Japanese Soufflé Cheesecake

I could not have chosen a worse day to take these photos. It was Wet Wednesday, the day it rained and rained, and Singapore's iconic shopping belt - Orchard Road - transformed into Venice. You can imagine how gloomy the skies were ... not a great day to take photos but I tried my best.

Anyhow, bad lighting should not take away the spotlight from today's treat.



This cheesecake steals the limelight with its incredibly soft texture. Well, it's not called a soufflé cheesecake for nothing. The "problem" was, like a soufflé, it looked better in the oven - all tall and proud. The moment I took them out, they started deflating. Sob sob. :(


 
Photos taken under harsh fluorescent kitchen lights because it was just SO dark. :(



I turned them upside down because I thought they looked better this way. The tops were kinda wrinkly and I'm sure you prefer to see their cute baby-soft bottoms instead.

This is an original recipe from the awesome Corner Cafe, which you can find here.


 
So light it is like eating clouds. White, fluffy clouds, that is ... not those black, ominous ones, which spoil your photos. :(

http://www.thelittleteochew.com/2010/06/japanese-souffle-cheesecake.html 

Soufflé Cheesecake Cups

Recently there was a discussion about the steamed cheesecake from Sun Moulin Bakery in Singapore at Kitchen Capers forum. I was very intrigued since I have never heard of cheesecake being steamed before. After some investigation, I found out that the cheesecake is supposed to be very soft and soufflé-like in texture.
However there was some doubt as to whether the cheesecake is purely steamed! As the top of the cheesecake is brown, I suspect that it is actually steam-bake in the oven to produce the brown top. I decided to adjust my Japanese Soufflé Cheesecake recipe to produce an even softer textured cheesecake, but still retaining its cream cheese taste. I steam-baked them in the oven by placing a tray of hot water below the cheesecakes to create the steaming effect.
I am very happy with the result even though they were blindly created based on just description – they are very light, tenderly soft and have a soufflé texture.



Makes approx. 15 cupcakes

[Ingredients]

125g cream cheese
60ml milk
40ml canola oil
3 egg yolks
40g caster sugar
20ml lemon juice
30g cornflour, sifted
3 egg whites
70g caster sugar
http://cornercafe.wordpress.com/
 
[Preparation]

1. Preheat oven to 150°C. Line 15 muffin holes with paper cups (use a 12-hole muffin tray plus 3 more in a 6-hole tray, or fill the remaining batter in a remekin). Place a large tray of hot water inside the oven just below the shelf where the cheesecakes are to be baked.
2. Soften cream cheese with milk and oil in a bowl placed over simmering water, or in a double-boiler. Whisk until smooth, remove from heat and let cool until lukewarm.
3. Beat egg yolks with 40g sugar until combined, beat in lemon juice. Gradually whisk in cheese mixture to combine. Lightly whisk in sifted cornflour, mix well.
4. Beat egg whites until foamy. Then gradually beat in 70g sugar, spoonful by spoonful, until firm but just under stiff peaks stage.
5. Fold 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the cheese mixture until thoroughly mixed in. Repeat two more times with the remaining egg white mixture.
6. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup nearly to the rim.



7. Place the muffin tray on the shelf just above the tray of hot water.
8. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the tops of the cheesecakes are lightly browned.



Taste: Tenderly soft soufflé-like cheesecakes
Consume: Best within 2-3 days
Storage: Store in airtight container in the refrigerator

http://cornercafe.wordpress.com/2009/02/21/souffle-cheesecake-cups/