Japanese Cotton Cheesecake

Ingredients:

15g unsalted butter (for greasing the pan and parchment paper)
6 large eggs (55g each w/o shell), separated (set the whites in the refrigerator)
300g cream cheese (or you can use my home-made cream cheese recipe to prepare your own)
60g unsalted butter
200ml double (heavy/whipping) cream (¾ cup + 4 tsp, to be precise)
60g sugar (for the cream cheese mixture)
80g cake flour
finely-grated zest of ½ lemon
30ml (2 tbsp) lemon juice (from ½ large lemon)
100g sugar (for beating the egg whites)
2 tbsp apricot jam (for the glaze)
2 tsp hot water (for the glaze)

Method:

Take a 23cm (9 in) diameter cake tin that's 10cm (4 in) tall. Line the base and sides with baking parchment. Also have two rectangular strips 10x75cm (4 x 30 in) in size, you will need these as 'straps' to help lift the cheesecake out of the pan.

Using the 15g butter liberally grease the cake tin and the parchment paper. Arrange the two parchment paper strips in a cross pattern on the bottom of the cake pan so the ends hang over the edge. Make sure that the greased side of the parchment paper is uppermost.

Pre-heat you oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Pour a 5cm (2 in) depth of water into a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid and continue to simmer slowly.

Now prepare the cake batter. In a large heat-proof bowl, combine the cream cheese, unsalted butter, double cream and 60g of the sugar. Sit the bowl over the pan of simmering water, ensuring that the base of the bowl does not touch the water surface.

Using a silicone spatula mash together the cream cheese and the butter. Once they're melted use a whisk blend everything together then take off the heat.

Whilst whisking, add in the egg yolks one at a time. Ensure that each egg yolk is thoroughly blended with the cream cheese before adding the next one.

Using a fine-meshed sieve sift over the 80g cake flour. Whisk to blend with the other ingredients.

Now pass the batter through the fine-meshed sieve into a large, clean, bowl. This will ensure that the batter has the appropriate silky texture.

At this point stir in the lemon zest, followed by 2 tbsp (30 ml) of the lemon juice. Whisk well to blend then set aside.

Take a deep roasting tin and pour in enough water to come half way up the sides. Place this in your oven to heat up.

Add the chilled egg whites into a the clean, dry, mixing bowl of a stand mixer (there can be no oil or water in the bowl or the whites will not stiffen). Start whisking on medium speed until the egg whites before opaque, foamy and bubbly (about 2 minutes). Now, whilst whisking, add in 100g sugar, pouring it in 1/3 at a time.

Once all the sugar has been added, increase the mixer speed to high and beat the egg whites until they stand in firm peaks. When you lift the whisk and turn it upside down, the egg whites should still cling to the whisk and hold their shape fairly well, but the tip of the peak folds back on itself.

Using a hand whisk, mix one-third of the egg whites into the cream cheese mixture until incorporated. Then, gently fold another one-third into the mixture. Finally, pour the mixture back into the mixer bowl (with the last one-third of the egg whites still in it) and fold very gently until just combined.

Pour this mixture into your prepared cake tin all at once, avoiding air pockets while pouring. Tap the cake pan a few times on the kitchen counter to release any air pockets in the batter.

Now carefully place the cake tin in the centre of the roasting tin with the water. Reduce the oven temperature to 160ºC (320ºF) and bake for 70-75 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature again to 150ºC (300ºF) and bake for a further 10 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre emerges cleanly.

Turn off the oven and leave the oven door slightly ajar (using the handle of a wooden spoon or a tea towel) for 15–20 minutes with the cake inside. If you take the cake out immediately to the kitchen counter, the sudden change in temperature could cause the cake to collapse. You want the cake to slowly shrink down to half the height, roughly from 10cm (4 in) to 5cm (2 in) high. After 15–20 minutes, remove the pan from the oven. Gently pull out the cake from the cake pan using the two parchment paper straps (with help from another set of hands if needed).

Transfer the cake to a plate, carefully peel off the parchment paper around the sides (but leave the bottom paper). Now combine 2 tbsp of apricot jam and 2 tsp hot water in a small bowl. Brush the apricot mixture over the top of the cheesecake then set aside to cool to room temperature.

You can serve the cake at room temperature (fluffiest!) or chill the cake for 1–2 hours before serving. The finished cake will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days or it will freeze for 3-4 weeks. If freezing, defrost the cake overnight in the refrigerator.