Light and fluffy, Japanese Cheesecake is a delicious gift for a real cheesecake lover. It’s a melt-in-your-mouth combination of creamy cheesecake and airy soufflé. A second (or more) serving is a guarantee!

Japanese Cheesecake has the tangy, creamy flavor of cheesecake, with the moist, cotton-soft texture of soufflé. It’s a match made in heaven.

Whether you or your holiday guests are big cheesecake fans or not, I promise this dreamy dessert will be a sweet surprise.

Watch How To Make Japanese Cheesecake Light and fluffy, Japanese Cheesecake is a delicious gift for a real cheesecake lover. It’s a melt-in-your-mouth combination of creamy cheesecake and airy soufflé.

What is the Japanese Cheesecake ?

Japanese Cheesecake is very popular outside of Japan. If you get a chance to visit Japan, I highly recommend trying this cake when you are exploring all the foods the country has to offer.

But remember, there is no such thing as “Japanese Cheesecake” in bakeries in Japan. Usually, you will see 3 Types of Cheesecakes in Japan.

Baked Cheesecake (ベイクドチーズケーキ)

Rare Cheesecake (レアチーズケーキ)

Soufflé Cheesecake (スフレチーズケーキ)

Baked Cheesecake is the typical cheesecake. It has eggs, cream cheese, heavy cream, flour and it’s baked in the oven. Some may have a biscuit crust on the bottom, and some don’t.

Rare Cheesecake is a “no-bake cheesecake” outside of Japan. The cream cheese and heavy cream are mixed with gelatin or lemon juice, then poured over the biscuit crust, and cooled to set inside the refrigerator. Eggs are not used in this recipe. This version is often served with berries or other types of fruits.

Soufflé Cheesecake is the one you’re looking for. Soufflé Cheesecake originated in Japan and is widely known as Japanese Cheesecake or Japanese Cotton Cheesecake outside of Japan. It incorporates the egg whites into the cake mixture and baked in a bain-marie (water bath).

Get Ready for the Best Japanese Cheesecake

First, let’s go over the ingredients and equipment you will need to make this amazing cheesecake. I wrote this section for a beginner baker. If you bake often, please skip this section.

INGREDIENTS

1. Unsalted butter: When a baking recipe calls for unsalted butter or written as just “butter”, that means the salt is not required. As baking is chemistry, I highly recommend using unsalted butter because we don’t know how much salt is added in each brand of salted butter. Think of it this way: you can always add kosher salt to the butter but you can’t take it out from salted butter.

2. Eggs: An American large egg is about 50 grams without shell (56.7 g with shell).

3. Cream Cheese: Buy two Philadelphia Original Cream Cheese 8 oz. boxes instead of the round container type. You will need one full box (8 oz.) and 2.5 oz. from the second box (there is the measurement on the package in case you don’t have a kitchen scale).

4. Heavy (Whipping) Cream: Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream is the richest type of liquid cream with a fat content of at least 36%. You can also go light and use whole milk in this recipe.

5. Granulated Sugar: I often receive questions about sugar whether you can use a substitute or reduce the amount of sugar. To be honest, I am not sure. As I mentioned before, the amount of sugar affects baking and my recommendation is to follow the recipe first before adapting so you will know what works and what does not. I use regular white granulated sugar for my baking unless stated otherwise.

6. Cake Flour: I use King Arthur cake flour blend, but if you don’t have the cake flour in hand, you can always make it yourself. All you need is all-purpose flour and corn starch. To get 1 cup cake flour, take one level cup of all-purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoons, then add 2 tablespoons of corn starch back in, and sift to combine.

7. Lemon: To me, it’s important to include the lemon juice for tanginess and the zest for a wonderful aroma. If you don’t like “sourness”, don’t worry. The cake won’t taste sour. Just a hint will do the trick.

