecake, this Japanese dessert is so light and fluffy with an amazing airy texture that will just melt in your mouth, like this Chocolate Souffle, Lemon Souffle or Pumpkin Souffle.
Soufflé cheesecake is made by folding sweetened whipped egg whites into a cream cheese batter. This results in a light, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth kind of cheesecake, more like a cross between regular cheesecake and souffle.
This Japanese style cheesecake is less sweet than traditional cheesecake, (kinda of like these Vietnamese Sponge Cakes). It's perfect served with lightly sweetened berries, whipped cream and powdered sugar - but it's also great just by itself!
If you want a sweeter cheesecake, this strawberry shortcake cheesecake is amazing.
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What is Japanese Cheesecake?
Japanese cheesecake, cotton cheese, or souffle cheesecake as it's often known, is a light and fluffy version of traditional Western-style cheesecakes. The texture comes out just ever so slightly jiggly, which has earned it the name jiggly cheesecake as well - yes, many names for the same cheesecake!
It's made with cream cheese, sugar, and eggs like traditional cheesecake, but has an added component of butter (for an ultra creamy texture) and whipped egg whites that add the souffle element. It is baked in a water bath to ensure it doesn't crack and stay moist
It is less sweet and has a touch of tanginess to it, which makes it perfect for that sprinkle of powdered sugar at the end!
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Ingredients
The ingredients are pretty basic and can be easily found at your local grocery store. The full list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Full fat cream cheese and whole milk are recommended for the best creamy results.
Cream of tartar acts as a strengthening agent for the bubbles, preventing the egg whites from falling too quickly (like in these Lemon Meringue Tarts) also increasing the volume of the whites as they are beaten.
All purpose flour, granulated sugar, a touch of lemon, unsalted butter and salt are used to make the cheesecake as well.
Step By Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
In a medium sized saucepan, melt the cream cheese, butter and milk over medium-low heat. Stir often to ensure the mixture doesn't burn.
Beat the egg yolks in a separate small bowl while the cream cheese mixture is heating.
Remove the cream cheese mixture from the heat and pour a very small amount in the bowl (about 3 tablespoons) with the egg yolks, whisking continuously. This helps to temper the egg yolks so they don't cook when added to the warm batter.
Pour another small amount in (about 3 tablespoons) while whisking continuously. The egg yolk mixture should now be warm (we just tempered the egg yolks to ensure they don't cook when added to the cream cheese mixture).
Pour the cream cheese mixture in a bowl and whisk the tempered egg yolk and lemon juice in. Be sure to whisk continuously for the creamiest results.
Combine the flour, cornstarch and salt in a small bowl and mix to combine.
Gently fold the flour mixture into the cream cheese mixture, being careful not to over-mix. *it's ok if there are a couple small chunks in there.
In a separate bowl, use a mixer (either a hand mixer or a stand mixer), to beat the egg whites until the become frothy and bubbly, about 2 minutes.
Add the cream of tartar and beat for 1 minute.
Add the sugar, ⅛ cup at a time, beating until the mixture is smooth (not grainy), between each ⅛ cup.
Continue beating the mixture until soft peaks form. I prefer to use soft peaks, but you can also whip to stiff peaks if you want even more volume.
Fold ⅓ of the egg whites mixture into the cream mixture, being careful not to over-mix and deflate the egg whites.
Fold another ⅓ of the egg whites in, then the last ⅓ of the egg whites, always being careful to fold gently and not over-mix.
Wrap foil around the bottom 2 inches of a 8-9" greased springform pan.
Pour the mixture into the greased springform pan. Note you can also use parchment paper to line the inside of the pan.
Fill a large baking dish or pan with 1 inch of water. Place the springform pan into the baking dish. The water helps ensure the cheesecake doesn't crack - but if it does crack it's not the end of the world. It still tastes great!
Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Turn off the heat and leave the cheesecake in the oven with the oven door cracked open for an hour. It's important to cool the cake down slowly to keep it from collapsing.
Remove from the oven and let cool fully on the counter. Remove it from the springform pan and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight. It should have a light, slightly jiggly texture.
