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Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Japanese Cotton Cheesecake with Fresh Fruit Topping


My mother in law is back to the States... just few days back. Can't wait for her return, so that I can get more stuff :) 
And the night before she left, we had a simple Mother's Day celebration at PhongMun Restaurant Sg. Siput.
Ate 6 dishes and a cheesecake for dessert.

I knew she loves fruits, and cakes with fruits will be a lovely choice for her. And she has told me before she don't like canned peaches. I don't want to make a vanilla sponge to go with the fruits, that will be so ordinary. So, I thought and thought, what should I do for the base? Oreo Crust with no bake oreo cheesecake, or oreo crust with baked cheesecake, or sponge (Duh!!!! ). Baked or no baked oreo cheesecake will be too heavy for Mike's family who are not fond of desserts right after meals. And then I saw on Blessed Homemaker's , she made a Japanese Cheesecake. Yeah, that type of cheesecake will not be heavy, but nice enough not be boring. So, I took out my favourite cheesecake cookbook and tadah!!! There is the recipe and I have everything on hand.

Adapted from Alex Goh's Fantastic Cheesecake.
I didn't want to do it in 2 ovals, so I only made 75% of it and did it in a 8 inch round. I got a 2.5inch cake in the middle and a 2 inch on the sides and that's after it has shrunk. Oh yes, this cake will shrink, Alex said it will and it did, so don't fret about it being shorter than when it was fresh out from the oven.

Japanese Cotton Cheesecake Recipe
125gm cream cheese
90ml milk
15gm butter

30gm flour
24gm cornstarch
3 egg yolks

3 egg whites
pinch of salt
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
75gm sugar

Topping:
1/2 tsp gelatin
1 Tbsp water
150ml whipping cream
2 tbsp sugar
Mixed fresh fruits, mango, strawberries, kiwifruit and blueberries
1 Tbsp instant jelly
100ml water
1 tbsp sugar

1. In a heavy saucepan, cook cream cheese, milk and butter until thick and smooth. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven at 160C. Boil some water.
3. After the cheese mixture has turned warm and mix in both flours. Stir with a whisk until smooth.
4. Put egg yolks into the cheese mixture and stir until well combined.
5. In another clean bowl, beat egg whites (+ salt) until frothy. Put in cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks, add in sugar gradually and beat until stiff (soft droopy peak that will hold its form).
6. Fold 1/4 of egg whites into cheese mixture, and then another 1/4 of the egg whites.
7. Pour the cheese mixture into the remaining egg whites and fold.
8. Pour batter into a lined pan (you can just line the base and grease the sides, it's not a must to line the sides as well. Springform or regular pan will be fine, but spring form's base must be wrapped.)
9. Place cake pan into a slightly bigger, shallower pan. Fill the bigger pan with boiling water and put in oven to bake at 150C for 45 minutes.
10. Unmould cake immediately upon removal from oven, if not, the cake will shrink a lot. (If you're using a regular pan you can release the sides by running a knife between the cake and pan, and leave the cake in the pan to cool down).

To make topping
1. Put water into a heatproof bowl. Sprinkle gelatin onto water. Wait for 2 minutes. Either heat it by double boiling or zap it in the microwave on high for 25 seconds. Leave gelatin mixture to cool down totally.
2. Freeze mixing bowl and beaters for 5 minutes. Remove mixing bowl and pour in cold whipping cream.
3. Beat whipping cream until visible streams can be seen. Pour in cooled gelatin mixture and sugar and beat until stiff peaks. Do not overbeat.
4. Mound whipping cream onto cooled cake. Top with diced mixed fruits. Chill cake in freezer for 10 minutes while you make the jelly topping.
5. Put water and sugar into a small saucepan, on medium heat, bring to a boil. Put in instant jelly powder and stir until fully dissolved.
6. Remove cake from freezer and glaze fruits with instant jelly solution. The jelly will firm up upon contact with the cold fruits.
7. Return cake to fridge and chill for another 2 hours before serving.


Verdict: Mother in Law was happy to see the cake and took pictures of it. She loved the cake, saying that it was cheezy but light. The cream with fruits add a nice touch to it. Everybody who ate this cake, although full with rice, still found this cake to be nice. Hehehe... sometimes when things only seem tasty when you are hungry, it might not be tasty at all, just because you are hungry. But when things still seem tasty when you are full, you can guess how nice it is :)



Cheesecake

159 comments:

  1. This cotton cheesecake looks really soft! Plus the cream & juicy fruits over it makes it perfect! Will do the "double protection" aluminum foil method next time...I usually just wrap the outside. :P

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  2. HBeeS,
    I lined the inside of the pan with foil is because the clip area will stain my cake. The metal seem to dissolve a bit into my cakes, that's why I line it with foil too. But actually it's a lot more easy to remove when it's lined with foil. One downside, there will be marks, bcause it seems impossible to smoothen out the foil on the sides.

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  3. A favourite of mine. Light, fluffy and delicious even without any topping!

