As an homage to my hilarious whirlwind visit to Osaka this time last year, I’ve decided to recreate Uncle Rikuro’s Jiggly Japanese Cheesecake at home.. This is an easy method to achieve the most PERFECT Japanese cheesecake! The result is CREAMY (like what a cheesecake should be) whilst remaining airy, fluffy and of course JIGGLY! I
NOTES:
- I wouldn’t advise using a springform tin (theres a chance of the bottom becoming undercooked / soggy) but if you do, you need to use aluminium to tightly cover the bottom so that the water doesn’t go in
- The WATER BATH: I omitted to mention in the video, but make sure that the water reach up halfway your cake tin height, otherwise it will be too hot, causing the cake to rise too quickly and subsequently deflate.
- The taller the tin, the more jiggly the cheesecake will be!
- The oven setting described in the video worked for my oven. You should get familiar with the heat level of your oven and adjust accordingly, if the temperature is too high, it could cause cracks. If you see the cake rise too quickly, it might be worth adjusting the temperature lower.
- If you are using a fan oven, make sure to place the tins on the lowest rack, far from the heating source (fan ovens are generally hotter and are more susceptible of causing cracks but my oven is a fan one so don’t worry it can work!).
- Depending on the size of your pan, if it’s significantly larger than the one I used, you may have to increase the baking time for a bit longer to ensure that it’s cooked throughout
TROUBLESHOOTING
1. Why is my cake not rising?
- Make sure that you have beaten the egg whites properly, if it’s under-whipped, it will not rise as well. – Make sure you don’t deflate the batter before pouring into the pan. When folding the mixtures together, do so gently
- I would advise looking up ‘macaronage’ methods and using the same hand movement to fold your mixture together. When pouring into the pan, it should still feel fluffy and light, it should not feel too ‘liquid’
- Make sure that the temperature is correct. Especially if you don’t see the top of the cake browning, you should increase the temperature a bit.
- There’s not enough batter in the tin, make sure you use the appropriate amount of batter for your cake (adjust this ingredients listed accordingly), I would recommend using at least a 3″ tall tin. If the batter is spread too thin, it may not rise as wished and will not jiggle!
2. Why is top cracked?
- The oven is too hot, turn it down
- You might have over-filled the pan with batter, make sure there’s at least 1.5 – 2 cm from the batter level to the top of the pan
3. Why did my cake sink / deflate?
- The WATER BATH: make sure that the water comes up halfway to your tin height, otherwise it will be too hot, causing the cake to rise too quickly and subsequently deflate.
- Oven temperature: you oven might be initially too hot, causing the outside to cook while the inside is still raw – in consequence, the outer layer will inflate and sink afterwards. Try to lower the temperature of the first phase (try 180 instead of 200 degrees) and lengthen the second phase of 30 mins at 140 degrees to longer
- The type of tin, sometimes this doesn’t work as well with non-stick tins as the batter has nothing to ‘grip’ on to hold shape when cooling down this might sometimes cause the cake to sink. My preference, I always buy aluminium pans for baking (they are also better at evenly distributing heat)
Jiggly Japanese Cotton Cheesecake
Experience a departure from the traditional cheesecake with this recipe for the light and airy Japanese version. Characterised by its delicate, cloud-like texture and subtle sweetness, this dessert is a true celebration of creamy indulgence.
Ingredients
- 60 g Sugar divided into two 30g portions
- 120 g cream cheese
- 3 eggs separated into egg yolks and egg whites
- 60 ml milk
- 25 g flour
- 15 g corn starch
- 30 g butter
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar you can substitute with a tiny bit of lemon juice or white vinegar, the acidity helps stabilise the egg whites
Instructions
- Start by preheating your oven to 200°C.
- Separate the egg whites from the yolks.
- In a separate bowl, combine butter and the first portion of sugar.
- Add the cream cheese to the mixture and blend it well.
- Gradually add the egg yolks, one at a time, ensuring each is well incorporated.
- Pour in the milk, mixing until no clumps remain.
- Sift in the flour and corn starch, mixing well to combine.
- In another bowl, whisk the egg whites along with the cream of tartar. As you beat these, gradually add the remaining sugar until stiff peaks form. This should take roughly 5 minutes at high speed on a mixer.
- Carefully fold the two mixtures together until they are well combined.
- Prepare your pan by lining the bottom with baking paper and greasing the sides with butter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. (Avoid using a springform pan, but if it’s necessary, wrap the bottom securely with aluminum to prevent water seepage.)
- Arrange a water bath by filling a larger pan with hot water, about a third of the volume. Place the cheesecake pan inside this water bath and transfer both to the oven.
- Bake the cheesecake for 15 minutes at 200°C. After this, reduce the oven temperature to 140°C and bake for a further 30 minutes. Finally, switch off the oven but leave the cheesecake inside with the oven door closed for another 30 minutes.
