Japanese Cotton Cheeseckae

This is not the first time i'm baking cheesecake. Prior to blogging i have baked cheesecake before but baking fluffy smooth and airy cheeselike like this one is definitely my first trial. I'm happy it turns out well on first trial itself. Effort put on with the do and don't in handling with this special cake indeed challenging but, trust me it paid off well in the end...especially the eating part of course.

I can't control myself with the cake waiting hour. I could imagine the smooth and fluffy texture i'm gonna dig in soon. Likewise, other baking goodies the waiting time always test my patient. I can wait for the cake to bake for more than hour but not once it comes out of the oven. What to do, it's my impatient should be blamed off...


Ingredients

1/2 cup confectionery sugar/castor sugar
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites
3/4 cream of tartar
4 tbsp butter
200g cream cheese
3/4 cup fresh milk/full cream milk
3/4 cup cake flour/wheat flour
2 tbsp corn flour
1/2 salt


Methods:

Lightly butter and line the bottom and sides of a 9' inch springform cake pan with baking baking paper. Butter the bottom & sides of the baking paper as well

Melt cream cheese , butter and milk over a double boiler. Set aside to cool. Fold in flour,salt,cornflour,egg yolks and mix well. Sieve the mixture to get a smooth batter.

                            * The melted cream cheese should cool off completely before adding the eggs and flour

Whisk the egg white with cream of tartar on high speed till foamy. Add in the sugar and whisk at low speed till soft peaks form. The speed adjustment is very important to maintain the air bubbles. The more air created will make the more airy spongy cake.

*this is exactly what we are  looking for. You know it's done when you can see a soft peak

Add in the egg whites to the cream cheese batter. Lightly fold in to mix the batter, do not over mix as it might tend to break the air bubbles. be very gentle with the folding process. Pour into the cake pan.

Pour piping hot water into a deep baking tray and place the cake tin into it. Make sure the boiling water covers 1/2 inch of your cake pan. Cover the top of cake pan with aluminium foil to avoid too much browning on top.

Bake the cake in the middle of tray of your baking oven at 160' cel for 1 hr. Remove the aluminium foil and bake for another 10 mins to get the nice golden brown top

Leave to cool in oven with door slightly ajar, for 1 hr. Sudden changes in temperatures may cause the cake to collapse. (Now you know why it is impossible for me to wait..i don't have that much patient. Yet, i'm left with no choice) After 1 hr remove from oven and enjoy your hard labour

Notes:

• Its very important to sieve your batter to avoid lumps. This determine your cake texture to stand for it's smooth cheesecake

• During the egg whites beating process, beat at high till foamy. Once sugar has been added beat at low speed to allow as much as air bubbles to form. The more air created the more light and fluffy your cake will be

• Lining the sides and bottom of the cake tin is important so that your cake will rise evenly. Take note to extend the baking paper 1/2 inches higher than your cake tin, this is to avoid spillage during the cake rising in the oven. There is no compromise on this process. It will make it easier to lift your cake from the cake tin once it has been baked

• Tenting the cake tin with foil is another important step. Without the aluminium foil covering you will end up with burnt cake. The foil prevent from over browning. Remove the foil in the last 10 mins into baking to get a beautiful golden brown top 

• When the recepi call for piping hot water it is piping hot not the warm or lukewarm water. Reason for placing the cake in a deep bottom baking tray and pour with hot water is to create a steambath which allows the water to evaporate and give an effect of steam bake cheesecake.

• No one says this but just a gentle reminder. Whenever you are working closely with oven, drink plenty of water. Oven temperature tend to make us dehyderate. Always keep yourself hyderate because in the end of baking a gorgeous cake like this we don't want to end up looking like maid aren't we? Present yourself as a domestic diva with beautiful cake on your side