Foodie

Saturday, October 01, 2005

Cotton Soft Japanese Cheesecake

I have to thank Edith for posting this recipe. I have changed the fresh milk to fresh heavy whipping cream and the method of preparation. I use whatever brand of cream cheese that is on sale. The cheesecake turned out very well and i have dressed with fresh whipped cream and a strawberry topping. I made the cheesecake a day ahead and dressed it the next day when we had guests from Las Vegas visiting. I wonder if the texture is fluffy when eaten fresh as mine cuts beautifully for it was slightly densed.

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Ingredients:

250g cream cheese
50g butter
100ml heavy whipping cream
60g superfine flour
20g cornflour
6 egg yolks
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp of lemon zest
¼ tsp salt
6 egg whites
¼ tsp cream of tartar
140g fine granulated sugar(divide into 2, one half for the egg yolk mixture and the other for the egg whites)

Frosting:

2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp sugar

Topping:

1 cup of frozen strawberry
2 tbsp sugar
1 pkt of gelatin
1 tbsp water

Method:

1. Preheat oven at 300 F and bring a kettle of water to a boil.

2. Lightly grease and line the bottom and sides which should be 1 1/2 " above the rim of a 8" pan with greaseproof paper.

3. Melt cream cheese, butter and heavy whipping cream in a double boiler.

43. Cool the mixture. over iced bath.

5. Fold in the flours, egg yolks, sugar,lemon juice, salt and zest and mix well.

6. Whisk egg white until foamy, then add in cream of tartar and whisk on the highest speed.

7. Add in the sugar gradually and whisk until soft peaks form.(if lifted with the whisk, the white should have a curve tip)

8. Add 1/3 of the whisked egg white into the cream cheese mixture in 4. Mix it really well with the biggest spatula available.

9. Fold in the rest of the egg white and then FOLD in, from the center to the sides and not forgeting the bottom of bowl. Do not overmix.

10. Pour into a 8” round cake pan . Line a roasting pan with a kitchen cloth at the bottom and place cake pan on the cloth. Place roasting pan in the preheated oven and pour boiling water into the roasting pan. Water level should be half way of cake pan.

11 Bake cheese cake for 1 hrs 30 mins or until set or golden brown.

12. Leave in the oven with door ajar for an hour until cake cools.

13. Take it out of oven and turn cake out of cake pan. Wrap with aluminium foil and leave in the fridge.

For the Topping:

1. Thaw the strawberries and then pass through the sieve.

2. Bloom the gelatin with water.

3. Cook the strained strawberries with the sugar and when mixture boils, turn fire to low and add in gelatin. Cook until gelatin melts. (cool mixture in iced water before using)

Frosting:

1. Whisked the heavy whipping cream in the highest speed until soft peak(do not overwhipped, under whipped would be desirable, finish whipping by hand, whipped cream will turn to butter if overwhipped). Add in sugar.

2. Iced the cheesecake with the whipped cream and pour the cooled strawberry gelatin mixture on the top of cake. ENJOY




Serves

95 comments:

Edith said...

Looks so yummy. I love this recipe. edith

FooDcrazEE said...

yummy it is! i think i'm gonna learn how to bake. dats my main weakness ---- baking pastries.

Delish. copying the recipe.

Unknown said...

edith

Thanks again for posting this recipe. Like i said, will the cheesecake be fluffy like chiffon cake if i had not put it in the fridge.

foodcrazee

start baking and you will have many friends

Rabbit Sim said...

Hi Lily,

The cheesecake should still be cotton soft and souffle like even after refrigerating, try omitting the superfine flour and substitute it with cornflour. I used the recipe from www.euphocafe.com and it stays fluffy even after 3 days, not that it will last that long.........

Unknown said...

Rabiit Sim

I would be much obliged if you could get me the recipe from euphocafe as i could not find it in english

Anonymous said...

Hi,

Your cheesecake looks so delicious. May I know what is superfine flour? Thanks

Rabbit Sim said...