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  4. Me and my kids love cotton cake , your cake looks very pretty and droolicious oh how I wish I'm your neighbour and can sample your bake all the time :D

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  5. Wow, the cake looks so tempting! Me & my kids love this kind of cake very much! Have a nice day!
    Cheers, Kristy

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  6. Angie,
    I made the topping because it's for Mother's Day. If it's just a normal bake, I'll leave it plain.

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  7. Manglish,
    Please don't. I don't want to be a killer.
    :)

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  8. AFTH,
    I wish to be your neighbour too, so that I can have a share of your delicious tedious dishes. ;)

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  9. This is such a perfect Japanese cheesecake to me. The fruits topping make it so cheery. Thanks for sharing.

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  10. this is a perfect Japanese cotton cheesecake, I did few times, also can not compete with yours, and with all those fresh fruits, this is perfect!

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  11. Mary,
    Yeah, The fruits add a nice dimension to it.

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  12. I prefer this type of cheesecake than the heavy cheesy western kind. I just love all the fresh fruits you added to the cake. By the way, which part of the US is your MIL at?

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  13. Very beautiful with all the fresh fruits on top!

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  14. ICook4Fun,
    Sometimes my MIL is in San Francisco, sometimes she's in Houston. My sis in law is in Houston and my MIL's parents are in SF.

    Yeah, I tried one recipe from Kraft.com and I didn't like it, becos it was too heavy.

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  15. yummy... i wonder where you learn all food/ cakes from? from ur mummy? from a book?

    if my wife can learn 20% from u, i am happy man lo.... but sure eat until become little small pig.

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  16. Wendy: The German flour #550 is like a pastry flour in the states. And you remember it right:-)) sponge cake is not exactly my type of cake....Chiffon is my favourite.

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  17. Oh nice, it kinda looked like pavlova with all the fresh fruits on top. I love japanese cotton cheesecakes :)

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  18. Oh my your cake looks scrumptious! i want to have a huge slice of it! the batter seems easy to make but there's quite a lot of preparation to do yeah? Need to use a lot of aluminium foil, but it was well worth your effort. It looks better than the cakes i see in the local bakeries!

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  19. Voon,
    I'm sure your wife can learn, if she has the heart.
    When you wife starts learning then you will complain, cos eat too many experiments:)

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  20. Swee San,
    Yeah, I just mound the fruits, the same way I do pavlovas, cos Jap cotton cheesecakes are so sayang to layer. Leave it whole and adorn it with a crown of fruits.

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  21. Angie,
    Thanks. Pastry flour is available here in Malaysia. Thanks for telling me.

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  22. Sweeter Side of Life,
    Actually, the batter is easy, almost like making a chiffon. Just that you need to cook melt the cream cheese into the milk.

    If you don't want to use so much aluminium foil, bake it like Blessed Homemaker (link is in the post). She just did it in a ordinary round cake pan that doesn't need wrapping, and when water don't leak in, you can just use baking paper to line the pan instead of foil.

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  23. Wendy, your cake looks PERFECT!! No cracks!! I just made one 2 days ago, with cocoa powder added but I baked only 1/2 recipe, the top cracked like crazy. Still need to experiment on the temperature and timing. I'll like to try your recipe since I've got balance 1/2 block of philly cheese in my fridge but I need to measure out the ingredients in cups, hope I can get a nice cake like you. Will update soon.

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  24. The toppings are great...so colorful and lots of varieties and is fresh looking.

    This is one of my fave bakes too.

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  25. Hi wendy,
    will this recipe be just nice for 2 X 3.5inch by 7inch rectangular pans? Shoulbi use cake flour or AP flour?
    Thanks
    janice ong

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  26. Janice Ong,
    I used all purpose.
    The amount here is so little, it won't make much of a difference. Plus the book I got it from uses all purpose for all his recipes.

    I think it will be fine to be baked in those 2 pans, as when both pans are combined they form a 7 inch square and 8 inch round cakes can be baked in 7inch squares too. It won't be tall woh, maybe you want to jack up the recipe a bit. I purposely made less because I wanted this to be "quickly eaten up" even after a full course dinner.

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  27. Thanks Wendy :)
    Janice Ong

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  28. This reminds me of my own family cheesecake recipe. The little bit of flour makes a very fluffy cheesecake, indeed. I usually top ours with a crushed pineapple sauce, or sour cherry sauce but yours looks really fresh and tasty. I can't wait to try this one with the fruit topping. Yum!

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  29. Saveur,
    and I can't wait to see the cake :)

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  30. Hi Wendy,
    My mom's birthday cake is coming up and I would love to try baking a cake for her, but I only have one 9 inch cake pan and 1 9 inch springform pan that I recently got because the store only had 9 inch pans. Can I increase the proportions of the ingredients to get a cake that isn't too thing? or is that a bad idea? Thank you! Beautiful cake btw, I hope one day that I can bake like you. :)
    Esther

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  31. Esther,
    Try increasing the recipe to a 4 egg cake, and all other ingredients jack up by 33%. That should give your 9 inch cake sufficient height.
    Bake slightly longer than I did. I reduced the recipe anyway, and if you're making it 4 eggs, that's the original recipe from the book.