Slice and serve with fresh berries, lemon curd, whipped cream and/or powdered sugar sprinkled on top of the cake.
Variations
- Top it with apricot jam - this is a more traditional way of serving it.
- For a more lemony flavor, add a couple teaspoons of fresh lemon zest to the cream cheese batter. You can also use lime zest or even orange zest!
- Add ½ teaspoon of almond extract to give it an almond flavor. Sprinkle it with fresh sliced almonds and whipped to cream to serve. Also consider strawberry, coconut, rum, chocolate extract, or any kind you like!
- Instead of using extracts, you can also stir in some of these options for a slightly different flavor:
- A couple tablespoons of matcha powder to make a green tea Japanese cheesecake
- 1-2 tablespoons of cocoa powder for a chocolate Japanese cheesecake
- Top with fresh blueberries, strawberries, orange segments, raspberries or sliced mango pieces.
- It's incredible topped with a touch of Lemon Curd or Lime Curd.
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature egg whites to make the egg white mixture - they will whip up easier leading to a better texture in your cheesecake.
- Whenever you're folding in egg whites, you want to be very gentle to ensure you don't deflate the egg whites.
- Make sure your spring form pan is WELL GREASED before pouring the batter in. A well greased pan will make it easier to get the cheesecake out. You can also use parchment paper to line the bottom of the pan if you prefer.
- Always cool in the oven after you have turned it off for at least an hour - this helps prevent it from deflating.
- Baking the cheesecake in a hot water bath helps to keep it from cracking.
- Bake the cheesecake on the bottom rack for the best results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Both Japanese cheesecake and Western cheesecake use sugar, cream cheese and eggs. Western cheesecake typically leaves it at that, making for an ultra rich and creamy cake. Japanese cheesecake uses butter and whipped egg whites to provide a more souffle-like texture to the cake. It also has a less sweet flavor (with a little more tang) than traditional cheesecakes.
Like traditional western style cheesecake, Japanese cheesecake if often served cold. That said, it also tastes great warm! When it's warm, it actually feels lighter and fluffier, and when it's cold, it tastes creamier. Try them both, figure out which you prefer!
If you love this recipe, please leave a star rating and a comment below and let us know your favorite thing about it. We'd also love to connect on Instagram! Follow us at @went_here_8_this for awesome recipes and all sorts of fun food stuff 🙂
Recipe
Fluffy Japanese Cotton Cheesecake with Powdered Sugar
Ingredients
- 5 eggs whites and yolks separated (room temperature)
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ cup sugar
- 1-8 ounce package cream cheese room temperature
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 4 tablespoons butter room temperature
- 3 tablespoons milk room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- In a medium sized saucepan, melt the cream cheese, butter and milk over medium-low heat. Stir often to ensure the mixture doesn't burn.
- Beat the egg yolks in a separate small bowl.
- Remove the cream cheese mixture from the heat and pour a very small amount in the bowl (about 3 tablespoons) with the egg yolks, whisking continuously, to temper the egg yolks.
- Pour another small amount in (about 3 tablespoons) while whisking continuously.
- Pour the cream cheese mixture in a bowl and whisk the tempered egg yolk and lemon juice in. Be sure to whisk continuously to avoid lumps.
- Combine the flour, cornstarch and salt in a small bowl and mix to combine.
- Gently fold the flour mixture into the cream cheese mixture, being careful not to over-mix.
- In a separate bowl, use a mixer (either a hand mixer or a counter top mixer), to beat the egg whites until the become frothy and bubbly, about 2 minutes.
- Add the cream of tartar and beat for 1 minute.
- Add the sugar, ⅛ cup at a time, beating until the mixture is smooth (not grainy), between each ⅛ cup.
- Continue beating the mixture until soft to medium peaks form.
- Fold ⅓ of the egg whites mixture into the cream mixture, being careful not to over-mix and deflate the egg whites.
- Fold another ⅓ of the egg whites in, then the last ⅓ of the egg whites, always being careful to fold gently and not over-mix.
- Wrap foil securely around the bottom 2 inches of a 8-9" greased springform pan.
- Pour the mixture into the springform pan.
