Monday, March 07, 2011
Japanese Cheesecake Passed MIL Test
7-MAR-2011:
A couple of months ago, before the CNY, an ex-colleague brought over a cotton soft cheesecake - sort of like a sponge cake but much softer and a bit moist. I thought it was really nice. I studied the box that it came in but all I got was some Japanese sounding name that I've never heard of or seen before, and there wasn't an address on the box too. For those of you who are doing sales or marketing, how important is information for your potential customers!
Anyway, since there was a Jap-sounding name on the box, I then Googled "Japanese Cheesecake" and there really is such a thing. I found the recipe and attempted it once a few weeks ago but it was a failure. However, the 2nd attempt was a success and this cake has passed my MIL test (you know how difficult that is!).
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients:
140g/5 oz. fine granulated sugar
6 egg whites
6 egg yolks
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
50g/2 oz. butter
250g/9 oz. cream cheese
100 ml/3 fluid oz. fresh milk
1 tbsp. lemon juice
60g/2 oz. cake flour /superfine flour
20g/1 oz. cornflour (cornstarch)
1/4 tsp. salt
Instructions:
1. Melt cream cheese, butter and milk over a double boiler. Cool the mixture. Fold in the flour, the cornflour, egg yolks, lemon juice and mix well.
2. Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Add in the sugar and whisk until soft peaks form.
3. Add the cheese mixture to the egg white mixture and mix well. Pour into a 8-inch round cake pan (Lightly grease and line the bottom and sides of the pan with greaseproof baking paper or parchment paper).
4. Bake cheesecake in a water bath for 1 hours 10 minutes or until set and golden brown at 160 degrees C (325 degrees F).
Makes 1 (8-inch) cheesecake, 12 servings.
Baking in a water bath means you pour the cake batter into a cake pan and then put the cake pan into another bigger pan filled with hot water. Since I do not have a small enough cake or a big enough "other" pan that can fit the cake pan, I used my Le Creuset and Anolon instead.
