Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Strawberry Cotton Soft Japanese Cheesecakes

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Who else is in love with Japanese cheesecake? They have the most beautiful texture; soft, light and fluffy, nothing like the super rich, heavy cheesecakes that you normally get. I've been dying to try this fabulous Cotton Soft Japanese Cheesecake recipe from Diana's Desserts for the longest time, and if you haven't tried it before, you must!
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I got totally hung up on the idea of making toadstool cupcakes in the last few weeks. And though it seemed like a cute idea, a plain cupcake decorated to look like a toadstool seemed a little blah. So I was really excited when I got the idea to combine it with my attempt at these cotton soft cheesecakes. The result was better than I had hoped, the cheesecake recipe is lovely and completely matches its name. I was surprised that the cheesecake itself wasn't that sweet, so it ended up matching very well with the strawberry jam and white chocolate buttons that topped it off. I would have made my own strawberry topping with fresh strawberries, sugar and gelatine, but unfortunately I didn't have the time or the ingredients. So if you feel like trying that, be my guest because I'm sure it will make it taste even better!!
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I know it's been a little quiet on this blog recently, but I'm taking it pretty easy and only baking it when the mood strikes, because I don't want my entries to feel forced and rushed. There are so many amazing food blogs around at the moment and I think it's important to do what you love and are passionate about, without comparing yourself against others.
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Anyway, if you are in a cheesecake mood, or even a sponge cake mood, this is the recipe for you. The cake is somewhere between a baked cheesecake and a very light sponge, and I think I could eat about 3 of them in one sitting if I had no self control. Of course, I love splitting them up into individual portions, and decorating them to look like toadstools makes it all the more fun. They would be great for a kid's tea party I think! Though now I'm totally regretting not putting a pair of eyes on one of them, but that might make me want to create more Mario characters as baked goods.
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Strawberry Cotton Soft Japanese Cheesecakes
(adapted from this recipe, makes about 14 cupcake sized cheesecakes)
140g/5 oz. fine granulated sugar
6 egg whites
6 egg yolks
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
50g/2 oz. butter
250g/9 oz. cream cheese
100 ml/3 fluid oz. fresh milk
1 tbsp. lemon juice
60g/2 oz. cake flour /superfine flour
20g/1 oz. cornflour (cornstarch)
250g strawberry jam
Optional: White chocolate buttons

Melt cream cheese, butter and milk over a double boiler. I used a whisk to break up any lumps. Cool the mixture. Fold in the flour, the cornflour, egg yolks, lemon juice and mix well.
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Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Add in the sugar and whisk until soft peaks form.
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Add the cheese mixture to the egg white mixture and gently fold until just combined. Spoon into cupcake tray lined with paper liners, filling to about 5/6ths full.
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Bake cheesecake in a water bath (I placed my cupcake tray in a roasting tray that was 3/4 filled with water) for approximately 30 mins or until set and golden brown at 160 degrees C (325 degrees F). A skewer inserted into the centre should come out with some moist crumbs attached. To avoid the cheesecakes cracking or collapsing, turn the oven off right before they are ready and then leave the oven door slightly open so they cool gradually. After 5 minutes, remove them from the oven and let them sit in the tray for another 10 minutes. Remove from the tray and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
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While the cheesecakes are baking, place strawberry jam in a small saucepan and gently heat, stirring until smooth. Set aside to cool and set slightly. When your cheesecakes have cooled, spoon a layer of strawberry jam over the top.
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Optional: Decorate with white chocolate buttons to make them look like toadstools, which is kind of awesome. Leave to set for about half an hour and then remove paper cases before serving. Can be stored in fridge overnight.
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42 comments:

  1. Oh I love that recipe! The cheesecake comes out so fluffy and gorgeous :D The toadstools look adorable!

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  2. I am not actually a big fan of cheesecake, so this sound appealing. Your cakes are so cute!

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  3. hahaha I was about to say.. oh Minh is so gonna kill me. She's been asking me to make her the Japanese cheesecake for 2 months now. Oh dude you're so creative, the mushroom looking cupcakes are soo cute, i think both Max and I would so love that =p

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  4. I am a huge fan of this cake!! So good!

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  5. Yum! I love those Japanese cheesecakes and always wondered how to make them. The decorations are so very cute and I agree, it's important to blog from the heart :)

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  6. The complete mario characters set next! Hehe. Yay you made these! They look so cute!! Photos look great too :)

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  7. They are so totally cute! I will definitely have to try this recipe, I'm not a fan of dense and heavy cheesecakes. And I totally agree, blogging isn't a competition about who can have the most posts or hits, it's about cooking and sharing what we love and learn.

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  8. hee i wanna see mario baked goods! dooooo it! and eyes! dooooo it!

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  9. Oh these are so cute! They look so nice and fluffy. Great work!

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  10. They are just the cutest, I feel like I have entered Mario Land :)

    Have to agree with you regarding blogging, it is something you do for yourself and to share. I sometimes feel I am not posting enough, but if it becomes a chore and forced, what is the point?

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  11. Go Steph! I've never tried a Japanese cheesecake before and I'm curious about the texture. And oh... strawberries! Love!

    You are a queen of all that is cute and adorable in baking :)

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  12. these are so cute! i have been meaning to make a jap cheese cake (i found some simple recipes online) but just keep forgetting about it, thanks for the reminder hehe (but im sure ill just forget again)

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  13. How sweet! I really want to try making japanese cheesecake - you've inspired me again.

    I know what you mean about blogging - there's definitely no point in doing it because you feel you should.