Sure, will post one up in my blog as my friends has been asking too. Will give you a buzz when it's posted.

Unknown said...

dearest sharon

superfine flour is cake flour and i think you can get in Bake with Yen in puchong. Cake flour has low protein and that makes the cake more fine. If not available, take out a tablsepoon of plain flour from 1 cup and replace with cornflour

Anonymous said...

Thank you Lily for your detailed explanation. I am in the US and it is easy to find cake flour in the grocery stores. Thanks again.

Unknown said...

sylo

guessed the recipe is not very clear, sorry about it. i will edit to make it clearer.

this recipe is from singapore therefore low protein flour is called superfine flour. I use cake flour. If the above is not available, use plain/all purpose flour, measure a cup, take out 1 tbsp and replace with cornflour.

question 2 about sugar, the original recipe, edith whisk all the sugar with the egg whites but when i made it, i divide sugar into half. half goes into the egg yolk mixture and half to the whites. you do not have to measure the halves, just guesstimate.

the rising depends on the whisking of egg whites. do not overwhisk and fold in as gently as possible.

good luck

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily,

Thank you very much for the detailed post. I was wondering how high should I pour the batter into the cake pan? I baked the cake yesterday and the batter was too much for my 8 inch round cake pan (height of 1 and half inch). I also did not have the parchment paper higher than the cake pan.

Thank you very much for all your recipes! I love your detailed descriptions, they really help a very amatuer baker such as me. =)

Angie

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily -

I tried the recipe - the taste is very good but the texture isn't :( i think i have done something wrong. The very top part is kinda like a cake but the whole thing is kinda like a custard (the chinese kind). very firm. It isn't like a cake at all. I have tried it 3 times but i always get the same result. i tried to shorten the time to beat the egg white but the result is still the same. Any suggestion?

helpless baker...

Unknown said...

caroline

the most crucial process is the beating of egg whites. they have to be whisked in a very clean bowl until stiff at soft peak stage. Mix in 1/3 of egg white to temper the cream cheese mixture, mix thoroughly, then SLOWING FOLD in the rest of egg whites.

use hot water for the bran marie

Anonymous said...

HI Lily !
Thanks for sharing all the great recipes! i have tried this recipe twice , but it didnt turn out the way i wanted it to be .
Well the first time, it didnt rise as what i expected , and i guess tht was because i didnt beat the egg till soft peak . The second time, the bottom of the cheese cake just didnt turn out as fluffy as the top part . This also happened when i tried the chiffon cake . What do u think the problem is ? Plus , i bake my cheese cake triple the time u suggested .. hmm.. what do u think the problem is ? Could it be because the oven temp is just not right , or do u have any suggestion?

Unknown said...

anonymous

what more can i suggest? you have answered your own questions. For chiffon and this fluffy cheesecake, whisking the egg whites to stiff but soft peak is very important and folding in so as not to deflate it.

Oven temperature must be quite high for chiffon but for cheesecake it has to be low and in a water bath.

Anonymous said...

hi lily,
thanks for sharing this recipe! Can you tell me high should i fill up the cake tin with the batter? I can't seem to get the right texture. Sometimes the cake's pretty compact. Really need help on this! thanks!

Unknown said...

anonymous

if you are using an 8 inch cake pan with a 3 inch height and then line with greaseproof paper 1 1/2 inch higher than the pan, all the batter should be poured in.

if the texture is compact then you could have deflated the egg whites when you fold it in the batter.

riverina said...

I have made this cheesecake twice (though obtained the recipe from another food site) but both times I had used milk - I'm guess that using cream as a substitute for milk will make the cheesecake denser and creamier.. does it taste better than when made with milk? if so, maybe I should try it next time.

Also, both times I managed to get water from the water bath seep into the cake tin, despite wrapping it in atleast 4 layers of foil. Do you know why this may be? Is there a really good way of wrapping it so that water can't get through??

