February 28, 2014

Fluffy Cotton Cheesecake

Adapted from Diana's Dessert


This recipe makes a light, fluffy cotton cheesecake. The taste of cheese is light, thus suitable for those who didn't like strong taste of cheese.


Ingredients
250gm Philadelphia cream cheese
200ml Meiji full cream milk
60gm butter
60gm cake flour
20gm cornflour
120gm sugar
6 eggs (60gm each), egg yolks and whites separated
1 tsp vanilla extract


Method
1. Prepare oven
- Place oven tray and rack at the lowest level
- Pour water in the oven tray to prepare for water bath
- Preheat oven at 160 degrees

2. Cheese mixture
- Using small stove fire, heat up milk to hand hot temperature
- Add butter & cream cheese and whisk until smooth

3. Egg yolk mixture
Whisk vanilla extract, egg yolks & 20gm sugar till mixture turns light and fluffy

4. Cake batter
- Combined cheese mixture (2) & egg mixture (3)
- Sift flour and cornflour
- Mix well
- Sieve mixture if you see lumps
- Set aside

5. Meringue
- Beat egg whites till foamy
- Add 100gm sugar
- Beat till firm peaks* (not stiff peaks)

6. Mixing the Cake Batter
- Using 1/3 of the meringue, gently whisk the meringue into batter. Once the batter is loosened, add another 1/3 of meringue. Followed by folding in the last portion of meringue.
- Use a flexible spatula to fold the mixture by scrapping the bottom. Just keep scrapping the batter from the bottom to the top until you no longer see the unmixed batter.

7. Baking
- Line the bottom of a 9 inch baking tin
- Pour the cake batter gradually to release bigger bubbles
- Place the baking tin on the oven rack
- Bake for 1hr 20 mins at 160 degrees until cake top is golden brown.

8. Cooling the cheese cake
- Switch off oven heat
- Leave the cake in oven with door ajar for about 15 mins to cool down.
- Demold and remove parchment paper
- Let it cool completely on the cooling rack
- Serve when cooled or store in fridge.


Notes
  • Firm Peaks - When you turn your whisk upside down, the peaks will hold and the ridges are more distinct, but the tips fold back on themselves. (see pictures & information here)
  • If your cheesecake is rising very quickly in the first 10-15 minutes, the oven temperature is probably too high. Try lowering another 10 degrees.

Video tutorial