Monday, October 28, 2013

Triple Berry Japanese Cotton Soft Cheesecake

Triple Berry Japanese Cotton Soft Cheesecake
The best thing about the warmer months is the abundance of fresh berries. They are so colourful and delicious and I just want to put them on every single dessert I make. This week I happened to walk past a big batch of fresh mulberries and I had to get them. For me mulberries bring back incredibly strong childhood memories of picking them off my neighbour's mulberry bush in Perth, gathering them in a big white ice cream container and washing them off with the garden hose before eating the whole lot in one go with my brother. I love them.
Triple Berry Japanese Cotton Soft Cheesecake
To go with my haul of fresh berries I made this light and fluffy Japanese Cotton Soft Cheesecake. We've talked about this type of cheesecake before. We like this cheesecake. It's the perfect balance between a cheesecake and a spongecake. It's only downside is that it doesn't have a crust. I do like a good cheesecake crust...but it's still pretty great without it.
Triple Berries
I got a little fancier with it this time by making three separate layers, each flavoured with a different berry. I love how pretty it looks with the separate layers, almost like an ombre cheesecake. But to be honest when you're eating it with all the fresh berries you can't really taste the difference between the layers, so it's mostly just there for the visual effect.
Triple Berry Japanese Cotton Soft Cheesecake
I couldn't resist pulling out my heart-shaped tin for this one. The only time I get uneasy about baking heart-shaped things is around Valentines day. Any other time of the year it's all good! Because it was such a fluffy cheesecake it ended up rising a LOT higher than the edges of my tin, so it was a good thing I reinforced the sides higher with lots of baking paper. After topping off the cheesecake with fresh berries, I decided to add a lemon jelly glaze over the top to give it a bit of shine and an added bit of tang. I love how luscious it makes the berries look!
Triple Berry Japanese Cotton Soft Cheesecake
The important thing with this cake is to make sure you bake it for long enough and cool it down slowly so the middle doesn't collapse in on itself. You'll always get a tiny bit of shrinkage as it cools but if it's set enough and you are patient then you'll end up with a fairly smooth top. I was pretty pleased with myself this time, I usually tend to rush it and turn the middle into a pancake. This time it stayed tall and so pretty with those three distinct layers. The cheesecake on its own is not very sweet at all so it really benefitted from having all the berries on top. Ooh or you could try covering the top of it in lemon curd, that would be great!
Triple Berry Japanese Cotton Soft Cheesecake
Triple Berry Cotton Soft Cheesecake
(adapted from Diana's Desserts)
250g/9oz cream cheese
50g/1.75oz butter
100 ml (1/3 cup + 1 tbsp) fresh milk
60g/2 oz plain/all-purpose flour
40g/1.5 oz cornflour (cornstarch)
1/4 tsp salt 
1 tbsp lemon juice
6 egg yolks
6 egg whites 
140g/5oz fine granulated sugar (caster sugar)
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3 cups (about 300g) berries, fresh or frozen (and thawed), I used 1 cup blueberries, 1 cup strawberries, 1 cup blackberries
Optional: Fresh berries to decorate 
 
Puree (and strain if you prefer not to have seeds) your berries, keeping each type of berry separate if you want different flavoured layers, otherwise blend them together. Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F). Grease base and sides, and line the base and sides of a 20cm (8inch) round (or heart) baking tin with baking paper (it's best to avoid springform tins as it will be placed in a water bath). Melt cream cheese, butter and milk in a heatproof mixing bowl over a pot of simmering water, whisking until smooth. Cool the mixture. Fold in the flour, the cornflour, egg yolks, lemon juice and mix well. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Add in the sugar and whisk with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add cream cheese mixture to egg white mixture and stir until combined. If making separate layers, split mixture between three bowls. Fold in berry puree. 
Triple Berry Japanese Cotton Soft Cheesecake
Pour one layer of cheesecake into the prepared tin and bake in a water bath  for about 10-15 minutes until the surface is just set, then pour the next layer on top carefully and bake for another 10 minutes. Pour on the final layer of cheesecake and bake for a further 50-60 minutes, until the top is turning golden and the middle is set. Gently cool the cheesecake to prevent the centre from collapsing, I did this by turning the heat down by half 10 minutes before it was done, then turning off the heat for another 10 minutes, and leaving it to cool with the oven door crack open for another 10 minutes. If you are baking a single layer cheesecake, bake for about 1hour 10-15 minutes until done. 