(also, the second time round, I baked the cheesecake in a deeper 8 inch cake tin than the first time and the cheesecake seemed to rise a LOT higher and was consequently less dense. Do you think this is because I used a deeper tin, or because I added waaaay more lemon juice?)

Unknown said...

joanna

you must bake with a cake pan that has 3 inch height and as mentioned you would have to line the sides at 1 1/2 inch above the pan.

i supposed you are using foil that is 12 inch. i used heavy duty 18 in foil and wrap the outside of the cake pan. the hot water for the bain marie must be not be boiling. keep oven temp low.

cream is thicker and richer than milk. do try with cream, i have even tried using very thick coconut milk and it is fabulous

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily
It's Tatiana again. Thanks for this recipe. I just made this and substituted the whipping cream with thick coconut milk (Savoy brand), and also replaced the cream of tartar with white vinegar (both as a stabilizer and to replace the lemon juice).

It is fantastic, even though the cake cracked slightly on top (Oven too hot or overmixed the egg white?). But when it is cooled, the cracks were hardly noticeable.

I didn't dress the cake and it is moist,soft and cheesy. This is the first time I've attempted baking a cheese cake and I must tell you, this has boosted my confidence lots! I can't wait to try this again. My daughters love it. A million thanks!! :-)

Tatiana

Anonymous said...

Lily, when u say leave the cake in the oven for 1 hour after its baked - do we remove the cake tin from the hot water in the baking tray 1st?

Carolyn

Unknown said...

carolyn

just leave the cake as is in the hot water bath. just open the oven door and close it leaving it ajar. if your oven door cannot be left opened for about an inch or two, just a woodenspoon or such to prevent the door from closing tightly.

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily,


I am Sammy from Singapore.

I was searching for the recipe for soft moist cheese cake when I found your website.

I can't wait to try it out. Plus I read all the rest of the comments posted I would like to know if I should replace all the fine flour with corn flour that was recommended by one of the ladies.

Can I get advise on the temperature cos from where I am from we used Celesius instead.

Trillion thanks.

Sammy

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

sammy

the temp is 150 c and the other recipe which uses all cornflour, please refer to souffle cheesecake

Unknown said...

Hi Lily

I have a question about the gelatine. I'm in Australia and gelatine is sold in granules. And I have no idea what 'blooming' gelatine means.

Hiu

Unknown said...

hiu

to bloom is a fancy culinary term for soaking the gelatin in cold water.

Unknown said...

Hi Lily

I forgot to ask how much gelatine should I use? How much is a 'packet' of geltine in your recipe?

Cheers

Hiu

Unknown said...

hiu

a packet of gelatine has 1/4 oz or 7 gm

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily,
I've tried this and turned out really well, very happy with results! Thanks for the recipe! If I find the cream cheese too cheesy and if I do cut down the use of philadelphia cream cheese from 250g to half, will it affect the overall result of the cake? What other modifications do I have to make? Does butter or any other ingredients to be reduced / increased accordingly? Many thanks again! Chris Wu

Unknown said...

chris

250 gm of cream cheese is not chessy at all. perhaps you could use the cream cheese as a flavoring say about 60 - 70 gm to make a sponge or chiffon cake.

tuan umah said...

hi lily,

look delicious!anyway,last week I try to make it but not ur receipes..however,it fail..maybe becoz of white egg did not beat well.need to beat until soft peak?i mean,when i try to drop it,the egg white will not drop.can I bake in bain marie?

Unknown said...

orang kg

if the egg white will nto drop, it might be too stiff. check when it is fluffy and glossy and a droop at the tip - soft peak.

please do bake in bain marie

tuan umah said...

just like making meringue? (like bubble bath)

Unknown said...

orang kg

i don't quite understand this question - like bubble bath?

yes, whisking the egg whites is the same as what the recipe for making meringue calls for.

tuan umah said...

mmnow i know how to beat egg white since u said like making meringue..