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  14. Insert obligatory Mario reference here. These look really cute and I am sure tasty. What a creative idea, great work.

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  15. I love it, Steph! It does look very light and I love the addition of the strawberry jam.

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  16. Kawaiiiii

    All you need now is a bullet cake...

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  17. Love it! Totally into the toadstool theme too, its just too cute! I'd never heard of Japanese Cheesecake before so I think I'll need to give this a try at the weekend ;0)

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  18. These could not be any more awesome. Where is my Peach costume? Or my giant stick-on moustache? :D

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  19. they're so cute! you so should've done some mario cupcakes haha that would've been awesome :) I love japanese cheesecake, it's the only cheesecake where I can eat about half the cake and still not feel sick hehe

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  20. i love this recipe. i've used it before but yours are way cuter!

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  21. Hey steph

    love the idea of these cakes. If u like a light texture, you must try Azuma's chiffon cake. It is awesome. And well put about writing from the heart. You should write when u feel like it. A blog isn't supposed to be a job :)

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  22. Growing in Asia, I absolutely love soft japanese cheesecake. A very creatiuve touch of decorating them to look like toadstools!

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  23. They look awesome - and wouldn't be nearly as rich and heavy as normal cheesecake - yum!

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  24. The first thing I thought of when I saw these was the mario mushrooms! They look delicious!

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  25. I adore japanese cotton soft cheesecakes! These are absolutely adorable!

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  26. These are so cute. Super Mario comes immediately to mind :) I love this kind of cheesecake.

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  27. These are beautiful! I would totally love to try this!

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  28. Awww. those mushroom cupckaes look like they belong in the willy wonka's chocolate factory.

    cream cheese + cotton soft + cake = Super win!

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  29. These look gorgeous. Wow. So creative! Love love love the white chocolate buttons. And love a pretty cupcake decorating idea that doesn't involve a mountain of cream. Great job!

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  30. Oh wow these look so good! Im going to make some toadstool cupcakes soon I think, they look so cute :).

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  31. These look so cute!! I've never tried a Japanese cheesecake recipe before but definitely will after seeing your post.

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  32. Hahah Steph... now I HAVE TO make theseee XD yuummmmmm

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  33. Minh - Thank you!! I love it too, I could make it again and again!

    Julia @Mélanger - Yeah there's only so much heavy baked cheesecake I can handle, but this is totally different!

    linda - Hahaha now you better make it for her! aww max :)

    Anh - Thank you so much!

    Helen (grabyourfork) - I was surprised by how easy it was to get that light, fluffy texture! :) thanks

    Betty @ The Hungry Girl - Haha ok! I'll get to work on yoshi! :)

    Lisa - I'm not a fan of dense cheesecakes either. Exactly, who cares about the other stuff.

    chocolatesuze - I know!! I wish i had done the eyes now :(

    Phuoc'n Delicious - Thank you! They were very fluffy indeed!

    Belle@Ooh, Look - Thanks :)

    Sara - Exactly! I already have one job, I don't want to make this feel like it's a drag. Thanks :)

    Karen @ Citrus and Candy - :D yay! i like being the queen of that hehe

    Betty - Don't forget! It's so worth trying!

    Poires au Chocolat - Try it! It's so lovely. :) I totally agree!

    Mark @ Cafe Campana - Haha *plays super mario music* thanks!

    Trissa - The strawberry jam went really well! I was surprised by how not sweet the cake itself was.

    The Ninja - :D OMG bullet cake!!

    Chele - You should definitely give it a try, it is so different to a regular cheesecake!

    Conor @ HoldtheBeef - heehee thanks!!! Oh oh I want a giant moustache!

    Jacq - I knoww!! i totally forgot, I was too sleepy when I took the photos in the morning :(

    Tia - Aw thank you!

    Fouad @ The Food Blog - Ooh thanks for the recommendation, I definitely will check it out :)

    Maria - Thank you!

    Ellie (Almost Bourdain) - Thanks Ellie! I love the soft cheesecakes too!

    Tina - Yes it was no where near as heavy, I could have eaten tons!

    Kristy Sayer - Haha good! That's what I had in mind :) thanks!

    Cynthia - Same! Thank you!

    Y - :) Awesome, thank you! I think it's my favourite type of cheesecake now

    Valen - Thanks!

    whisk-kid - Oh thank you so much! You should try it, it's so worth it!

    Amy @ cookbookmaniac - :D heehee awesome! thanks!

    Clare @ Mrs Multitasker - Haha thank you! Yes I get a bit sick of using buttercream all the time!

    Natalie - Thank you! Toadstool cupcakes are so easy and fun :)

    Baking Addict - Ooh I hope you do! Let me know how it goes :)

    FFichiban - YAY! Make them, make them! :)

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  34. Awesome recipe, I saw this post last friday and got my sister to bake them on Sunday! so yummy! Thank you once again for another great recipe!

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  35. amra - oh hurray! you have no idea how much I love getting good feedback about recipes! so glad you and your sister liked them!

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  36. I've been palying alot of Wii lately and I think I'm begging to see Stuff from mario kart appearing on my computer screen!

    Great job.....love the mushrooms...I mean cheesecakes

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  37. hahaha love mario kart! need to make something yoshi like now :D

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  38. If I made some of these, could i freeze them before adding the glaze later on?... they need to survive a journey to the seaside.. any tips would be much appreciated! thanks

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  39. BeeBeard - Hmm I don't see why not! They should be fine for freezing. You could even bring the jam along in a jar and let people smear it on the cakes themselves!

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