Notes
Ingredients and baking time listed is for a 6″x3″ round tin, adjust accordingly
Did you make this recipe?
If you’ve made this recipe, remember to tag @mai.ng on Instagram www.maicookbook.com
19 comments
This recipe was very easy to follow and the results are picture perfect! Loved how simple the recipe was compared to other jiggly cheesecake recipes. Really easy to make if you follow the recipe. I had one issue I’m not sure how to fix, after I take the cake out of the oven and let it sit for about 30-40 minutes it starts to shrink/deflate and I’m not sure why. Other than that this recipe is one of my favorites!
Hey Vanessa,
Thank you so much for your feedback ❤️! From my observation, the deflating is usually because the cake tin is too hot, it over rises at the beginning, cooking the outer layer too quickly and then deflating later on once it’s cooled down (inside and outside are unevenly cooked hence why it slumps down). I’ve added some troubleshooting tips to the post above – most common solution would be to make sure to add enough water in the water bath or adjust the oven temperature lower. Hope that helps if you ever want to try it again ^^
I have a 9in by 2.5in tin. Would it work? And how should I adjust the measurements? Thanks!
Hi, I would try doubling the measurements, but make sure to keep about 1.5-2 cm from the top when you pour in the batter, otherwise it might crack!
Also extend the baking time for a bit longer (add about 5-8 minutes for each stages) to make sure it’s cooked throughout
Hi, My name is Haifa.
I am from Indonesia.
Waah, just only last week i try to bake this cake, and its failed. I dont really know why.
1. Cream Cheese.. i make it with a not-really-melted cheese, so the egg yolks mix not really creamy/soft ( because of the cheese )
2. I guess the temperature not really hot, and the WATER BATH, i measure it only with my suggestion : 1 cm from the bottom
after see ur recipe and ur tips, i really wanna try it again 😀
thank you,
Good luck! Hope you get the result you wanted 🙂
Hi Mai!
I made your Japanese Jiggly Cheesecake recipe for Christmas dessert and my family and I loved it! It was delicious and the texture was so fun to eat! I made sure that there was enough water in the water bath like you mentioned in your notes and I think that helped make it a successful bake! Also, when I noticed the top of my cake was very light I used my oven’s broiler setting really quickly to give it a beautiful toasted colour! Thank you so much for experimenting with and sharing this recipe!
Happy Holidays!
Thanks so much for the feedback Yoomi! I’m glad to hear that it was well received ^^
Happy holidays 🙂
Hello Mai, do you heat up the milk when adding cornstarch to thicken the first yolk based batter? Or mix all ingredients cold?
Also, I wonder why my cake keeps cracking, when I am baking it at 130 degree in a waterbath – total 50 mins bake, 8 inch pan. Everything is ok, until after 30 minutes when it starts cracking and rising up like crazy. The cracks are unbelievably deep! I wonder why? Would appreciate your advice. Thanks!
Hi Kristina, I just mixed the ingredients cold and it was fine.
In terms of cracking, it usually means that the temperature is too high. Perhaps your oven doesn’t cool down quick enough when you do the temperature switch, you can try to put the temperature lower on the 2nd baking round or briefly open your oven door to let the temperature reduce. I usually have an in-oven thermometer which really helps with that.
Thanks For Sharing this Amazing Recipe. My Family Loved It. I will be sharing this Recipe with my Friends. Hope They will like it.
Glad to know, thanks Helan!
If you bake the cake x2 is it the same temperature? I tried doing it the small one and it was delicious 😋 but I want to make a bigger one x2 but I don’t know the temperature
hello mai,
thank you very much for sharing this recipe, so amazing,i really enjoy it, i baked two times already my friends and my kids love it.
Perfect recipe and delicious. once again thank you and God bless you always.
Hi there! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. 🙂 Not sure if you still check this message board, but do you have advice for getting the cake out of the pan? When I try to remove it, it’s so light and airy that it just sorta breaks apart. It doesn’t completely break up but the tops and sides get kinda messed up. It still tastes great but the presentation is not pretty lol. Thanks in advance. 🙂
Hi there! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. Not sure if you still check this message board, but do you have advice for getting the cake out of the pan? When I try to remove it, it’s so light and airy that it just sorta breaks apart. It doesn’t completely break up but the tops and sides get kinda messed up. It still tastes great but the presentation is not pretty lol. Thanks in advance!
Hi Jen,
Apologies for the super late reply – this ended up the the spam folder for some reason… I hope you sorted this by now. If not, I would try gently running a small spatula around the sides and try to lift it out after. You could also try and line some paper on the sides to see though I haven’t personally tried that method yet.
Amazing, absolutely beautiful. We have this at Uncle Tetsu’s in Sydney but I don’t get a chance to get in there often. I made this and my whole family agree it taste just like it. Mine turned out perfectly. Thank you!
I felt like it could stand to be cooked longer in my own oven as it came out wetter than I’d like. It was fun to try and I might try it again.