Anonymous said...

Hey, lovely recipe ~

I just baked it and i did water bath it, however it still cracked on the top, does it matter other than concerning the appearance?, there was also big-ish (egg sized) holes in the cake, do you know why?

Unknown said...

yrose

the crack will not alter the taste of the cake. use fruits topping if you need to serve it on a occasion.

the big holes are caused by the air in the egg whites and to prevent this, run the spatula in the batter, stirring gently before you put in the oven for baking

Anonymous said...

I think my cake tin is a 10" one and I don't use a water bath as it is a springform tin and water will leak into the batter. but so far so good-Have made this cake numerous times according to your recipe with great success. Many thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

i attempted this today! my fish attempt that involved whisking egg whites..

it turned out alright but the top was rough and ugly.. ): may i ask for some advice?

Unknown said...

jiaying

i think you did not mix the egg white in thoroughly. the egg white could be too stiff and harder to get it mix.

Anonymous said...

hi,

i have to questions to ask?

1) do you beat the egg yolk till light and lemon white before folding into the cheese mixture?

2) my cake rose very high after i bake but shrunk after it was cool. why is it so? is it because i didnt leave it in the oven for an oven to cool for an oven?

3) what is the purpose of cooling in the oven for an hour? will it overbake the cake?

thanks

Unknown said...

anonymous

you do not have to beat the egg yolks till light, just mix well with the other ingredients.

if the cake is taken out of the hot oven into a cold kitchen, it will sink due to the change of temp that is why it is left to cool in the hot oven to cool. remember to leave the oven door ajar.

Anonymous said...

hi,

thanks for sharing the recipe.. I have a couple questions to ask.

1. The top of my cake was 'cracked'! may i know what caused it? I couldnt acheive a smooth surface like yours after attempting this twice.

2. When baking, I could see that my cake started to rise. After about 10 mins, the top became brown so i covered with foil. However, after 1 hour of letting it rest in the oven, it sank. Why did it sank?

Thanks once again :o)

Unknown said...

lisa

When the internal temperature of a cheesecake rises beyond 160 degrees F. while baking, it will always crack. To prevent this from happening, use an instant-read thermometer to test its doneness. Take it out of the oven when the cheesecake reaches 150 degrees F. at the center to avoid over baking.

A wonderful looking cheesecake (with no cracks), can crack as it sits on the cooling rack because the cake shrank during cooling and clung to the sides of the springform pan. To avoid this from happening, cool the cheesecake for only a few minutes, and then, using a paring knife, free it from the sides of the pan before allowing it to cool completely.

Expect a slight shrinkage as it cools. If there is great shrinkage, you have baked it at too high a heat. The high heat also contributed to the overbrowning of the top.

Porcinus May said...

Hi Lily,

Your cheesecake souffle recipe looked too scrumptious for me to not try once!

I baked it yesterday and it turned out good. It looked like a cheesecake and was the perfect texture, taste and aroma.

But even after refridgerating it over night, I am unable to cut the cake into a solid piece.
It just turns to mush when I try to cut it!

Do you know what I might have done wrong here?

It's not all lost, the only issue is I can't cut a piece to share with friends because it doesn't look presentable after cutting!

Love your site Lily! =)

Unknown said...

porcinus may

try cutting the cake when it is still cold from the fridge with a warm knife. wipe knife after every cut. use a serrated knife and a sawing motion.
+

Anonymous said...

Hello Lily!

I got your cheese cake recipe here after eating what my friend baked based on this and begging her for it. :) Now, after saving it in my computer for more than 2 years, I'm finally ready to try it myself. :)

Before I start, a few questions to bug you:
#1: the recipe calls for lemon zest, but I didn't see it being used anywhere. Am I missing something?
#2: Can I make this using a springform cake tin?
#3: Step 2 calls for greaseproof paper, can I use alum. foil instead? And pardon my ignorance, if the cake pan needs to be lined anyways, why does it also need to be greased? Do you line first or grease first?
#4: Could you elaborate Step 9 for me a little more? So I should fold in then... fold in? It looks more like fold out to me. :)

Sorry I'm very new to baking so there are still a lot of terms for me to learn. Thank you for your kind help!

