Japanese cotton cheesecake
Description
The recipe won't take much time. A properly made cotton cheesecake turns out fluffy, airy, and very tender, living up to its name. Therefore it is especially important to bake it correctly using a water bath. And the high edges of parchment paper in the mold with the batter need to be made so that during the baking process the dessert maintains a certain humidity and temperature. Serve warm or chilled. Perfect with tea.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Prepare the listed ingredients, keeping in mind that the main component of a Japanese cheesecake is soft cheese—in this case ricotta—which can be substituted with another cheese that has a creamy texture.
- 2
Step 2
Melt the butter and, in a deep bowl, combine it with ricotta and milk. It’s convenient to do this with a whisk.
- 3
Step 3
Separate the yolks from the whites and add them to the butter mixture, whisking the components thoroughly.
- 4
Step 4
Add vanilla sugar (or a few drops of vanilla essence) to the resulting mixture and pour in the lemon juice, then stir.
- 5
Step 5
Combine wheat flour and starch, then while sifting, add this mixture to the liquid mass and mix well.
- 6
Step 6
Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and beat with a mixer until a firm foam forms, adding the granulated sugar in several additions.
- 7
Step 7
Fold the resulting meringue into the dough in several batches, gently and thoroughly mixing the mixture with a spoon or spatula from bottom to top.
- 8
Step 8
Pour the finished smooth liquid batter into a silicone or metal mold prepared as follows: line the bottom and sides with parchment paper so that the paper extends 4–5 cm beyond the edges of the mold. Place the mold with the batter into another mold of larger diameter, whose bottom should have a sheet of parchment paper.
- 9
Step 9
Pour hot water into a large pan so that it reaches one third of the height of the pan with the batter. Place the cheesecake pans and the water bath in an oven preheated to 160 °C and bake for 30 minutes, then lower the temperature to 145 °C and bake the cheesecake for another 50–60 minutes.
- 10
Step 10
After the specified time, the cheesecake takes on a golden color, and small cracks appear on its surface. It should be removed from the oven only after it has partially cooled with the oven door open for 15–20 minutes. Then the water bath should be taken out of the mold and the dessert allowed to cool at room temperature for another 10–15 minutes, after which—carefully transfer the cheesecake to a plate, freeing it from the paper.
- 11
Step 11
Japanese cotton cheesecake can be served warm or after being chilled in the refrigerator for several hours. If desired, dust the finished dessert with powdered sugar and garnish with fresh berries, marmalade, or candied fruit.