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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!
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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
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