Melody

Unknown said...

melody

i am sorry i left the lemon zest and have editted the recipe. Add in together with the lemon juice.

yes, a springform pan can be used and make sure that the pan is covered with double layered aluminium foil on the outside, so that water does not seep in while baking.

for any baking which needs lining with greaseproof paper, always grease the tin/pan, line and then grease the paper. This is to ensure easy release of the cake and the paper protects the cake from getting overly brown

Folding in is a term used when the whisked egg whites are folded in gently rather than mixing or beating in as in step 8.

good luck

Anonymous said...

Lily,

A friend of mine gave me a piece of this cake during tea time and that inspired me a lot to try making it myself.

I have a little experience in bread making but not at all in cake. I tried the first time, as usual, failed. I guessed it might be due to putting the ingredients in without weighting them seriously. I bought the machine and this time I fail again (for same outcome, too dense, the cake texture) even I put the ingredients in correct ratio.

Only after I have read through all the discussions here, I found the mistake, i.e. no bubble after mixing the sugar, cream of tartar and egg white. I thought mix it up and it will be alright. Finally, I understand why cream of tartar is needed. To stabilise the bubbles. Am I right for saying so?

But the way, some recipe didn’t mention the must to add in sugar bit by bit. What would you think if I say putting the sugar in together at once will not cause the cake to be dense? Adding it in bit by bit is just a way to ensure the time used to beat the egg white is long enough, say 10 mins. The final requirement is bubbles and well mix of the sugar, right? Another important step is not to burst the bubbles when adding the second mixture to the first mixture, right? All I have been concerning is just the cake texture, and not touching the taste or smell yet. Did my assumptions to make my third attempt succeed correct?

My suggestion is to put a column like “what could easily goes wrong” in the recipe. (That was what I found in a recipe which descripts the making of kimchi). Those who try for the first time would appreciate it very much.

KS

Anonymous said...

Dear Lily,

I am from Indonesia, tried this recipe last Friday and it succeed, though I replace the heavy whipping cream with just plain milk. It tastes okay. My question is where do we put the salt, I assume that the salt was supposed to be mix with the flour right? Anyway, thanks for sharing your recipe.

Unknown said...

ks

i would love to document as to what can go wrong but i don't have the time and expertise. I too have been searching the net and have borrowed scores of books to learn about 'how to' and 'what should be done or not to do'

you never stop learning despite of your age.

Unknown said...

evi

thanks for letting me know. i have editted this post

PEBBLES - the Lord's beloved said...

Hi Auntie Lily,

I love cheesecake! I usually make the non-bake cheesecake with biscuit base. I have experimented with oreo cookies in the filling as well as fruits in the filling.

I would like to try the recipe in yourpost. I have a question, though. Is cake flour the same thing as self-raising flour?

Thank you.

Love,
Pebbles

Unknown said...

pebbles

self raising flour has baking powder added.

you could use unbleached all purpose flour, replace a tbsp with cornflour for 1 cup

Anonymous said...

I was so excited when I found this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing. I read all the posts and decided to try myself. The top part came out great, but the bottom doesn't seem like it was cooked throughly. It was like mushy, wet egg. Cooking it longer might dry out the top- do you think the problem is there was too much water in the roasting pan so the bottom did not get enough heat? Or, I converted all the measuments in to tablespoons so I guess it is possible I made a mistake and I didn't put in enough flour. Overall it turned out pretty good and I would like to try to make it again.

Unknown said...

tammy

there are 2 possiblities, one is that you did not whip the egg whites stiff enough and the other could be water has seeped in.

water level for the hot water should not be 2/3 of the cake pan

Anonymous said...

hi Lily,

Wanna ask...last week i tasted a baked cheesecake by a friend and it taste awful. May i know the reasons?

