Japanese Souffle Cheesecake

I love Japanese desserts. They’re always so light and perfectly sweet.
I was considering making Asian pudding but then hubby suggested this instead. He’s a smart man. I think sometimes they call this cotton soft cheesecake and that’s a perfect description. So fluffy and delicious.

Japanese Souffle Cheesecake
Fills 3 mini spring form pans, 
or double to fill a 9-inch pan

• 8 oz. light cream cheese, room temp.
• 8 Tbsp granulated sugar, divided
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temp.
• 3 large egg yolks, room temp.
• 3 egg whites, refrigerated
• 100 ml heavy cream
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 Tbsp Grand Marnier (opt.)
• 4 Tbsp flour, sifted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 320F. Fill a medium saucepan with a few cups of water and place it over your stove to boil (this will be for a water bath).
Prep spring form pans by spraying the insides with oil and then fitting parchment paper on the bottom and sides. Have the sides reach about 1-1/2 inches above the pans. Use heavy-duty foil to wrap the outside bottoms of the pans. Set aside.

Beat together the cream cheese and 3 Tbsp sugar. Once combined, add the butter and mix well. Then add the egg yolks and heavy cream. Whisk until smooth. Then whisk in the lemon juice and Grand Marnier if using. Lastly, add the flour and mix well.

In a separate clean bowl, start beating the cold egg whites. Once they start to foam up, gradually add the remaining 5 Tbsp sugar while continuing to beat. Stop when stiff, glossy peaks form (peaks should form when you lift the beaters, and the meringue should not slide around).

Take half of the meringue and whisk it into the cheesecake batter. Gently fold in the remaining meringue.

Fill your spring form pans with the batter and place them in a large roasting pan. Pour the boiling water into the roasting pan, filling 1/3 of the way up the spring form pans (about 3/4 inch).
Place in oven and bake for 60 minutes until the top is a light golden brown. Lower temperature to 300F and bake another 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Turn off heat. Let the cheesecakes sit in the oven with the door slightly open for about 15 minutes to gradually cool down. Then remove the foils and let cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate until ready to eat.
I like it best on it’s own, with just a bit of powdered sugar and maybe some fresh berries.

Recipe adapted from Cookpad via Just One Cookbook. 

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