    Thanks for the compliment, and I'm sure one day you'll not be like me, but be better than I am.

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  32. hi wendy, looks delicious
    i think this is perfect for my aunts birthday coming up.
    i just had one question, what is the instant jelly u listed in the topping ingredients?

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  33. timp01234,
    Instant jelly is a jelly glaze coating that solidifies the moment u brush it on the fruits.
    I'm not sure where u are from, but it can be found at bakery supplies shops. Ask for instant jelly. No brand specific as it is sold packed by the shops.

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  34. timp01234,
    Forgot to tell u, it comes in powder form that you have to cook with water and sugar.
    Use it while it's piping hot.
    When it cools down and solidifies before u finish glazing, just reheat it til it melts again.

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  35. I don't know why everytime I bake this, the bottom of the cake always is too hard...not as fluffy as yours...Can you tell me what to do?

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  36. Carine,
    How long did you wait after you put the batter into the pan and into the oven?
    You should not wait even one minute. Waiting will cause deflation, hence the dense bottom layer.
    It could also be underbaking, but that will be the center at the base, but not all around the base.

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  37. Hi Wendy, I finished writing my post. :) It was an awesome cake and my whole family enjoyed it very much. thank you! My mom even requested that I bake it for her little choir students for Christmas. http://x3baking.blogspot.com/2010/12/japanese-cotton-cheesecake.html

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  38. I had baked this cake, it is so yummy and wonderful!

    Thanks for the recipe!

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  39. Hi Wendy

    Hope u r enjoying ur new place by now. i am interested to try out ur cheesecake recipe soon. U mentioned at (10) that unmould the cake immediately upon removal from oven.

    I like to know whether did u let the cake sit in the oven with oven door ajar for an hour before taken out from the oven? This is because i had read somewhere that cheesecake must always be cooled inside the oven with door ajar for an hour before taken out to cool on a rack or put in the fridge.

    Thank u.

    Blessings
    Priscilla Poh
    Singapore

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  40. Priscilla,
    I see your point. But due to the texture difference with this cheesecake than of those cheesecakes, the technique is different. Those cheesecakes are dense and creamy and they needed to be rested one hour in the oven before removing from the oven becos they needed the residual heat to cook them futher w/o cracking the cake and to minimize temperature shock. But this cotton cheesecake is soft and fluffy and if you leave it in the oven for one hour, it'll shrink horrendously with a dense center like a crater. You need to remove this cheesecake immediately after baking and tear down the side linings so that the whole cake can stop cooking immediately and will shrink uniformly. Same theory applies to all soft fluffy cheesecakes.
    Hope you understand what I mean.

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  41. Thanks Wen for your response. But the Japanese Soft Cotton Cheesecake features here is similar to those I read in many food blogs, esp. the one by Diana's desserts.
    Most of them stated to let cheesecake cool inside oven with door ajar for 1 hr. Perhaps, I m wrong, wud u be able to refer to Diana's blog?

    Blessings
    Priscilla Poh

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  42. Priscilla,
    I checked Diana's site for this recipe. It is not stated to leave in oven for 1 hour.
    Like I said, if it's dense and creamy cheesecakes you have to do that, but for any soft fluffy versions, u must remove it immediately.
    You can experiment both ways, leave it 1 hour or remove immediately, and I'll be glad to know of the results. So far, this method according to the book's author, Alex Goh served me well.

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  43. Thanks again Wen. I will do ur method and let u know the results. Ur cheesecake looks nice with rise and without any crack, that's reason I think u r right.

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  44. Priscilla,
    You have to catch the right temperature and baking time in order not to have the cake crack.
    The immediate removal is to ensure uniform shrinking and to prevent a dense crater from forming.

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  45. Hi Wendy,

    I tried this recipe last weekend, i was wondering why but my convection oven need more time to bake it took me more than 2hours to steam bake.

    I set the oven to 160 degrees celcius for 1Hr 10Mins, the surface of the cake look pale and moist, then i add the timer gradually until the cake is cooked but the surface is abit burned because i was watching the Prince william wedding ceremony... :P

    Please enlighten me what went wrong with my cake for taking long time to be cooked(the skewer came out clean).

    Thanks,

    Asther

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  46. This is the link of my Japanese cotton cheesecake:
    http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10150226014792603&set=a.114848352602.119300.781517602&type=1&theater

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  47. Asther,
    Did you use boiling water for the water bath?

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  48. I din't use boiling water.

    By the way I was wondering if we can substitute the fluor with HK fluor for fine texture( i know HK fluor is not that good due to bleach process)And actually im using HK fluor(leftover for my kuih lapis), i just try to used up the fluor.

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  49. Asther,
    that's the reason for baking it for 2 hours.
    In the instruction, it is stated to use boiling water. All water baths should use boiling water. If you used cold water, a lot of extra heat is used just to "boil" the water in your water bath.

    The use of Hong Kong flour in this recipe won't pose much of a problem.

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  50. hi Wendy, this is Linh. I did not quite get the firmness of the cake. It did not rise as much as I thought it should have. And it's really really soft in the touch and the cut too @@. Btw, I did not have the water bath. Instead I have a small tray full of water beneath it. Would that be a problem?