She told me she put many lemon and also lime on it but yet i still able to taste the awful smell like a spoil cheese...

Unknown said...

anonymous

Perhaps it is spoilt cheese, the cake must have gone bad when you tasted it.

Anonymous said...

Hi,

Can I replace the corn flour with glutinuos flour?

Thanks.

Sjmaro

Unknown said...

sjmaro

i don't think glutinous flour is a good sub for corn flour. perhaps tapioca/potato/rice will be better.

~t@b!tH4~ said...

Hi,

I found your website a few days before. am now studying in Australia! miss all the local delights and convenience of neighbourhood cheap bakeries!! had leftover cream cheese from my raspberry cheesecakes and decided to half this recipe. it was easy to whip up! effortless... but my eggs were really big, 80g each.. making my cake a little too rich for my liking.. but its a good recipe!!! i guessed the texture should be soft & fluffy... my friend loves the crust!! thks for sharing.. would keep track and try more local delights!!

Love, Tabitha

yenda said...

Hi Lily..

Wanna ask .. which one is better to use for making this cake : Spreadable cream cheese or the block one? because this is the first time i will try to bake:) have no idea at all about baking ... and once more question .. what make this cake is so tender ? is it the cheese cream or the white eggs ? please help me with your suggestion...

Thanks a lot ...

Unknown said...

yenda

use the block ones and not the spreadable.

this cake is light and fluffy cos of the eggs and whisking the egg whites until stiff and not dry, make this cake lighter, make sure to fold in gently so as not to deflate the whites.

Anonymous said...

I have made japanese cheesecake many times. My tips are to use a pyrex glass dish instead of a cake tin - no leakage. I butter the dish then line with parchment at the bottom and around the edge. The butter acts like glue to keep it in place. I do not use flour, just 40gms cornflour. I use 250gms cream cheese to 4 medium sized eggs. I use milk not cream. I add the milk/egg yolk/cheese to the whipped egg whites/sugar mixture. I use a metal spoon to cut through the centre of the mixture then fold over, turn the bowl a quarter turn then repeat. This is the best way to preserve the air in the egg whites. I place in a bain marie of cold water into a previously hot oven at the bottom, turning down to 260 degrees when dish placed inside. This prevents a tough outer edge.
Churros Lady

Anonymous said...

hye..can i substitute the heavy cream with milk?....if so, how much milk do i need to similarly having the same volume as the heavy cream?

Unknown said...

anonymous

you could use milk if you do not have heavy cream but the cake will be less rich. Just the same amount

Anonymous said...

hi, I've tried ths recipe twice, both times were unsuccessful despite me following the recipe to the T!!! Both times turned out soggy at the bottom. What might possibly be the problem?

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily, I tried making this cake, but my aluminium cake tin keeps floating in the water bath. How do you weigh it down so that it can bake in the water bath? Do you have this problem?

Appreciate any feedback /suggestions you may have.

Thank you!

~sweets

Unknown said...

-sweets

trying using a kitchen towel in the water bath before putting the cake on top of towel - or try using a heavier cake pan

sweets said...

Thanks Lily! I'll try that. Appreciate it.

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily,
Is cornflour same like cornstarch? Can i use cornmeal instead? If cannot what can i substitute with? I been looking everywhere to find cornflour but all i see is cornmeal and cornstarch.

Unknown said...

anonymous

cornstarch is the same as cornflour. in fact, here we are right to call it cornstarch as cornflour should be cornmeal. in malaysia and i am sure in UK or australia, it is known as cornflour.

Anonymous said...

Hello Auntie Lily,

This cake looks quite complex, but i'm determined to try. I can recall the beautiful texture of the Japanese Cheesecake I used to buy from Isetan when living in KL. Yummmm....

