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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Japanese Cotton Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the cheesecake batter base:
- 8 ounce cream cheese (or usually 1 block)
- 4 Tablespoon unsalted butter , melted (or ½ stick)
- 6 large egg yolk
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour , spooned and leveled
- 1½ Tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup heavy cream (or whole milk)
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest (about 1 lemon zested)
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice (about ½ lemon)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
For the meringue:
- 6 large egg white
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F, line the 8x3 round cake pan with parchment paper on both the bottom and sides, and prepare hot water and pan for water bath*.*You can make a water bath by lining a pan, that's larger than the pan that you will be using for the cheesecake, with a towel and filling it up with hot water. The pan should be able to hold enough water to go half way up the side of the cake pan for the cheesecake.*
- In a heatproof bowl over a simmering pot of water (or a bain-marie), add the block of cream cheese and whisk until soft and smooth. Whisk in the melted butter until evenly combined.
- Add a couple of egg yolks to the mixture at a time while whisking between each addition until all the yolks are incorporated. Whisk in the sugar.*Make sure to not overheat the mixture or it'll curdle! If the mixture feels too hot, take it off the simmer water and keep whisking*
- Sift the flour and cornstarch into the mixture and whisk until just combined and no more lumps are visible.
- Add the remaining ingredients (lemon zest and juice, cream, salt, and vanilla) and whisk to combine.Remove from the simmering water. Set aside until needed.
- In a clean mixing bowl, beat together egg whites and lemon juice on medium speed until completely frothy. Once frothy, slowly add small amounts of sugar to the egg white while continuing to beat on medium speed. Increase the speed to medium high and whip the meringue until it reaches a soft medium peak. The meringue should be able to form a peak, but the peak will hook.*DO NOT over-beat the meringue!*
- Transfer ⅓ of the meringue to the cheesecake batter base and whisk it until the batter is homogenous. Add another ⅓ of the meringue to the batter and this time, gently FOLD the meringue into the batter until just incorporated. Repeat with the remaining ⅓ meringue.
- Pour the Japanese cheese cake batter into the parchment lined 8x3 round cake pan and tap the pan on the table a couple of times to remove large air bubbles.
- Place the cake pan with the cheesecake batter inside the large pan lined with towel. Fill the pan with hot water, half way up, the 8x3 cake pan.*Make sure to not get any water in the batter!*
- Bake the cheesecake at 400°F for 15 minutes then turn the oven temperature down to 300°F. Bake the cheesecake for another 25-30 minutes or until the cheesecake is golden brown on top and an inserted toothpick comes out mostly clean.
- This step will help with keeping the cheesecake wrinkle free and prevent a huge shrinkage:Turn off the oven and keep the cheesecake in the oven for 15 minutes with the oven door closed. After the 15 minutes, remove the water bath, but keep the cheesecake in the oven with the oven door cracked for 30 minutes.
- Remove the Japanese cheesecake from the oven and carefully remove it from the cake pan. Unwrap the side parchment and let the cheesecake cool on a wire rack at room temperature.
- You can enjoy the cheesecake while it's warm, room temperature, or chilled. We recommend chilling the cheesecake for at least 1 hour in the fridge for best flavor.
Atena says
My heated batter was silky smooth when I finished, but became lumpy after I set it aside, I out it in the oven anyway.
Mei says
Hi Atena!
Thank you so much for trying out our Japanese Cotton Cheesecake recipe! The only reason I can think of as to why your heated batter may have become lumpy could be because your batter was overheated (which can curdle the egg yolks). After taking the heated batter off the simmering water, I tend to give it a few more seconds of mixing to ensure that the retained heat on the bowl wouldn't overcook my batter. For already existing clumps, our rule of thumb is to always strain it. I hope the cheesecake still turned out well! Please let us know if we can help in any way!
Bake with love,
Mei ❤️
Atena says
It actually turned out good. I think it just continued warming on the warm stove and the bottom became cooked. It wasn't curdled. I did not think to strain it.
Mei says
Hi Atena!
Gotcha. We're so glad the cheesecake still turn out good! Thanks again for trying out our recipe!
Bake with love!
Mei ❤️
Atena says
Thanks, i love it. I'm making it again now.
Ta says
I've made this twice now, and it's so good! I have a springform pan, so water has accidentally seeped through to the batter, but even then it has been very good. If anything, it almost seemed to make it more moist. Thanks so much for this recipe!
Mei says
Hi Ta!
Thank you so much for trying out our recipe! So glad you enjoyed the Japanese cheesecake! To prevent springform pan water leakages, I usually double wrap the pan in foil. Thanks again for stopping by!