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  51. linh_nguyen23488,
    It will shrink upon cooling.
    BTW, did you fold or stir the egg whites in?
    It makes a whole lot of difference.
    If you did not use water bath, but put a tray of water beneath it, it would've risen even more and deflated thereafter, it's too drastic.

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  52. Hello! Your cheesecake looks so great and I wanna bake one for my family too! I was wondering, did you baked the bake in a water bath or something? Cz I don't get step #9. Thanks :)

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  53. Elycia,
    Yes, step 9 meant waterbath.
    A lot of my readers do not understand what is a waterbath instead, so I had to elaborate on how to prepare the waterbath.
    Hope your family likes it

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  54. The cake looks delicious...and healthy!

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  55. Can I know how far your cake can raise before reaching 2.5" of height? I heard the this cake can raise up to double. Is it true?

    Rgds,
    Mag

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  56. Mag,
    There are many versions of recipe for this cake.
    My experience with this recipe is that it will rise to about 3.5inches (center) and then deflate to about 2.5 inches in the center

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  57. Wendy

    Your cheesecake looks absolutely gorgeous. No cracking on the surface at all! Now I know that Japanese Cheesecake is not meant to sit in the oven to cool, thanks for the tip.

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  58. Veronica,
    Well, I can't say positively yes.
    I think it depends on recipes. Some have had success leaving it in the oven, but that is not Alex's recipe.
    The author for this recipe says to remove, I followed suit and it worked well for me.

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  59. Wendy,

    I had try this cake tonight but it rise to 1.5" height only.I also did waterbath but not in a shallow pan. Can advice me? Everytime when i need to whisk egg white i felt quite nervous coz i dunno how long or how should be the egg white to be whisk? I got refer to your orange chiffon cake but still can't get it?Is it of the egg whites overbeat or not beat enough?

    Yvonne

    Yvonne

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  60. Yvonne,
    Sometimes how you fold(not stir) in the egg whites will affect the height of the cake.
    By refering to the chiffon cake post, it should be fine.

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  61. This is such a beautiful cake, alway love Jap cheese cake, fluffy, soft and tasty! YUM!

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  62. I tried your recipe but kind of failed =(
    I don't know why my cotton cheesecake separated into two types of textures. The upper half was fluffy just like your pictures but the lower half was more like regular creamy cheesecake.
    so sad...囧

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  63. RandomWalkers,
    Your cake is underbaked.
    Did you use boiling water for the waterbath or used tap water?

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  64. So, I should bake it for a longer time?
    I used hot water.
    And before, i used toaster oven to bake a tiny cheesecake. I just put a very thin layer of water under the bake pan.
    Should I use more water?
    What's the temperature of the water should be?

    Thank you so much!

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  65. RandomWalkerS,
    Toaster oven? Does that come with a temperature control? Or only with a timer. As far as I know, toaster ovens only have timers and no exact temperature knobs, except for high low heat.
    Before I shall answer you further I wish to know more about your oven.

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  66. Yes, it does. It has temperature control to 500F(260C). Actually, most of toaster ovens sold in Canada have exact temperature control.
    Mine has 3 knobs: a temperature control, a timer, and a knob by which you can choose bake, broil, toast, or warm.
    Also, I watched some teaching videos yesterday and found that maybe I didn't beat the egg white enough. Next time if you post something delicious related to egg white, could you please take a picture to show us the condition of it?

    Thank you =) 你人好好哦~~

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  67. Random WalkerS,
    Then I don't think it's the problem of your oven. But take note that my oven is a convection oven and you might need to raise 20C if yours doesn't come with a fan.

    There are pictures of egg whites in my orange chiffon post.
    For cheesecakes, refer to the picture that says "stiff, but not stiff enough", just above instrution no.6. That's how it should be for this cake.

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  68. Hi, Wendy

    Is there any substitution for cream of tartar? It's not easy to find it in S'pore supermarket.

    Yen

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  69. Yen,
    It can't be. Cream of tartar is very easy to find. It's as common as baking powder.
    I hope you didn't find it in the chiller section.
    It's a powder located on the same aisle as baking powder and any other baking additives.
    If you still would like to subtitute, use in place 1/2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar. But cream of tartar is convenient as it can be kept in room temperature, used as much or as little as preferred. Cutting up a lemon and using only 1/2 tsp is not that economical.

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  70. would it matter if i don't make the fruit topping? would the cake be tasteless?

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  71. Anonymous,
    Japanese cotton cheesecake are usually made without any topping at all.
    I added the topping for a special occasion, just my way of doing it.
    You may do it the original way, that is plain without anything on top.
    If you like to eat soft cottony cakes, then you will like it.

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  72. Hi Wendy,

    Thanks for sharing this recipe :)
    The cheesecake really turn out so well and its so easy to bake one..unlike the previous recipe that I had(which is not quite successful)..Your waterbath method is also simpler & fuss free...My family really enjoy this cheesecake v much cos its very light with smooth texture that will melt in your mouth, yum yum! Thumps up :)
    Many thanks,
    Chilliqueen

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  73. Chilliqueen,
    Glad it turned out well and thanks for the feedback!

