Japanese Cotton Cheesecake

 

125g cream cheese

110g heavy cream

3 egg yolks, room temperature

20g sugar

50g cake flour 

20g cornstarch or 40g all purpose flour + 30g cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

zest of 1 lemon

3 egg whites

pinch of salt

50g sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1. butter a 15cm solid bottom cake pan. Cut two stripes of parchment paper and place them crisscross wise in the pan (this will make it easier to pull the cake out)

Cut a round piece of parchment paper to cover bottom of pan. Then butter it slightly.

Cover sides of pan with parchment paper and also butter slightly. Preheat oven to 180°C

2. place cream cheese, cream and sugar over a Bain Marie and whisk until cream cheese has dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then mix in eggs, vanilla extract and lemon zest

3. sift cake flour and cornstarch into cheese mixture. Whisk until well incorporated. Run the mixture through the sieve 1-2 times and set aside

4. beat eggs whites until opaque and bubbly. Slowly add sugar and cream of tartar + a pinch of salt. Beat until soft peaks form. The peaks should stand at the beginning and then fall

5. carefully fold egg whites into cream cheese mixture in three steps.  Pour into prepared cake pan. Tap pan several times on working surface to remove air bubbles. Place cake pan into a bigger pan. Fill the pan half way up with boiling water 

6. place cake pan in oven, reduce temperature to 160° and bake for 40-50 minutes.

Reduce temperature to 140° and continue baking for 20-25 minutes longer. Do not open oven door during baking! When the cake is done, slightly open the oven door and let the cake remain in the oven for another 20 minutes

7. when cake has cooled completely, take out of cake pan by pulling the parchment paper stripes

Dust cake with powder sugar or brush with a mixture of apricot marmalade and water that has been heated in a small saucepan and then cooled