- Fill a large baking dish or pan with 1 inch of water. Place the springform pan into the baking dish.
- Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Turn off the heat and leave the cheesecake in the oven with the oven door cracked open for an hour.
- Remove from the oven and let cool fully on the counter. Remove it from the springform pan and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
- Slice and serve with fresh berries, lemon curd, whipped cream and/or powdered sugar.
Expert Tips:
- Use room temperature egg whites to make the egg white mixture - they will whip up easier leading to a better texture in your cheesecake.
- Whenever you're folding in egg whites, you want to be very gentle to ensure you don't deflate the egg whites.
- Make sure your spring form pan is WELL GREASED before pouring the batter in. A well greased pan will make it easier to get the cheesecake out. You can also use parchment paper to line the bottom of the pan if you prefer.
- Always cool in the oven after you have turned it off for at least an hour - this helps prevent it from deflating.
- Baking the cheesecake in a hot water bath helps to keep it from cracking.
- Bake the cheesecake on the bottom rack for the best results.
Nutrition
Leyanne
Hi I have made this Cheesecake 7 times and either water gets into cake pan or cooked too much or too mushy with many different recipes! Now in this past month including today I hav made 3 & each one came out absolutely perfect! I will never use anyone else’s recipe besides yours..Thank you so much
Danielle
Thanks so much! I am so glad that it worked for you 🙂
Kathy
Before I bake this, can a bottom crust be added or does this cheesecake traditionally not have a crust? The recipe sounds delicious.
Danielle
The cheesecake does not typically have a crust and I've never tried it with one before. But you could certainly try if you'd prefer one! If you do, let me know how it comes out!
ashok
Guys, Thanks For sharing this Great Recipe. My Family Loved it. I am definitely sharing this recipe and this website with my friend. Hope they also love it. Thank you again for sharing such a great recipe.
Danielle
So glad you like it!
Joyce
My cheesecake didn’t end up rising, could folding too much be a factor & does this happen if my egg whites aren’t whipped enough?
I ended up having to cover the top with foil for about 15 mins so the top doesn’t burn as well.
My top layer started to crumble when I was cutting it as well.
Any tips for the future?
Danielle
Hmmmm...the egg whites not being whipped enough could definitely be an issue. Also, over folding can cause the air to release from the egg whites - that could also be a problem. I also sometimes have issues if I'm in a lot of humidity - they don't rise as well.
As far as the browning, ovens are so different it's hard for me to tell you what the issue is. If your oven heats from the top, perhaps move the grate down towards the bottom when cooking. Covering it with foil is probably a good option as well to prevent too much browning.
I'm guessing the crumbling happened because of the browning on the top. It may have also been because it didn't rise properly.
I'm so sorry it didn't work for you! I know how disappointing it is when that happens. I hope you are able to give it another shot.
Joyce
Should the texture of the egg whites be more whipped/stiff?
& how do you know when you’re over mixing the mixture together?
Danielle
Yes, the texture should be pretty stiff for the egg whites. When mixing the egg whites with the cream cheese, you should use a spatula to lightly fold the egg whites into the batter. The mixture should stay somewhat airy. It's ok if there are a couple streaks of egg whites left. You'd rather it be slightly under mixed than over mixed.
Joyce
I feel like I’m being a bother. But since the mixture is bit too warm and it’s not liquid. Tempering the eggs, can I add the egg yolks little at a time instead of the batter to the eggs?
Danielle
I actually always recommend adding the mixture to the egg yolks. I've never tried it the other way, it might work, but I would stick with adding mixture to eggs. And you're no bother!
Joyce
What can I use if I can’t find my cream of tartar?
Danielle
You can replace it with lemon juice. Good luck!
Joyce
& is it okay if the cream cheese and butter isn’t melted smoothly or it has to be smooth?
Danielle
It will still be ok, the cheesecake may just not be as smooth.
Heidy L. McCallum
This looks so awesome- I can just taste it right now. I love cheesecake but have tried a Japenese version so this is extremely exciting! Bookmarking!
Danielle
Hope you get a chance to try it Heidi!
Allison
Mine was high when I took it out then flattened - did I fold too much?
