This recipe comes from a Japanese cookbook, 大人のお菓子. If you've ever had Japanese desserts, they are complete different from anything else--light, perfectly proportioned, not too sweet, and absolutely delicious!
After five failed attempts to make this cheesecake properly, cheesecake #6 turned out perfectly. Tenacity pays off, my friends.
Japanese Style Cheesecake
*This recipe is yields one 6" round cheesecake. If you use a larger pan, you may need to double or even triple the crust recipe to accommodate.
Ingredients
Crust:
- 50g graham cracker, crushed to bits (1/4 C)
- 20g butter, melted (1.5 tbsp)
Filling:
- 200g cream cheese, softened (7 oz)
- 90g creme fraiche or sour cream (1/2 C)
- 80g sugar (1/3 C)
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp cream
- 10g cake flour (2 1/4 tsp)
- 1" vanilla bean, split and seeds removed (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
Method
To make the crust:
- Crush the graham crackers into pieces in a plastic bag.
- Combine and mix with butter until well blended. Press into the bottom of the baking dish to form the crust.
- Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes while you prepare the filling.
To make the filling:
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg white and remaining sugar until stiff peaks form (this may take a few minutes with an electric mixer, be warned).
- Gently fold 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture into the egg whites until just blended. Fold in remaining cream cheese.
To finish the cheesecake:
- Carefully pour the cream cheese filling over the prepared crust, smoothing the top.
- Place cheesecake on the middle rack of a preheated, 340 degree oven. On the lower rack, place a baking dish filled with a few inches of water to provide moisture.
- Bake for about 40 minutes at 340 degrees, then reduce the heat to 320 and bake for an additional 20 minutes. At this point, the cheesecake should be cracked on top and slightly "jiggly".
- Remove cheesecake and allow to cool on a rack.
The cake is perfect by itself, but add a spoonful of berry jam or sauce (try blueberry lemon or strawberry black pepper!) for a real treat :)