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  74. Hi Wendy,

    Would like to check if above recipe is for 8"? If I wanted to bake for 9" how many more I should add?

    Yvonne

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  75. Yvonne,
    Maybe 33% more. Cos this is a 3 egg recipe, raising it to 4 egg will need 33% extra of everything.

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  76. Hi Wendy,

    How much should I add on for cream of tartar on additional of 33%?

    Yvonne

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  77. Yvonne,
    1/4 tsp should be fine. Just need a bit of acidity of the Cream of Tartar to stabilise the egg white.If you are good enough, can even omit it, haha!

    ReplyDelete
  78. Hi Wendy,
    I've successfully bake this cake, but the top not brown as yours!
    Anyway the result, very soft cottony cheesecake! My family's luv it so much!
    Thx a lot !
    By the way for pandan chiffon cake, can I subsitute coconut milk with milk?
    For healthy reason!

    Carie

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  79. Carie,
    Glad to hear the result was good.
    Can, but the fragrance will be missing.

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  80. Hi Wendy,
    The instant jelly that you used doesn't have sugar in it? The ones I've seen in the supermarket has sugar and I just need to add water but the instructions on the package says I can't use fruits like kiwi and pawpaw.

    ReplyDelete
  81. lyn,
    Instant jelly is not the same as jello. It is used for glazing fruits or cakes.
    It sets at a much quicker rate.
    I got mine from bakery supplies stores.
    Mine is not made from gelatin, but jello is. If it's made from gelatin, then yes, no kiwi, no papaya and no pineapple too, even calamansi.

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  82. Can I use agar agar powder instead? How much do I need to use? 1/2 tablespoon?

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  83. lyn,
    Agar powder won't have a nice sticking power to the fruits.
    You can use 1/2 Tbsp gelatin, with 3 Tbsp water, heated to melt (double boil or microwave). Let it cool to slightly warm, then toss the cold fruits in. Give them a light toss to coat, then gently pour the fruits onto the cake.

    ReplyDelete
  84. Wendy,
    I'm not sure if you have received my feedback on the cake which was really delicious and I've followed your advice on using the gelatin. Thanks anyway, May I ask you one question for future attempt. You suggested that I toss the cold fruits into the gelatin mixture, so the gelatin mixture only acts like a 'glaze' and not pour the gelatin mixture onto the cake?

    lyn

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  85. lyn,
    sorry no. I don't "hide" comments, LOL.
    if you toss the cold fruits into the gelatin, it will thicken the gelatin, as it coats and when you pour the fruits over the cake, the gelatin is already all over the fruits, shouldn't be liquidy anymore and the fruits will not be falling apart and look glossy.

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  86. Dear Wendy
    I tried this recipe this afternoon and the top of my cake cracked like crazy while the lower layer remains undone. My cake pan is actually on a tray which i filled with boiled hot water.I turn down the oven temperature to 130degrees after 20 minutes of baking (after i saw it started to crack up), is that why the bottom part remain undone? when i checked it after 45 minutes, i realised that i had to continue baking it as the bottom layer is still wet and sticky,turned the oven temp back up to 160 degrees.Its now been baking for 1 hr 15 minutes now, and 1 part of the cake is still not very cooked at the bottom layer...hm...do you know what went wrong based on my description?
    Yen Li

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  87. Yen Li,
    Is your oven a small microwave convection oven, around 25L capacity?

    ReplyDelete
  88. Dear Wendy
    I'm using an oven...its those type fitted into the kitchen cabinet
    I ended up baking the cake for 2 hours, and still some parts were not exactly cooked yet. and the cake deflated like some 'ham chim peng'.hehehe

    ReplyDelete
  89. Yen Li,
    If the cake deflated in the oven while baking, it is definitely overbaked.
    Any cheesecake will fail the toothpick test.
    So, if that's how you test it, I guarantee, the toothpick sure got batter sticking to it.

    If yours is a built in oven, if you have 5 rack positions, place it on the 2nd lowest rack, don't use the fan.

    ReplyDelete
  90. Wendy,
    Bingo..yes,I did the toothpick test and the results were exactly like what you said:p
    I'm planning to bake it again actually, this time, i will choose the no fan oven function. (Yes, that day i opted for the oven + fan function), maybe that's why.Also, my cake cracked like a volcano, was my oven too hot?

    ReplyDelete
  91. Yen Li,
    If you overwhipped the whites, it could cause it to volcano too, that is in the case for cheesecakes.
    This cake in the picture was actually baked with fan on. But since u said urs crack, then I suggest you off it.
    I don't know if ur oven is too hot, you have to use an oven thermometer to check it.
    So far, my old oven and current oven has been consistent in temperature and I can follow baking books quite accurately in time and temperature.
    Try again, with exact time and temperature, let it cool down, only then you will know. After that you can gauge ur time and temperature better whenever you bake with recipes from my blog, since urs is a built in, should be ok.