8. Apricot Jam: Typical soufflé cheesecake is covered with apricot jam. It gives the right amount of tanginess and sweetness as well as the sheer on the cake. I highly recommend getting a jar (my favorite brand is Bonne Maman).

EQUIPMENT

1. Cake Pan: I use this 9-inch cake pan with 4-inch height. If your 9-inch cake pan is not 4-inches tall, you can still use it with parchment paper to support the rising cake. If you have a smaller or bigger cake pan, please adjust the amount of your ingredient following below, which I used an egg as a unit of calculation.

1 large egg (50 g without shell)

50 g cream cheese

10 g unsalted butter

33 g (33 ml) heavy whipping cream

10 g granulated sugar

13 g cake flour

1 tsp. lemon juice + some zest

17 g granulated sugar for beating egg whites

I used to use a springform pan for my soufflé cheesecake, and most of the time I didn’t have any water seepage issue (I used a heavy-duty 8″ long aluminum foil to secure). However, I discovered a better solution (read below) with this new cake pan, so now I don’t use my springform pan for this recipe.

2. Parchment Paper: You will need to pull out 30 inches of parchment paper. You will need one 30″ x 4″ (height of cake pan) sheet, and two 30″ x 2″ strips which are used to lift up the cake. To save time, I recommend this 9-inch round parchment paper liner for the bottom of the cake (because you’ll be making this cheesecake often!).

3. Mixing Bowls: You need 2 large mixing bowls for cake batter, and a third one to beat egg whites (or a stand mixer bowl if using a stand mixer).

4. Fine Mesh Strainer: It’s important to sift cake flour for a perfect texture. If you are going to make your own cake flour, then it’s even more important to have a fine-mesh strainer. We also use it to pass through the cake batter to achieve an extra refined texture.

5. Whisk: I use a whisk (I love this one) instead of a silicone spatula to incorporate the air in the egg whites into the batter.

6. Stand Mixer or Electric Mixer: Have you beaten egg whites with the hand? It’s a real work-out for your arm. I’ve done it before and let’s say I’m thankful for my stand mixer. You can use a hand mixer too; however, the speed level may be different, so trust your eyes.

7. Large Baking Sheet: You will need an oven-safe container to keep your 9-inch cake pan inside along with 1 inch of water. I use a large baking sheet.

I know it looks a lot to prepare if you have never baked before, but these are pretty basic things you’ll need and will use a lot. And you’ll definitely make this cheesecake more than once! Let’s talk about techniques next.

10 Helpful Tips to Bake Japanese Cheesecake

The instructions for this cheesecake are pretty straightforward and simple, yet it’s not as easy as regular cheesecake. The common difficulties include shrinking and cracking, which are mostly caused by the outcome of beating egg whites or wrong oven temperature.

I had enough share of trials and errors before I finalized this recipe. Even cheesecake loving Mr. JOC couldn’t take any more cheesecake in the house, so I started to pass the “taste okay but not perfect” cheesecakes to neighbors and friends. Besides the taste (the easy part), my main issue was to work with my new oven.

1. Measure Everything First

It’s the basic of basic, but you must measure all ingredients and prepare everything before you start making the cake.

Timing is so important. You don’t want to lose the perfect condition of the cake batter and egg whites just because you forget to line parchment paper for your cake pan or the oven hasn’t finished preheating yet.

2. Make Parchment Paper “Strips”

These strips of parchment paper are for pulling the cheesecake out of the cake pan after it comes out from the oven. Normally you will just flip and take the cake out, but it’s not so easy for a cake with soufflé-like texture.

I saw this trick from either a friend’s blog or Japanese website when I was still using a springfoam back then to make my soufflé cheesecake. As I received feedback on seepage issue from some of JOC readers, it was time for me to switch my cake pan and try this “strips” method. I’ve been absolutely loving it since!

3. Grease Well

We grease the inside of the cake pan so that the parchment paper will stick to it nicely. And you will also need to grease the parchment paper that will touch the cake batter.

