Japanese Cheesecake (3 ingredients)

If you asked me 3 years ago if I like cheesecake, my answer would have been a resounding NO. My heart (and stomach) have since softened a little to cheesecake, especially the oreo versions, but I can never, up to now, devour a full slice of cheesecake on my own.

Unless it's Japanese cheesecake. The soft, fluffy, and light texture is totally different from the conventional so-rich-and-dense-your-mouth-has-no-breathing-space cheesecakes.

Then I heard about a Japanese cheesecake recipe that can be made with just 3 ingredients. Who doesn't like simple recipes? I had to try it. But it turned out flat like a pancake!

Taste testers say it tastes exactly like it should, which was great! But how to make it higher? I tried another time with baking soda added - and ruined the cake. DON'T ADD BAKING SODA. The cake becomes tasteless and inedible. I don't have enough knowledge to explain why at the moment. Just don't do it.

And then I realised, I'd used an 8 inch cake pan when it was meant for a 6 inch cake pan. I'm such a genius.

UPDATE - I tried baking this again with a 6-inch cake pan and it looks much better! :)

Tasters said it's a little too sweet though, and the texture was more like mousse than the light sponge of the one from Breadtalk. The temperature of my oven couldn't be controlled well - it's going a little haywire (why now though.. it's only been 1.5 years >.<) - which may explain the less-than-perfect result. Still, I'm glad it looks better!

Maybe next time, I'll try a version with dark chocolate. It might be more palatable then with reduced sweetness.

Recipe from Ochikeron

Ingredients:

3 eggs

120g white chocolate

120g cream cheese, room temperature

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170 deg Celsius / 338 deg Fahrenheit. Line a 6 inch round cake pan with baking paper and grease the baking paper.

2. Separate the egg yolks and egg whites. Put the whites into a large bowl (for whipping later). Yolks can be put into a small bowl. Cool the whites in the fridge until you're ready to use them - this makes the meringue more stable later. Meringue refers to whipped egg whites.

3. Break the chocolate into pieces. Melt in a double boiler over hot water (60 deg Celsius / 140 deg Fahrenheit). Add the cream cheese and melt them together. Remove bowl from double boiler, add the egg yolks, and mix well.

If you don't have a double boiler (like me), you can put the chocolate in a mixing bowl, then put the bowl over a pot of hot water like the photo below.

4. Whip whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Test for firmness by overturning the meringue bowl. The meringue should not slide out.

5. Add 1/3 meringue into the cream cheese mixture and blend well with a spatula. Add rest of the meringue in halves and mix well.

6. Pour the batter into the cake pan. Tap the pan lightly on the table to release any air bubbles in the batter. Put the cake pan on a baking tray. Pour hot water onto the tray as much as the tray can accomodate without water spilling over.

7. Bake at 170 deg Celsius / 338 deg Fahrenheit for 15 min. Then 160 deg Celsius / 320 deg Fahrenheit for 15 min. Then switch off the oven, and bake with the remaining heat for 15 min.

8. Cool on a wire rack. Before serving, you may chill it in the fridge first, but it might harden a little in there. [Optional] Sprinkle icing sugar on the top or whipped cream before serving.

#cheesecakes #bake