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  92. Hi,
    Thank you for sharing your recipe. I tried and the cake turned out perfect. But when it cooled down the top of the cake turned sticky, is this suppose to happen? Or how do I stop this from happening next time? Thanks. LC

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  93. LC,
    It's very humid lately :)
    It could turn sticky.
    Even I am sticky all day long, LOL.

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  94. Hi Wendy, I want to bake this cake for my hubby's birthday, can I make 1 day in advance?
    thank you

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  95. soh,
    you can bake the cake up to 3 days in advance, but do the topping maximum 12 hours in advance for best appearance.

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  96. Thank you Wendy, meaning I can bake the cake and seal in bag and store in fridge, right?
    Nice day...

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  97. Good morning Wendy, I baked this cake for my HB's birthday last weekend, it turned out so yummy, I made a mistake I should not use the smaller heart size pan, the cake a bit too small to hold all the fruit, but everyone enjoy the cake, very smooth and milky.
    Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
    Nice day...

    ReplyDelete
  98. Soh,
    there will always be a next time :)
    thanks for letting me know that everyone liked this.

    ReplyDelete
  99. Hi Wendy,

    I followed your instructions to the 'T'. haha, and it turn out great. My family loves it.

    I was wondering whether we can omit the cornflour and substitute it with cake flour instead?

    Thanks
    Lily

    ReplyDelete
  100. Lily,
    If you want to use cake flour, I think substituting both plain flour and cornstarch with cake flour will be alright. Maybe the cake will turn out firmer, but it should be alright.

    ReplyDelete
  101. Hi, I have made the cake using cake flour only, and you are correct, the cake did turned out firmer. No change to the taste, just texture is a bit denser.

    Thank you for a great recipe. :)
    Lily

    ReplyDelete
  102. Hi Wendy,

    Thanks for sharing this recipe, I have got a few qns :

    (1) Do u remove the foil immediately when the cake is still hot? Can I use baking paper to line if I am using a normal baking pan.
    (2) If the eggwhite is overbeaten to very stiff stage, what will happen to cake?
    (3) What is the purpose of adding Gelatin to the whipping cream?
    (4) I added the 'cooled Gelatin mixture' into the whipping cream but they turn into yellowish lumps. I wonder what had went wrong. Pls advise

    Many thanks
    Cyndi

    ReplyDelete
  103. Cyndi,
    1. Instruction #10 says so. It's actually immediately, not only while hot. You have to think of how you will remove the cake from the 'normal pan', if you chooose to use that. Please think twice about flipping the soft fragile cake out. But if you're confident enough, go ahead. You can use paper to line the sides if you're using a removable base pan.
    2. Overbeaten, cake will sieze and taste a bit 'elastic', chewy.
    3. You need to set the cream, if not dairy cream will weeep.
    4. You weren't fast enough.

    ReplyDelete
  104. Hi Wendy, I've decided to make this one instead, will get the ingredients tomorrow or later tonight. I need your advice for the pan used. I'm planning to use a removable base pan, As I only have those and the normal ones.

    1) So is it right that you say, to line the side of the removable base pan with baking paper, base don't need line, but still need to wrap the outer part of pan with aluminium foil right? Because if put the pan in water bath, without aluminium foil on outside out pan, wont the water seep through the bottom of pan, through the romovable base part?

    2) And how high does the boiled water in the outer pan need to be? does it need to cover a certain amount of the removable pan height?

    3) so is it after lining the removable pan and everything, pour batter inside, then place in the bigger outer pan immediately, without any rack at the bottom of the removable pan, just let the pan "rendam" inside the water bath? Or need a rack?

    4) Also, can I place the outer pan with boiling water inside the oven first, then only quickly put in my removable base pan with the batter, and close oven or need to put the pan with batter in first before pour in the boiling water and put in oven?

    thanks so much Wendy!

    sincerely,
    Lily.

    ReplyDelete
  105. Lily,

    1. All pans with removable bese must be wrapped on the outside for waterbath
    2. Normally I put minimum 1/3 the height.
    3. No rack, let it rendam.
    4. If u are sure u can carry an almost full tray of boiling water, u can try.

    ReplyDelete
  106. Thanks so much for prompt reply Wendy! I'll definitely let you know how it turn out. Hope it'll be as lovely as yours! Looks so good, makes me crave for it now!

    But we don't have blueberry here. I might replace it with those darker smaller size grapes and maybe replace the mango with canned peach? Will that be alright? what types of fruits would b suitable?

    Lily

    ReplyDelete
  107. Lily,
    Most fruits will be great, except papaya, guava, mangoesteen.. haha.
    Basically soft fruits with a slight tangy note will be great.

    ReplyDelete
  108. Hi,Wendy. I have baked this cake many times and it has always turned out well thanks to your helpful tips and guidance. I would like to bake it this time for my daughter's birthday in a 9" heart shaped tray.Could you please tell me by how much do I increase this recipe and for how long do I need to bake it?