If the cheesecake is stuck with the parchment paper while rising, the cake will be pulled and end up cracking.

4. Use Double Boiler

With my original Japanese Cheesecake recipe, I’ve always mixed the cream cheese, egg yolks, heavy cream, and sugar in a large mixing bowl without a double boiler and it worked fine.

However, I really prefer this double boiler method for one reason. You do NOT need to bring the above ingredients to room temperature before making the cake!

For someone like me who forgets or plans last minute, this works in my favor. I usually forget to take out the ingredients from the refrigerator ahead of time and end up wasting time. If ingredients need to be at room temperature, don’t skip. It’s mentioned there for a good reason!

5. Use Cold Egg Whites

In Japan when we beat egg whites, we always use cold egg whites (even chill the bowl) to achieve a refined texture. When I started to bake in the U.S., I noticed American recipes call for room temperature egg whites to achieve the fullest volume instead. Maybe we look for different things? It’s up to you if you use cold or room temperature egg whites.

Also “cream of tartar” is not a common product in Japan and we do not use it when beating egg whites. So if you don’t have it in your kitchen, don’t worry (I don’t use it either).

6. Perfect Soft to Medium Peaks

This is the most important (and could be the scariest) part of making Japanese Cheesecake. The beaten egg whites generate small air pockets in the structure of the cake, keeping the cake airy and fluffy.

When you beat egg whites, there are 3 stages: soft, firm, and stiff peaks, and for this recipe, we need soft/medium peaks.

When you lift the whisk, the egg whites do not fold ribbons (drizzle) anymore. And when you turn your whisk upside down, the egg whites still cling to the whisk and hold their shape for a second, then start to “flop over”. That’s between the soft and medium stages that we need.

I used to whip until firm to stiff peaks when I used my original recipe and it worked fine. However, once in a while when I whipped a tiny bit too much, the cheesecake became a bit lopsided and cracked. Overall, it was a bit harder to control. Many soufflé cheesecake recipes in Japan call for both stiff peaks or soft peaks, so find what works for you, knowing this variable.

7. Fold in Egg Whites

I learned that a whisk does a better job than a silicone spatula when you gently fold the egg whites into the batter. It’s very important to keep the small air bubbles so that the cake will rise higher without flopping.

8. Bake in Bain-Marie

A bain-marie (ban mah-REE) is the fancy term for a water bath. We use this cooking technique to cook delicate foods like soufflé and custards. The hot water creates a gentle and uniform heat around the food as well as providing moisture inside the oven.

9. Bake at 2 Different Temperatures

The oven temperature is probably the second most important factor for a successful Japanese Cheesecake after beating the egg whites properly.

If the oven temperature is too high, the cheesecake will rise too fast, break the structure, and eventually crack. If the heat source is too close to the cake, the cake will also get big cracks. The taste will be fine, and after the cake cools down, the big cracks will be less obvious.

I preheat oven to 350 ºF (180 ºC) first, and this is not the temperature for baking the cheesecake. Every time you open the oven to set up bain-marie or put the cake into the oven, the temperature drops significantly. Therefore we set the oven higher.

Then when we put the cheesecake in the oven, we start baking at 320 ºF (160 ºC) and then reduce to 300 ºF (150 ºC) to make sure the cake is cooked through. My current oven is much bigger than my previous oven, and I had to test a few times to get the right baking time. If your oven is smaller than mine, you will probably need to reduce the baking time to 60 minutes. I have a “convection bake” option, but I used regular “bake” in this recipe so I could test the baking time for a majority of recipe users.

10. Cool Down Slowly

After baking in the oven, do not take out your cheesecake immediately. Let it cool down gradually by leaving the oven door ajar for a while.

This prevents a sudden change of temperature that could cause the cake to shrink or collapse. You want the cake to slowly come down to half the height, from 4 inches (tallest point) to 2 inches.