Bake with love!
Mei ❤️
Yvonne Finne says
How should this cake be stored? I want to ship to family.
Mei says
Hi Yvonne!
Thank you for checking out out recipe! This cake should be stored in the fridge, up to 7 days, after it's been cooled completely. I don't recommending shipping the cheesecake, as it's a very fragile cake. But if you are shipping it, I highly recommend overnight shipping, properly packed with cooling packs, etc.
Hope this helps!
Mei ❤️
Loren Gigi says
Hi Mei! I am going to bake this for an event soon, and I am trying to prepare all the ingredients/equipment for a 100% good outcome 🙂 I was wondering how much of an impact the water bath makes. I have a small oven, and I can't fit one but I do want the cheesecake to come out well. Is it necessary in this case?
Thanks!
Mei says
Hi Loren!
Sorry that I got back to you late, but seems like your Japanese cheesecake turned out well! Congrats! But to answer your question, a waterbath is highly recommended to help prevent cracks on the cheesecake, just like when making classic New York Cheesecakes. This method help maintain a constant temperature that cooks the entire cheesecake gently.
Hope this helps!
Bake with love!
Mei ❤️
Loren Gigi says
lovely!!! thank you so much. turned out great.
Carrid puddell says
Tasted amazing. Top was not smooth not sure what I did not quite right but will definitely make it again. The lemon made it!
Mei says
Hi Carrid!
So glad you enjoyed the Japanese cheesecake! The extra lemon is also our favorite part!
As for the bumpy top, it would be caused by large air bubbles in the cheesecake batter. To prevent large bubbles, gently fold the meringue to avoid incorporating a lot of air. You can also slowly pour the batter into the cake pan at a tall height to help pop any bubbles. Lastly, firmly tap the cake pan on your countertop a couple of times before baking. With those 3 steps, you shouldn't be seeing anymore large bubbles.
Hope this helps!
Mei
Kim says
Hi! Have you ever tried this with gluten free flour? It looks delicious!
Mei says
Hi Kim!
We have not tried this recipe with gluten free flour. So we can't say how it will turn out. But if you do give it a try, we would love to know how it turns out.
Best,
Mei ❤️
reba says
I found a way of not doing a hot water bath, instead use plastic bags used for slow cooker, works great. then put you cake in hot water bath and no water will seep in.
Mei says
Hi Reba!
That's a great idea! Thank you for sharing!
Mei❤️
Theresa says
I only had half of a block of cream cheese on hand so I ended halving this recipe. It turned out successfully fluffy and spongy and the flavor was delicious, reminding me of those of the store bought chiffon cakes! The cheesecake also rose beautifully to a golden brown color with no cracks on the surface. The water from the water bath did leak into my cheesecake and made the outcome slightly soggy at the bottom, so I recommend anyone wanting to try this recipe to wrap your cake pan in aluminum foil beforehand to prevent this. I also wished that there was more cheesecake flavor, so maybe next time I might add more. Overall a great, foolproof recipe and I highly recommend!
Mei says
Hi Theresa!
Thank you for your feedback and tips! So glad the cheesecake turned out well and you enjoyed the it!
For Japanese cheesecakes, the cream cheese flavor is more subtle because less cream cheese is used. Also, because it is a meringue based cake, we do not recommend changing the amount of ingredients too much as it can be finicky. Did you get to try to the cheese cake chilled? The cream cheese flavor will be slightly more pronounced when the cake is cold.
And a great point you brought up! I'll have to had it into the recipe notes. If you are using a springform pan, it needs to be wrapped with foil to prevent water from leaking into the cake. If you are using a regular cake pan, the waterbath shouldn't cause any issues =)
Mei ❤️
Reba says
Help this is the second timei have made the cake and this time i forgot the lemon juice. Will it still be ok?
Mei says
Hi Reba!
Thanks for trying out our cheesecake recipe! The cheesecake will be fine without the lemon juice, but the flavor will not be the same. Hope you still enjoyed it!
Mei ❤️
Sue says
HI Mei,
I have a steam oven, could I bake this with the steam function on rather than a water bath?
Thanks
Mei says
Hi Sue!
To be honest, we have not tried making Japanese cheesecake in a steam oven before, but we still recommend using a water bath. The purpose of the water bath is to ensure that the cheesecake is baked gently while maintaining the moisture. The steam is helpful in terms of keeping the cheesecake moist but will not help regulate the baking temperature.
Hope this helps!
Mei ❤️