    ReplyDelete
  109. Suba,
    Increase by 33.3%, that is another 1/3 more.
    From a 3 egg recipe, jack it up to be a 4 egg recipe.
    Time, maybe 10 minutes more, I'm not exactly sure. Approximately should be like that

    ReplyDelete
  110. Many thanks for your prompt reply, Wendy.

    ReplyDelete
  111. Hi Wendy. I saw the ingredient list and the steps. In step 3, "... mix in both flours..." But the ingredient list only stated 1 flour. So its just one type of flour (all purpose?) right?

    ReplyDelete
  112. KH,
    sorry, what i meant was both cornstarch and flour. :)

    ReplyDelete
  113. Hi Wendy,

    Thanks for the prompt reply yesterday. I baked this cake today for the first time today and it didn't rise thus becoming a "dense" cake. Do you know what may be the reason? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  114. KH,
    Did you fold or stir in the egg whites?
    Did you use boiling water to bake?

    ReplyDelete
  115. Hi Wendy,

    I think I might have accidentally stirred some in. =X I used boiling water. I boiled some water and pour it into the pan immediately. But could it be that the pan is too shallow?

    ReplyDelete
  116. KH,
    Then the prob is definitely with your egg whites.
    Make sure you beat them stiff enough and folded them in :)

    ReplyDelete
  117. So couldnt be the water being too shallow? :)

    ReplyDelete
  118. KH,
    nope, the water is a temperature regulator only, preventing the cake from being burnt and giving it a gentle baking temperature.

    ReplyDelete
  119. Hi Wendy,

    I've been baking this cake from last year..sometimes its ok and sometimes it make me cry ..I got few question.

    1) Do I need to sieve the batter after adding the flour, just to make sure the batter is smooth?

    2) Normally I use Philly Cheese to make this cake but since there are difficulty to get the brand in the market can I use the Tatura brand that looks like "big sweet"?

    Thanks...

    Syikin

    ReplyDelete
  120. Syikin,
    is it that sometimes the cake siezes after cooling? what are the problems, if u can tell me, i can help you troubleshoot.
    I did not sieve the batter, as long as you did not use cold cheese it shouldn't be a problem.
    I use tatura all the time, it's much cheaper

    ReplyDelete
  121. Hi Wendy,

    Yes the cake shrink after cooling especially the center ..I've read in some blog (I didn't remember which one..hu hu) the person ask to sieve after we add the flour, then only we can fold the meringue. In the end I got a "lembab" cake..this cake supposed to be dry and soft right?..

    Syikin

    ReplyDelete
  122. Syikin,
    If you've used room temp cheese and have melted it well enough, and visually you see no lumps, there's no need to sieve. Even if there are small lumps, it will only result with a slight mouthfeel of bits of cream cheese.
    If you say your cake is sunken in the center, the only reason is "Underbaked".
    Some more you said ur cake is lembap. It's is definitely underbaked.

    ReplyDelete
  123. Thank you Wendy....I goy to try again after this...:-)

    Syikin

    ReplyDelete
  124. Hey,Wendy!

    I have a digital oven that can only set the temp. at 140 or 160. Which one is better, to bake at 140 for longer or bake at 160 for shorter time?

    thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  125. and, i'm planning to bake mine in a glassware. Does it make any difference?

    ReplyDelete
  126. buin,
    then u have to be careful when you remove the cake, the only way is to flip it out and it's fragile.

    ReplyDelete
  127. Hi Wendy
    I tried twice, having same problem, i.e. bottom of the cake is densed like custard about 2 to 3 mm thick, while the rest of the cake fluffy like yours.

    I dont hv springform so i used normal rectangular cake pan, then i dont hv another bigger cake pan for the water bath then i put hot water into my muffin pan, and put the muffin pan one rack below my cheesecake.

    Could this be the problem? Or it is due to undermix of egg white into cheese batter?

    ReplyDelete
  128. Nana,
    The base is underbaked.
    There's no transfer of heat when the pan of water is far from the pan when the water is merely boiling in the oven. Plus the pan of water there practically blocks off the the bottom heat.

    ReplyDelete
  129. Dear Wendy

    May I check with you, in '2' you said preheat oven to 160C. Then at '9' you said bake at 150C for 45 minutes. is that a typing error, or you actually reduce the temperature by 10C when you put the batter in the oven?

    thanks
    Amy

    ReplyDelete
  130. Amy,
    Yes, preheat the oven at a higher temperature than baking. This helps sets the structure better

    ReplyDelete
  131. Just curious.

    Where did the pinch of salt go? I mean, when should I put it in because it didn't appear in any of your steps. XD

    Pardon my ignorance. I am really new in baking.

    Anyway, I enjoy reading you blog so much! I tried few recipes and the result doesn't disappoint. Thanks a lot for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  132. Cik Atun,
    Thank you for highlighting to me, so many have tried this recipe and none has noticed, LOL.
    It's added when you beat the egg whites, it's optional.

    ReplyDelete
  133. Hi Wendy

    I tried foiled my springform cake tin double but water still sipped into the cake so disappointed.
    How u wrap it? cant see clearly.

    HL

    ReplyDelete
  134. I tried the recipe twice, but thecake were a bit dense throughout, and it doesn't rise as talk as yours.