Similar Recipes:

Disclaimer: In order to achieve the best SEO (search engine optimization) practice, we can no longer keep my original Japanese Cheesecake post (published on September 24, 2012) as it has the same recipe name as an updated version. Now the original post is redirected to this post. The original Cheesecake post has over 500 comments which will be very difficult for readers to go through when they look for an answer for similar questions they have. Therefore, we decided to create a brand new post. For those of you who really enjoyed my original Cheesecake recipe, you can still read the post by clicking here (and zoom in to read).

Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.

Sign up for the free Just One Cookbook newsletter delivered to your inbox! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram for all the latest updates.

4.68 from 299 votes Print Japanese Cheesecake Prep Time 25 mins Cook Time 1 hr 25 mins Total Time 2 hrs 50 mins Light and fluffy, Japanese Cheesecake is a delicious gift for a real cheesecake lover. It’s a melt-in-your-mouth combination of creamy cheesecake and airy soufflé. A second (or more) serving is a guarantee!

Course: Dessert Cuisine: Japanese Keyword: cheesecake, souffle Servings : 1 9" (23 cm) cake Author : Nami Ingredients 15 g unsalted butter (1 Tbsp, for greasing the pan & parchment paper)

6 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) (300 g or 10.6 oz without shell)

300 g cream cheese (10.6 oz)

60 g unsalted butter (4 Tbsp or 2 oz)

200 g heavy (whipping) cream (200 ml or 6.8 oz)

60 g sugar (5 Tbsp or 2 oz)

80 g cake flour (9 Tbsp or 2.8 oz) (See Note)

1/2 lemon (for zest)

30 g lemon juice (2 Tbsp or about ½ lemon)

100 g sugar (for beating egg whites) (8.5 Tbsp or 3.5 oz)

2 Tbsp apricot jam (for glaze)

2 tsp hot water (for glaze) Instructions Prepare Cake Pan Cut parchment paper for the bottom and side of cake pan. You will need a 9” (23 cm) round paper for the bottom, one 4” x 30” (10 x 76 cm) paper for the side of cake pan, and two 2” x 30” (5 x 76 cm) paper strips which will be used for “transporting”.

Grease the cake pan and parchment paper (for bottom and sides) with 15 g (1 Tbsp.) butter (you don't need to use all of it).

Place the 2 “straps” criss-cross on the bottom of the cake pan. Then place the bottom and side parchment paper. The grease side of the 9” (23 cm) paper should face up, and face in on the 4” x 30” (10 x 76 cm) paper.

Preheat the Oven & Gather Ingredients Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). You will be baking at 320F (160C) but when you open the oven to place the cheesecake you’ll lose some heat, so we’ll start off a bit higher. Please note that it is very important that ingredients are all measured before starting. Separate the 6 eggs into egg yolks and egg whites. Refrigerate the egg whites.

Mix over Double Boiler Set a medium saucepan filled with 2” (5 cm) water and bring to simmer. Add 300 g (10.6 oz.) cream cheese, 60 g (4 Tbsp. or ¼ cup) unsalted butter, 200 g (200 ml) heavy whipping cream, and 60 g (5 Tbsp.) granulated sugar in a large bowl. Put the bowl over the saucepan.

Using a silicone spatula, mash the cream cheese and butter. Once they are melted, use whisk to blend everything together. Remove from the heat.

Mix at the Counter In the warm cream cheese mixture add 6 egg yolks, one yolk at a time while whisking. Make sure each egg yolk blended well with the mixing before adding the next one.

Using a fine mesh strainer, sift 80 g (9 Tbsp.) cake flour into the batter. Whisk and blend together.

Then pass the batter through the same fine mesh strainer to a clean large bowl, creating the silky texture for the batter.

Zest half of a lemon into the batter. Make sure you only zest the yellow part, not the bitter white part. Then squeeze half lemon into a small bowl. Measure 30 g (2 Tbsp.) lemon juice and add to the batter. Whisk well to blend and set aside.

