Japanese Cotton Cheesecake

Japanese Cotton Cheesecake is the fluffy, lighter, and jiggly version of a classic cheesecake. It's mildly sweet, tangy, rich just like a good classic cheesecake, but has the texture of a soft, airy cloud.

It's been years since we attempted making Japanese cheesecake, and we've just been itching to jump back in and finally learn to make it properly. And let's just say, it was A LOT of trial and errors. But, it was sooo satisfying to finally master making these amazingly delightful, fluffy, jiggly cotton cheesecakes! I absolutely love them!

Now let's dive into some tips and FAQs for making this super fluffy, jiggly, Japanese Cotton Cheesecake!

What is Japanese Cotton Cheesecake?

Japanese cotton cheesecake is also known as Japanese jiggly cheesecake, Japanese soufflé cheesecake, Japanese light cheesecake, or simply as Japanese cheesecake. It uses less cream cheese and less sugar than the classic cheesecakes. It's also made to be light and fluffy with the incorporation of whipped meringue.

What are Japanese cheesecakes made of?

The base ingredients that make up Japanese cheesecakes are eggs, sugar, cream cheese, flour, and butter. However, you can also add flavors from citrus zests and juice to flavoring extracts to powder flavorings for variations.

What does Japanese cotton cheesecake taste like?

Japanese cotton cheesecakes have a melt in your mouth texture that's sweet, tangy, and rich like a classic cheesecake, while also light and fluffy, similar to the texture of spongecakes and airy soufflé.

Why are Japanese cheesecakes so fluffy and jiggly?

The secret to fluffy and jiggly Japanese cheesecakes lies in the incorporation of whipped meringue. The meringue acts as a leavening agent, lifting the cheesecake up, like it does in soufflés, while also lightening up the cheesecake's texture. This makes the cheesecake super airy inside, which makes it fluffy and jiggly!

Why is my Japanese cheesecake dense and not fluffy?

If you find your Japanese cheesecake to be dense rather than fluffy, there are a few possible causes:

• The meringue may be over whipped.
• Too much air was knocked out of the meringue when folding into the base batter.
• The cheesecake wasn't baked long enough.

Whip the meringue to soft-medium peak

For the best looking, fluffy Japanese cheesecake with a slight jiggle, make sure to whip the meringue to a soft-medium peak. When the meringue gets to this stage, it will look glossy and shiny. The meringue should hold a peak that curves down and hooks, not standing up.

You want to avoid whipping the meringue to a stiff peak because the meringue will not get properly incorporated into the batter base and will result in a dense cheesecake. A soft-medium peak will give the cheesecake the best, most even fluffiness throughout and will have the least amount of shrinkage.

However, if you don't care too much about the shrinkage, you can whip the meringue to a soft peak. The cheesecake will still have a pretty even fluffy texture and have extra jiggles! So, that's the give and takes of using different stiffness of meringue.

Why does my Japanese cheesecake taste eggy?

Similar to dense Japanese cheesecakes, eggy ones are usually due to the same issues like over whipped meringue, deflated meringue, or not baking the cheesecake long enough. The other possible cause is that more flavoring is needed.

Why did my Japanese cheesecake crack?

The main reason why a Japanese cheesecake might crack is most likely due to the baking temperature being too high. If the baking temperature is too high, the outside will cook and harden before the max height and rise is achieved, which will result in a cracked top.

For this recipe we bake the cotton cheesecake at 400F for 15 minutes then decreased the oven temperature and let it bake for another 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the top of the cheesecake bounces back when gently pressed on.

Bake the Japanese cotton cheesecake in a water bath

Another tip to prevent cracked cotton cheesecakes is to bake it in a water bath. Water baths help regulate heat more evenly and bake things more slowly than direct heat. This way, the Japanese cotton cheesecakes gets baked gently and evenly.

How do I keep my Japanese cheesecake from shrinking?

Unfortunately, Japanese cheesecakes will shrink a little no matter what. However, there are three things you can do to prevent significant shrinkage.

First, make sure the meringue is whipped to no more than a medium peak. At medium peak, the cheesecake will have good structure, will be fluffy, and slightly jiggly. You can use soft peak meringue if you want more jiggly, but do note, the cheesecake will shrink a bit more. So, softer the peak, the more shrinkage there will be but also the jigglier the cheesecake will be.

Second, the cheesecake must be baked through. Like any other cakes, if they are not baked all the way, they will sink and shrink, especially meringue based cakes. So make sure the cheesecake is baked through before removing from the oven. To check if the cheesecake is done, you can stick a toothpick into the center, and it should come out almost clean. You should also be able to gently press on the cheesecake and it should spring back.

Lastly, you must temper the cheesecake in the oven after baking. After the baking time is up, turn off the heat and leave the cheesecake in the oven for 15 minutes with the oven door closed. When 15 minutes is up, remove the water bath, crack the oven door open, and let the cheesecake sit in there for at least 30 minutes. This tempering technique prevents baked items from being shocked from the temperature difference, which can prevent shrinkage and wrinkling. So, if you don't care about the shrinkage or the wrinkling, feel free to skip this step.

What is the best temperature to eat Japanese cheesecake?

The great thing about Japanese cheesecake is that it can be enjoyed hot or cold! When the cheesecake is still warmish or hot, the fluffiness is at its prime. It's like eating literal cheesecake clouds. But because it is hot, the eggy and dairy flavor will be more prominent.

If you eat the cheesecake cold, it is absolutely a treat! You taste more of that creamy cheesecake texture and cream cheese flavor, while maintaining a nice lightness. However, the cheesecake will have deflated a touch, so it won't be the fluffiest.

We recently also discovered that it tastes really good semi-frozen as well! It's almost like eating space ice cream! Just make sure to cover or at least wrap the cheesecake, so that the cheesecake won't taste like the freezer.

If you're looking for other sweet Asian goodies, you may like these:

• Japanese Jiggly Soufflé Pancakes
• Ube Mochi with Black Sesame Filling
• Sweet Potato Mochi Pancakes/ Hotteok(호떡)
• Brown Sugar Boba Ice Cream Bars

Bake with love!
Mei ❤️

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