Managed to get cake flour from the grocery store just now. Yaaayyy! : )

Just need to clarify some details before I start this adventure.
1) Should the water be boiled just prior to popping the cake into the oven? Step mentions boiling water. But by the time the water is used, it would have cooled down?

2) Is fine granulated sugar = castor sugar? Mr Google said that it's regular sugar.

3) Have you tried making it with low-fat cream cheese? Would it work, i wonder?

4) I'm guessing that you used a springform pan? You mentioned in Comments that you wrap the bottom of the cake pan with foil.

5) Do you cool the cake completely before wrapping in foil and popping it into the fridge? Overnight in the fridge?

Thanks, Auntie Lily.

kl_changs

Unknown said...

kl_changs

1) Should the water be boiled just prior to popping the cake into the oven? Step mentions boiling water. But by the time the water is used, it would have cooled down?

>>the water should be hot, cook water just before you need to use it.

2) Is fine granulated sugar = castor sugar? Mr Google said that it's regular sugar.

>>here in the states, castor sugar = FINE granulated. do not use granulated sugar as it is very coarse and is regular sugar in malaysia.

3) Have you tried making it with low-fat cream cheese? Would it work, i wonder?

>> no i have not tried it

4) I'm guessing that you used a springform pan? You mentioned in Comments that you wrap the bottom of the cake pan with foil.

>> most springform pan leaks and water will seep in and this will ruin the cake. Even if you are using non-springform and the cake pan has seams - foil it too

5) Do you cool the cake completely before wrapping in foil and popping it into the fridge? Overnight in the fridge?

>>yes, the cake has to be cooled before going into the fridge

Unknown said...

Hello,

I apologize ahead of time for this very stupid question. I am incredibly new to baking/cooking. I am unsure how to make my egg whites into soft peaks. How would you do so?

Thank you.

Unknown said...

lily

you can read about how to whip egg whites and other questions of baking here http://www.baking911.com/howto/egg_whites_beat.htm

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily,

Thanks for sharing your recipe. I was wondering if cream of tartar can be replaced with something else? It is difficult to find and I heard from friends that it is very expensive.

Cheers,
Jen

Unknown said...

jen

Substitute the cream of tartar for an equal amount of lemon juice or vinegar. The amount for substitution should measure about 1/8 teaspoon per egg white

Unknown said...

Hi Aunty Lily Wai Sek Hong!

We had a tragic victory in the kitchen last night: the cake looked heaps promising and we were patient in waiting for the one hour cooling down time in the oven left ajar.

BUT - upon turning the cake out, it was ALL soggy. My guess is that in leaving the tin in the roasting pan with the water, the water seeped into the sides of the springform tin as the cake shrank away from the sides upon cooling as most cakes do.

Have we just been silly in leaving the cake in the water bath or is it meant to be left in there? the recipe didnt mention anything about taking it out so we assumed that it was to be left in...

Soggy cakes make me sad!! :( please advice.

thanks,
sogz

Unknown said...

sogz

leaving the cake to cool in the oven with the bain marie is fine - in the first place, the cake pan be it springform or otherwise, should be wrapped with heavy duty foil on the outside.

Anonymous said...

hey!! if i bake this on sunday and leave it in the fridge. can i take it out from fridge the next day for the whole day? because i want to bring this to school for my friends. will the cake turn soggy and too soft?

Unknown said...

anonymous

if the cake is baked right it should be ok

sushi said...

Thanks for the recipe! I tried baking it last night, but I messed up somewhere. Firstly, does anyone have any tips to stop the cake pan from floating in the waterbath? Because of this, the water didn't reach halfway up the cake pan. Also, I baked it for the time specified, but I don't think the cheesecake completely cooked. It raised nicely, but when I left it in the oven to cool, it sank completely. When I took the cake our of the pan, the bottom half was extremely dense and slightly mushy. Should I increase the temparature or extend the baking time?