Also when you say temper the eggs if too hot what exactly do you mean?
How do you best suggest adding the yolks to the cream cheese mixture. I know things with baking are very precise so thank you for taking my questions into consideration.
Also I think my oven is very hot bc I baked for 50 min and the top was fully brown.
I haven’t cut it yet I’m sure it still tastes very good just came out about two inches high instead of about 4 as yours looks.
Danielle
Hi Allison. I'm sorry your cheesecake deflated! That's always so disappointing after you've put in so much effort. The most common reason that this deflates is overmixing the batter. Also note that it is common for the cake to deflate a bit after it starts to cool, so some deflating is normal (although it sounds like yours deflated too much).
For the eggs, if the cream cheese, butter and milk mixture gets very hot, you want to add just a tiny bit ( a few tablespoons) of that into the egg yolks while whisking to bring the egg yolks to the same temperature as the mixture. Add a couple tablespoons at a time while whisking until you've added all of the mixture to the eggs. This prevent them from cooking. The go ahead and mix with the flour, cornstarch, salt and lemon juice.
cheesecake
Unfortunately, so many ovens differ in temperature. If your oven heat from the top, I recommend placing the cheesecake on the lowest rack in the oven. You can also try place a pan with 4 ramekins filled with water right below your cheesecake. The steam off these may help keep the top from browning too much (however, this works best if you have an oven that heats from the bottom).
Hope this helps Allison! If you have more questions, feel free to shoot me an email too, wenthere8this@gmail.com. Happy Thanksgiving!
Lori Rice
So glad to have a recipe for this! By far one of my favorite desserts. There is just nothing like it! Beautiful photos as well.
Danielle@wenthere8this
Thanks! This is one of my favorite desserts too 🙂
Stine Mari
I agree, American dessert often tend to be too sweet. I recently tried a Twinkie for the first time, and I thought I might get instant diabetes. However, this looks super delicious! Almost like eating a cloud.
Danielle@wenthere8this
LOL! You're totally right about the Twinkies. This has the perfect amount of sweetness IMO.
Rebecca
Mine deflated. Do you grease the size and the bottom of the pan? What do you use to mix your egg whites? If my egg whites weren't stiff enough could that have made it deflate?
Danielle
I do grease the sides and bottom of the pan. I use a handheld mixer always to beat the egg whites. You do need to make sure they are pretty stiff or else it will deflate. Also, if you are in a humid climate, sometimes it can be more difficult. And honestly, sometimes my falls too - it can be finicky. My biggest problem usually is that the egg whites weren't beaten enough.
Karly
SOOOO FLUFFYY!!! It's so fluffy I'm gonna die!! This looks like it has some major "Favorite Cheesecake" potential.
Danielle@wenthere8this
LOL! It's definitely one of my favorite cheesecakes! I love how light it is! I always think of it as a cheesecake flavored souffle 🙂
Melissa Griffiths
Look delicious! That texture is so interesting - it looks dryer than a typical cheesecake. Is it? Not as dense and creamy? Looks dreamy!
Danielle@wenthere8this
It's definitely not as dense and creamy as a typical cheesecake. It is much lighter, more like a souffle. Not quite as sweet as regular cheesecake either. It's perfect with some powdered sugar and fresh berries!
Albert Bevia
I would so enjoy this Japanese style cheesecake, I like my desserts to be on the lesser side of sweet, thank you for the recipe 🙂
Danielle@wenthere8this
Me too! That's why I love this cheesecake so much. I hope you enjoy it!
Sandra
Sounds and looks delicious!
Danielle@wenthere8this
Thanks so much!
Healthy World Cuisine
Love Japanese style cheesecake---heavenly. We actually love this cheesecake plain but love it with a little matcha latte on the side. Having a blast following along on your Japanese journey. What is the theme for next month? Sharing, of course!
Danielle@wenthere8this
This is such as great cheesecake, I love that it's not sugary sweet like most American desserts (however, the boyfriend poured half a box of powdered sugar on it - he likes sugary sweet). Next month is Cajun food month in celebration of Mardi Gras! Thanks for sharing 🙂