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Japanese cheesecakes are lighter and usually less sweet than traditional Western style ones. This is one I’ve been making for years and it tastes very similar to the store-bought ones from my childhood.
The recipe requires a 10-cup rice cooker and makes a large cake that serves 8-10. If you have a smaller rice cooker, just half the recipe (I’m looking at you Shane!). You may need to adjust the cooking time as well.
Ingredients:
18 oz cream cheese (if you use Philadelphia, it’s 2 standard packages), at room temperature
⅓ cup cane sugar (for cream cheese) + ¼ cup cane sugar (for egg whites)
6 eggs, separate whites and yolks
½ cups + 2 tbsp all purpose flour
⅓ cup milk
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 lemon, zested and juiced, use all of the zest and ½ of the juice
Directions:
Bowl #1 (large)
Mix the room temperature cream cheese using a spoon or a spatula.
Add sugar and mix well
Mix in yolks, one at a time, until fully mixed. You should have a smooth yellow paste the consistency of regular yogurt.
Add milk and mix well.
Sift in flour and fold with a spatula until all lumps are dissolved.
Add lemon juice and zest, mix well.
Add butter, mix well.
Bowl #2 (medium)
Beat egg whites until slightly foamy.
Switch the beater to high and add sugar slowly while beating until you have soft peaks.
Fold the meringue, slowly but confidently, from bowl #2 into bowl #1, a third at a time.
Butter the rice cooker bowl. Pour all contents from bowl #1 into the rice cooker bowl.
Cook for 2 cake cycles if you have that setting (which is 45 min x 2 on my machine, but yours may vary), otherwise, use the regular/white rice cycle x 2.
The cake will still jiggle when done but the centre should not be runny.
Cover the top of the rice cooker bowl with a large plate and flip it over. The golden side will now be on top. Serve with chocolate or matcha powder or whatever else tickles your fancy.
I would love to hear how yours turned out! Bon appétit 🍰