Japanese Yuzu Infused Cheesecake

TASTE OF CATER CARE FACT

Japanese cheesecake, sometimes called cotton cheesecake or light cheesecake, is cheesecake but not as we know it in Australia. The dessert originated in Hakata, Japan around 1948 and is made with cream cheese, butter, sugar, whipped cream and eggs and is cooked in a water bath (bain-marie). This recipe features the delicious juice of a citrus fruit not widely known, called yuzu, which tastes similar to a blend of grapefruit and mandarin. The juice can be purchased bottled in Asian grocery shops.

INGREDIENTS

• As required – Extra Virgin Olive Oil Spray
• As required – Baking Paper
• As required – Aluminium Foil
• 50gm Unsalted Butter – cut into 2cm dice and warm to room temperature.
• 250gm Cream Cheese – cut into 2cm dice and warm to room temperature.
• 110ml Full Cream Milk
• 6 Eggs – crack, separate yolks from whites and set to one side.
• 20ml Yuzu Juice
• 60gm Plain Flour – sieve.
• 20gm Corn Flour – sieve.
• 1⁄4 tsp Salt
• 1⁄4 tsp Cream of Tartar
• 140gm Caster Sugar

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to a moderate temperature – 160°C. In the oven, prepare a water bath by filling a deep-sided baking tray (which can hold a 9-inch cake tin) with hot water to a depth of 4cm.
2. Lightly spray oil a 9-inch springform cake tin. Line the base and sides with baking paper, leaving 6cm above the cake tin rim. Wrap the outside of the base and sides of the cake tin with 3-4 layers of aluminium foil, so that it will not leak when placed in the water bath.
3. Over a moderate heat, half fill a saucepan with water and bring to a gentle simmer. Place a suitably sized bowl on top of the saucepan and add the butter, cream cheese, and milk. Gently heat stirring until the butter and cream cheese have melted to a smooth consistency. Remove the bowl from the heat, set to one side and cool to room temperature.
4. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk to thoroughly combine the egg yolks and yuzu. Add to the butter and cream cheese mixture and mix to form a batter.
5. In another mixing bowl, add the plain flour, cornflour, and salt, mix to combine. Then add the flour mixture to the batter, mix until smooth, and set to one side.
6. In the bowl of a food mixer, add the egg whites and cream of tartar. Using a balloon whisk, whisk until the egg whites become white, frothy and start to thicken.
7. Gradually whisk in the sugar until the mixture starts to form soft peaks. Using a kitchen spatula, fold half of the egg white mixture into the cheesecake batter, then fold in the remainder of the egg white mixture, making sure not to overwork the batter, so it remains light and fluffy.
8. Place the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Lightly tap the cake tin to remove any air bubbles. Place the cake tin into the prepared water bath and cook for 1 hour. After 1 hour, reduce the oven temperature to 140°C and cook for a further 10 minutes or until the cake is cooked through.
9. Carefully remove the yuzu infused cheesecake from the water bath and place it on an oven shelf. (Discard the water bath). Turn the oven off and leave the oven door half open and allow the cheesecake to sit in the oven for a further hour.
10. Remove the yuzu infused cheesecake from the oven, allow to cool to room temperature. Then remove from the cake tin and place it into an airtight container. Refrigerate overnight.

TO SERVE

Remove the cheesecake from the refrigerator for half an hour before serving to allow it to warm to room temperature (it will taste better!). Slice the yuzu infused cheesecake and optionally serve it with vanilla bean ice cream, whipped cream or Chantilly cream.