Unknown said...

sushi

to prevent cake from floating use a heavier springform pan or line a few more layers of alumminium foil to give more weight and also assurance that water does not seep into cake.

the densed cake is caused by the cake deflating and the cake deflated cos it could be underbake. extend the cooking time and check for doneness.

Anonymous said...

Thank you you all for all the tips and tricks taught her regarding the cheesecake. I have finally made today the first successful recipe and I am so happy and the cake is very nice. I have used mascarpone cheese instead and it worked pretty well.

Lilian said...

when u mention, 'Fold in the flours, egg yolks, sugar,lemon juice, salt and zest and mix well' are u doing it by a hand whisk or can it done by an electric stand mixer? i'm a bit afraid to beat it too much otherwise it may loose the 'airiness'. thanks if u can reply.

Unknown said...

lilian

use a hand whisk to mix the flours, egg yolks, sugar and lemon juice, mix until no lumps. It is folding in with the egg whites.

Lilian said...

The cake turned out to be a success but i was a bit sad that some of the water leaked into the springform pan and dampened the sides of the cake...luckily not much as I wrapped it with a few layers of foil. I put into the fridge to chill so at least this managed to remove some of the moisture so by the time my family ate it it was drier. Tastewise it was good but i used milk instead of cream and only added 1 tbsp lemon juice and not the zest.
Next time I won't use a springform pan again to bake this cake. Thanks.

Lilian said...

Btw, i only baked it for 1 hour as i tested it with a skewer and it came out perfectly clean. Was my temperature of the oven too hot? I did use an oven thermometer. The top was nicely brown but i covered it halfway with foil to prevent further browning and the cake was moist and fluffy. Why do u think it only took an hour? I didn't use fan forced oven.

Unknown said...

lilian

i am glad that you have a success with this cake. Every oven is different and in most recipes, the cooking time is only a guide and cooking time differs too when a different size baking pan/tin is used. The type of baking pan/tins used matter too in baking.

This cake is best baked with the thickest and heaviest cake pan and i am glad that you have layered with several layers of foil, that will cushion off some of the heat. With higher heat, the cake rises and will sink when it comes out of the oven.

karen said...

Hello Lily,

Hope this message finds you're well. I tried the receipe of making the Japanese Cheese Cake 3 times and read through the tips that you posted on your food blog. I had the similar problem after 3 trials that the cake was collapsed and shrunk when it cooled in the oven with the door ajar. I was very excited when I saw the cake was rising tall underneath the water bath in the oven. When I removed the cake from the oven after 30 mintues to 1 hour that was cooled in the oven, it wasn't look beatiful as the one
you posted on your food blog. It was densed. shrunk.

Could you advise what should I do to prevent the cake from shrink and get wrinkled while it was cooled in the oven? I would like to make the cake for my father who will turn 79 years old in March. He loves this cake as it reminds him of the childhood.

Thanks again and I'm looking forward of hearing your response

Karen

Unknown said...

karen

i have been trying to experiment and note down every possiblities to prevent this cake from shrinkage. I would like to post them but somehow did not have the opportunity. Anyway, i have noted that there are many factors:

1. Do not overbeat the eggwhites, beat till soft peaks so that the rise will not much and will not shrink that much.

2. The cake pan or tin used for baking is important too, use a cake pan/tin which is heavier. I have even lined the outside of the cake pan/tin to prevent the cake from rising too much.

3. Make sure that the water used for the water-bath is at least half way up the cake pna/tin and the water is not hot.

4. I noticed that the oven temp. the lower the oven temp works better, bake longer then fast cos when the heat is higher, cake will rise and it will definitely fall.

i hope this help

Disappointed said...

Hi Lily,
I tried the recipe and the cake comes out fine. The next day when i cut the cake, is not fluffy !
Looks more like cheesecaje, why ?

Unknown said...

disappointed

although this cake is called cotton, it is still quite a densed cake but very much lighter than the regular cheesecake but not as light as a sponge or chiffon cake.

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