bakery cook and tips: Cottony Soft Three Vanilla Japanese Cheesecake

My friend Abbie sent me a link awhile back (make that way way waaay back). She came across a cheesecake recipe that seems to be too good to be true.

And indeed it is. I can't believe I tried making it just now. It was tangy yet sweet, cottony soft and definitely a "where have you been all my life?" kind of cheesecake.

I tweaked the recipe a bit to make it a three vanilla cheesecake. Why three?

My cheesecake has vanilla sugar, vanilla beans and pure vanilla extract. It couldn't get any vanilla-ish than that.

The recipe calls for butter, cream cheese and milk. Simple enough.

Which I'd need to melt over a double boiler. Then set aside to cool. This is where I added the vanilla beans. Beans of one pod is enough. Yummy!!!

The recipe calls for corn flour. I got stuck there for awhile when I first read the recipe. I can't find corn flour in the grocery aisles. Just cornstarch. Lucky me, I found out they are one and the same.

Once the cream cheese mixture has cooled, I folded in the cake flour, corn flour, egg yolks and lemon juice. A very dense mixture will come out.

In another bowl, I whisked the egg whites till foamy, then I added the vanilla sugar gradually.

I waited until soft peaks form then I folded it into the cream cheese mixture.

I then made sure to fold it gently then added the vanilla extract. Pour mixture into an 8-inch spring form pan.

I covered my pan with aluminum foil since I'll be using the Bain Marie (a.k.a water bath) technique.

I baked it at 325 F for an hour.

Oops! I almost burned a part of it. Hehehehe! I blame the oven for this, not me who got distracted because I was reading "The Lost Hero"... again.

Cottony Soft Three Vanilla Japanese Cheesecake

recipe adapted from Diana's Desserts

Ingredients:

140g fine granulated vanilla sugar

6 egg whites

6 egg yolks

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

50g butter

250g cream cheese

100 ml fresh milk

1 tsp. lemon juice

60g cake flour /superfine flour

20g cornflour (cornstarch)

1/4 tsp. salt.

1tsp vanilla exract

1 vanilla pod

Instructions:

1. Melt cream cheese, butter and milk over a double boiler. Cool the mixture. Add vanilla beans. Fold in the flour, the cornflour, egg yolks, lemon juice and mix well.

2. Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Add in the vanilla sugar and whisk until soft peaks form.

3. Add the cheese mixture to the egg white mixture and mix well. Mix in the vanilla extract. Pour into a 8-inch round cake pan (Lightly grease and line the bottom and sides of the pan with greaseproof baking paper or parchment paper).

4. Bake cheesecake in a water bath for 1 hours 10 minutes or until set and golden brown at 160 degrees C (325 degrees F).

Makes 1 (8-inch) cheesecake, 12 servings