🍰☁️🍰☁️🍰 Japanese Cotton Cheesecake 🍰☁️🍰☁️🍰
Ingredients:
Cream cheese: 8 ounces (225 grams), softened
Milk: 1/2 cup (120 mL)
Butter: 1/4 cup (55 grams), softened
Egg yolks: 6
Sugar: 1/4 cup (50 grams), divided
Cornstarch: 2 tablespoons (16 grams)
Lemon juice: 1 tablespoon (15 mL)
Egg whites: 6
Cream of tartar: 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 mL)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven and prepare the pan:
Preheat your oven to 320°F (160°C). Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Wrap the outside of the pan with aluminum foil to prevent water from seeping in during baking.
Make the batter:
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the cream cheese, milk, and butter together. Stir until smooth and remove from heat.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Gradually add the cream cheese mixture, whisking constantly to avoid cooking the yolks.
Sift in the cornstarch and whisk until well combined. Stir in the lemon juice.
Prepare the meringue:
In another clean bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add half of the sugar and continue beating until soft peaks form.
Combine the mixtures:
Gently fold one-third of the meringue into the cream cheese mixture using a spatula. Repeat with the remaining meringue in two more additions until the batter is evenly mixed.
Bake the cheesecake:
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Place the pan inside a larger baking dish, and fill the dish with hot water about halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan.
Bake for 25 minutes at 320°F (160°C), then reduce the temperature to 280°F (140°C) and bake for another 55 minutes, or until set but still wobbly in the center.
Cool the cheesecake:
Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door ajar for 1 hour to cool gradually. This helps prevent the cheesecake from collapsing.
Chill and serve:
Chill the cheesecake in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Serve chilled, decorated with a dusting of powdered sugar or fresh fruit if desired.