Set Up Bain-Marie Put the baking sheet inside the oven and pour hot water until half way or 1 inch deep. Close the oven.

Beat Egg Whites Add cold egg whites into a large clean mixing bowl (of the stand mixer). Make sure there is no oil or water in the bowl. If you have space in your refrigerator, I highly recommend keeping the mixing bowl cold until you’re ready to use. Start whisking on medium speed (speed 4) until the egg whites become opaque, foamy and bubbly, about 2 minutes. Then slowly add 100 g (8.5 Tbsp.) granulated sugar, 1/3 portion at a time while the mixer runs.

Once all the sugar has been added, increase the mixer speed to high (speed 8-9) and beat the egg whites until “soft” to “medium” peaks. When lift the whisk, the egg whites shouldn’t fold ribbons (drizzle) anymore. When you turn your whisk upside down, the egg whites should cling to the whisk and hold their shape for a few second, but then start to flop over.

Fold in Egg Whites Using a whisk, mix in 1/3 of egg whites into the cream cheese mixture until incorporated. Then gently fold in another 1/3 into the mixture.

Lastly, pour the mixture back into the mixer bowl (with 1/3 of egg whites still in it) and fold in very gently.

Pour the mixture into the baking pan in all at once, avoiding air pockets while pouring. Tap the cake pan a few times on the kitchen counter to release any air pockets in the batter.

Bake the Cheesecake Place the cake pan into the baking sheet that’s already in the oven. Reduce the oven temperature from 350F (180C) to 320F (160C) and start baking for 70-75 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300F (150C) and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and skewer inserted comes out clean.

Let Cool Turn off the oven and leave the oven door ajar for 15-20 minutes with the cake inside. If you take the cake out immediately, the sudden change of temperature could cause the cake to shrink or collapse. You want the cake to slowly shrink down to half the height, roughly from 4 inches to 2 inches. Remove the pan from the oven. Gently pull out the cake using the 2 parchment paper straps (with another set of hand). Remove the parchment paper around the cake (leave the bottom one). Combine 2 Tbsp apricot jam and 1 tsp water in a small bowl. Brush the apricot mixture over the top of the cheesecake. Let cool to room temperature. To Serve You can serve the cake at room temperature (fluffiest!) or chill the cake for 1-2 hours before serving. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days or 3-4 weeks in the freezer. Defrost the cake overnight in the refrigerator. The cold cheesecake is dense, so leave it at the counter till chilled/room temperature before serving. Recipe Notes Ingredients & Equipment: I shared more detailed info in the post, so please visit the blog post of this recipe. “Tbsp” Measurement: I use a measuring spoon instead of cup measuring because a “cup” measurement is not as precise. Please use a measuring spoon (1 Tbsp. = 15 ml), and not a dinner tablespoon. I highly recommend measuring all baking recipes with a kitchen scale. All-Purpose Flour vs. Cake Flour: All-purpose flour and cake flour do not perform the same. Cake flour is more delicate, and if you use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour, the texture will be dense and tough. If you can't find cake flour, use this substitution: Take one level cup of all-purpose flour, remove 2 Tbsp, and then add 2 Tbsp of corn starch back in. (1 cup AP flour - 2 Tbsp AP flour + 2 Tbsp corn starch = 1 cup cake flour). Be sure to sift the flour 3-4 times to distribute the corn starch well. Tips for Beating Egg Whites: -- Make sure your beaters and mixing bowl are clean and dry. A speck of oil or egg yolk on either one can minimize the volume of the beaten egg whites. -- Avoid plastic bowls -- even clean ones may hold oily residue that can affect the beating quality of the egg whites. -- Use a bowl that's wide enough to keep the beaters from being buried in the egg whites. Equipment You’ll Need: 9" cake pan (4" tall) (9" = 23 cm)

Parchment paper

Mixing bowls

Fine mesh strainer

Whisk

Stand mixer or electric mixer

Baking sheet with rim Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.

Just One Cookbook is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com