The Whole World Is Crazy For This Japanese Cheesecake With Only 3 Ingredients

Meet (and taste!) the new trend among food lovers that has invaded Instagram, and everyone is obsessed with it. I mean, who doesn’t like tasty, fluffy, Japanese cheesecake with a cloud-like texture?

What exactly is a Japanese cheesecake?

A Japanese cheesecake is a delicious twist of the original cheesecake recipe which is a traditional western dessert. The Japanese cheesecake comes in two types.

The first version is a souffle cheescake that needs to be baked, however, unlike the American version of it, the cream mix needs an addition of a meringue egg white batter. All this is cooked in a bain-marie as to keep its consistency without curdling or breaking them. Plus, a layer of apricot jam can be used as a topping on the molten center that can be also formed.

The second version of the Japanese cheesecake is actually a remake of the Western raw cheesecake, i.e an unbaked cheesecake. This version uses gelatin as a setting ingredient, with yogurt base cream cheese, unlike just the cream base that is in the original American recipe.

However, perhaps the main difference between the Japanese and American cheesecake is that the latter one has more cream and sugar in it which makes it sweeter and also high in calories. Therefore, the Japanese version is known to be lighter, with a lower intake of calories, and thus preferred by most people who are on diets or don’t want to eat “heavy” desserts.

So, if you are looking for a lighter dessert with fewer calories, you should try Japanese cheesecake! And we have the easiest recipe for you with only 3 ingredients.

How to make Japanese cheesecake with only 3 ingredients

The Japanese souffle cheesecake is ultra-light and airy. It melts in your mouth and is extremely delicious. And with only three ingredients that you need to make it, it is an easy to make desert that you can flavour it and customize it by your own liking.

The 3 ingredients you will need:

• 5 large eggs;
• 4 oz white chocolate chips (my recommendation is Nestle chips because they melt easily);
• 4 oz full-fat cream cheese (softened to room temperature).

Japanese cheesecake recipe

This recipe is for 6 servings. You will need an hour to get it done. The preparation time is 15 minutes, and the cooking time is 45 minutes.

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 338°F. You will need a 6 inch round springform pan with parchment paper or a 6 inch round cake pan. Then grease it and line it. But keep in mind that the cake will rise high and so, be careful to use a pan that is at least 3 inches tall. If, however, you are using a regular cake pan with a fixed bottom, then at least make sure to make 4 parchment paper handles (two long strips of parchment paper that cross one another and form an “X” at the bottom center of the pan), so that you can lift the baked cake easily. Just grab the four handles and lift the cake. If, on the other hand, you are using a springform pan, you won’t need the handles; you only need the parchment paper lining the cake pan.
2. Next, separate the yolks from the whites of your eggs. Place the egg whites in the fridge until you need to use them. Be careful to not allow your egg whites to get in contact with any water, oil, or other ingredients because they won’t whip up like they need to.
3. Then, start melting the chocolate either in the microwave or on the stove. If you decide to use the stove, you can melt the chocolate in a large glass bowl placed on top of a boiling pot of water. If you use the microwave, microwave at intervals of 20 seconds and stir in between until the chocolate is completely smooth and melted.
4. Add in the cream cheese and start whisking until everything is smooth. Then, add in the egg yolks and continue whisking until smooth. Separately, beat your egg whites with an electric mixer turned on at a high speed until they get glossy and stiff peaks form. You can be sure that you are finished when you can hold your mixing bowl upside down and not have any of the meringue dripping out of it.
5. Then, add one-third of the egg whites to your yellow batter while gently folding in the egg whites with a spatula until everything is blended well and there aren’t any white streaks. Then fold in the second one-third of the egg whites. Blend. Finally, fold in the final round of one-third of the egg whites and repeat the process.
6. Pour the batter into the cake pan that you prepared before. Then, carefully tap the bottom of the pan against a hard and steady surface several times until you get rid of the air pockets.
7. Next, grab a large baking pan and add 1/2 inch of water into it. If you use a springform pan, cover the bottom of it with several layers of foil in order to fully protect the cake, i.e. prevent the water from getting in touch with the cake. If you are using a regular cake pan, then just place it into the water.
8. Put the cake with the water pan into the pre-heated oven at 338F and bake it for 15 minutes. Then, turn down the heat to 320 F and continue cooking for another 15 minutes. Finally, turn off the heat and leave the cake there in the oven for the last 15 minutes.
9. Remove the cake from the oven and leave it to cool. Expect that the cake will slightly shrink while cooling. The best way is to place it in the fridge for several hours in order to let the flavor develop fully.

Here are some tips on how to protect your soufflé cheesecake from breaking

If you want to keep your cheesecake safe from breaking, then make sure to bake your cheesecake in a humid environment. Gentle cooking reduces the chances of breaking. However, if you do notice a small crack - don’t panic. Just cover the crack with dusting powdered sugar on it and top it with fresh fruits.

How to serve the Japanese cheesecake

This Japanese cheesecake is very versatile. You can be creative when it comes to how you serve it since it doesn’t have any additional flavors. It basically goes with everything. From strawberry, raspberry, and caramel sauce to fresh fruits with powdered sugar - the choices are endless.

Japanese cheesecake: calories

But what about calories?

For everyone out there interested in how healthy actually this sweet pleasure is, we have good news for you.

The Japanese cheesecake has fewer calories as opposed to classic cheesecake recipes. It is considered the “lighter” version of it. So, when a classic cheesecake has approximately 590 calories per serving, the Japanese version has about 380.

So, in a way, the Japanese cheesecake can be considered as a ‘healthier’ version of the cheesecake family.

Bon appetite!