If the top starts to brown too quickly, carefully cover with a sheet of foil. Make sure your cheesecake is set before removing from oven, don't worry about it drying out as the berries will stop this. Cool in tin and then carefully transfer to a cake plate to serve. Top with extra berries. (I also glazed the top of the cake and the berries with a lemon jelly by mixing 1 tbsp gelatine powder with 1 tbsp hot water to dissolve, plus 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp icing/powdered sugar). Keep in fridge until ready to serve.
Triple Berry Japanese Cotton Soft Cheesecake
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35 comments:

  1. Mmmm, I love Asian-style cakes and breads, they're always so pillow-y soft. Just gorgeous!

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  2. this is a show stopper - such beautiful layers and berries on top. I've never tried the cotton soft cheesecake before so am very intrigued by it! soooo beautiful

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  3. this looks incredible! i've never made a cheesecake before and im sooo tempted to take the leap and go for it!

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  4. Mmmm these look amazing! I am drooling here! Will definitely be coming back here. x

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  5. This is so beautiful! I love anything with fresh berries. I've never tried a Cotton Soft cheesecake before, it's going on the list! x

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  6. I love Japanese cotton cheesecakes. So soft and fluffy! Love the way you've styled this too :)

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  7. It's funny hearing you say that you are entering warmer months as it just snowed here in Canada! I wish I still had access to an abundance of fresh berries though!

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  8. So pretty! It looks absolutely delicious and I've never heard of a japanese cotton soft cheesecake before - will definitely have to make this my first! :)

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  9. This is so beautiful! I love the purple in the middle in the cake.

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  10. I'm so jealous berries aren't in season right now! I would so be making the cheesecake

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  11. Kind of surprised to hear you saying it's getting warmer considering the fact we're slowly entering into winter here in France :)
    Your cheesecake looks so yummy ... I'd love to be able to eat a part of it right now :)

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  12. This cheesecake is gorgeous and such a fun flavour! Love it!

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  13. I totally agree that one of the best parts of summer is all the amazing fresh produce! Unfortunately that season is now behind us here in the UK, so I'll have to save this delicious looking recipe for next year :-(

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  14. I love Japanese cheesecakes but I never thought to flavour the cake with berries or anything! The layers look cool and knowing me I think I would try and eat each layer separately to taste each different berry

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  15. Изглежда фантастично!!!

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  16. Hi, I have a sweet tooth and your blog, sure had be drooling, I love the pictures and how easy it is to understand the instructions and the recipe, ah thanks for the recipe. :) x

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  17. Awesome, now I can make those soft Japanese cakes at home! This is so pretty!

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  18. Wow, I am seriously interested in this cheesecake... never heard of it before, but it looks great. Your pics are eye-popping, as usual... what camera/lens do you use?

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  19. This looks delicious. The berries look so juicy. Unfortunately we're coming into winter here in Ireland so I'll have to wait a few months for them to come back into season.

    jenniferbakes.blogspot.ie

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  20. This looks too good to be true! Those berries are mesmerizing! : )

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  21. Hi Steph,

    I would like to express how lovely your blog is. The cakes all looks pretty, gorgeous and beautiful. As a person who love cakes and love to bakes, I would like to thank you for sharing the recipe. They are easy to follow. Keep posting those wonderful and lovely pictures of the cakes as this will attract more people like me to ogle your blog and drools. Good Job

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  22. Hi steph i made thus on the weekend with blackberries and it turned out perfectly. Thanks so much, it will become one of my regular baking options. Great site!

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  23. This looks delicious. I can't wait to try it :)

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  24. I would love to bake this one day! What do you mean by baking in a water bath?
    Can you please help me out??

    Dianne

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  25. This cake is gorgeous and I really want to make it - can I clarify that you used 1 cup of each type of puree? Or was it 1 cup of fruit which were then pureed? If it is the latter, then how much puree in weight? Thanks a bunch!

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    1. It was 1 cup of fruit (about 100g) that was then pureed. I'm not sure how much the puree would weigh, probably about the same minus a little bit if it is strained to remove the seeds.

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  26. Hi there. .adding berries to Japanese cheese cake is brilliant. I usually make original or lemon flavoured. What is the baking pan size suitable for this recipe?
    Thank you.. :)

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  27. Hi if I wish to bake this in the form of cupcake, how long will I need to bake instead? Thanks.

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