Japanese Cheesecake – 3 Ingredients Recipe

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The Japanese cheesecake, also called cotton cake, is a must-do for cheesecake lovers: it’s light, fluffy and it’s easy to make if you follow the instructions considering there are only 3 ingredients involved in the making. It’s totally different from the cheesecake we are used to and it’s seriously addictive.

The recipe is simple enough but in fact you need to be careful and follow the instructions I’ve added at the end of the method to get your perfectly light, not overcooked and extra light cotton cake or Japanese cheesecake. For your convenience, I’ve also added the video recipe you can follow to have a better idea of what this cake looks like and how simple is to make it.

What you need for a medium size Japanese Cheesecake (roughly 7-8cm)
3 eggs
120 grams of white chocolate
120 grams of (softened) cream cheese

How to make the cotton cheesecake
1. Separate the eggs and and place the whites in the fridge so they can get cold for good.
2. Preheat the oven to the maximum and in the meantime melt the white chocolate in a double boiler.
3. Whisk the egg whites very firm (if necessary add a little drop of white wine vinegar) then, when ready add, stirring from the bottom up, the melted chocolate.
4. Mix the cheese with the mixture of egg whites and chocolate and stir well. Add the 3 egg yolks and mix well. Stir for good from the bottom up and pour the mixture into a round baking pan with high sides (at least 8 cm) greased and covered with parchment paper.
5. Place the mold with the dough on a baking pan filled with water and bake at 170° for 30 minutes then lower the temperature to 160° and cook for another 30 minutes.
6. Turn off the oven but leave the cheesecake inside with the door open, for at least 30 minutes so that it continues to cook.
7. Remove from oven, let the cheesecake cool, refrigerate and serve cold with the addition of jam, powdered sugar or melted chocolate.

Preparation time: about 3 hours

How to make a perfect cotton cheesecake: tips and tricks:

1. Do not open the oven while the cake is baking otherwise it will sag and you will only taste the eggs (it will be like a frittata!)
2. Whisk the egg whites extremely firm otherwise while baking the air bubbles within the cake will break the bonds of all the other ingredients and the cheesecake will not be able to grow and to cook properly;
3. Do not overdo it in the mixing when you incorporate the ingredients otherwise the egg whites will lose their softness and the cake will be much less light and compact;
4. If the mold to be used is too rely (like mine as you can see in the video) coat the walls with baking paper to reach a height of at least 8 cm otherwise the cake will not grow;
5. It ‘s always better to make the Japanese cheesecake with a day in advance so that it will be completely cold and it will become even more tasty.

Learn how to make a perfect cotton cheesecake with my video recipe and subscribe to my YouTube channel:

[Pic by Giuseppe Milo]