    I used eggs straight from fridge, does it make a difference?

    My batter doesn't look as much as yours too. But i used the exact amount of ingredients you listed. What did i do wrong?

    ReplyDelete
  135. HL,
    It's how you wrap the outer layer that prevents water from seeping it, just make sure you fold every thing upwards and not side ways.


    Cik Atun,
    May I ask, did u fold in the egg whites or or did u stir?
    If your eggs whites almost like shaving cream?

    ReplyDelete
  136. I fold it slowly and care fully.but it does took a while until the batter was mixed well.

    My egg whites look like shaving cream, yes. When i flipped the bowl, they stay. Do i overbeat them? XD

    is it my oven? I used convention oven at 150 degree c, heat from top and bottom, fanless.bake for 45 minutes, the top of cake only browned about 6.5 inch (i used 8 inch spring form). Unmould immediately out of oven and the height of cake after shrinkage was 1.5 inch approximate.

    And i noticed there is like condensation at the bottom of the pan when i peel off the foil. Not much but still. And its definitely not seepage since its like only 3 ml of liquid.

    Sorry to bombard you with questions. I was just tak puas hati the cake didn't turn as i expected.huhu. TQ!

    ReplyDelete
  137. Hi may I pls know if the pan has to be line with aluminum foil or can I use baking paper too ? Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  138. Anonymous,
    you can use baking paper on the inside, but outside must be aluminium foil

    ReplyDelete
  139. Hi Wendy

    My strawberry turned black. I washed the strawberry before deco and top it with snow sugar. I did not apply the instant jelly.

    Could you advise? Thank you.

    Mixue

    ReplyDelete
  140. Mixue,
    It turned darker or black?
    if your strawberries were very ripe, sometimes it turns darker.
    I've no idea why yours is black

    ReplyDelete
  141. Hi Wendy

    Thanks for your reply. Now I realised instead of snow sugar I accidentally put in baking soda.

    I am really blur. Hahaha.

    Mixue

    ReplyDelete
  142. Hello Wendy,

    Bravo for such a cool blog!
    FYI, last week i tried your Mrs Ng's Butter cake and it turned out really good. Hubby luv it so much.
    Next, I would like to try this wonderful recipe because cannot tahan looking at your pics :))
    2 things I need to clarify here, butter, is it salted butter? flour, what kind of flour you use? is it all purpose flour or is it self raising flour?

    Thanks,
    Zaza

    ReplyDelete
  143. Zaza,
    for 15gm butter, it doesn't matter which type u use.
    flour is all purpose. Self raising flour is very specific, and I won't leave the word out.
    Maybe you can read my About to find out more about the ingredients I use on this blog

    ReplyDelete
  144. Hi Wendy

    Can I use canned whipped cream to substitute the whipping cream?

    cheers
    Sam

    ReplyDelete
  145. Sam,
    since it's just for topping, you may.
    but provided, you eat it soon, canned toppings are a bit quick to melt, unless you get the non dairy version.

    ReplyDelete
  146. Sam,
    since it's just for topping, you may.
    but provided, you eat it soon, canned toppings are a bit quick to melt, unless you get the non dairy version.

    ReplyDelete
  147. Hi wendy! I have read ur blog and absolutely loved ur recipes!! They all look so delish, I wish you could put an american conversion for the measurements to the ingredients so I could make it! Ml and gms are just so confusing when all I have are cups and tbps and so forth. :(

    ReplyDelete
  148. Hi Wendy,
    I have baked this cheese cake for an occasion and it's so delicious and everyone love it! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe :)
    Chris

    ReplyDelete
  149. Hi Wendy ,
    I am using a convection oven with the fan blow from the top. I plan to bake this into smaller cupcakes.. Shall I just place my cupcakes rendam in the water or place a boiling water just below it.. Very near. By the way.. My convection oven is the glass type one with just the fan above.. Cosway empress brand.. Not sure if this type of oven bakes well or not. I am really beginner in baking only. Found your blog very interesting and I would love to try.

    Jenny

    ReplyDelete
  150. Jenny,
    Rendam in water. Put then in aluminium casings ya :) Paper cups will not work

    ReplyDelete
  151. Hi! thanks for sharing all your wonderful recipes, I just have a question, what does the gelatin do to the whipping cream? and is this cream with gelatin also good for hot weather?

    Thank you and More Power!
    Divine G.

    ReplyDelete
  152. Divine G,
    Gelatin helps prevent the dairy cream from weeping and stay put slightly longer when removed from the fridge. It needs to be chilled right until serving time, if you need to keep it out, depending on the room temperature, it should not exceed 30 minutes.

    ReplyDelete
  153. Hi Wendy, I am just wondering whether the whipped cream will stay firm on the cake if the cake was to be refrigerated for 2 days before serving? Also, is the sugar glaze for the fruits necessary or optional? Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  154. Its 2017! And this receipe still works. Although i had problem taking the cake out while piping hot. Ended up using a plate to flip it. But the nice brown skin camw off. But is nice n fluffy. Thanks! Jus

    ReplyDelete

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