Japanese cheesecake facts for kids
Japanese cheesecake with raspberry jam
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Alternative names | Soufflé-style cheesecake, cotton cheesecake, light cheesecake |
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Course | Dessert |
Place of origin | Japan |
Created by | Tomotaro Kuzuno |
Main ingredients | Cream cheese, butter, sugar, eggs |
Japanese cheesecake (Japanese: スフレチーズケーキ), also known as soufflé-style cheesecake, cotton cheesecake, or light cheesecake, is a variety of cheesecake that is usually lighter in texture and less sweet than North American-style cheesecakes. It has a characteristically wobbly and airy texture, similar to a soufflé when fresh out of the oven and a chiffon cake-like texture when chilled.
The recipe was created by Japanese chef Tomotaro Kuzuno, who was inspired by a local käsekuchen cheesecake (a German variant) during a trip to Berlin in the 1960s. It is less sweet and has fewer calories than standard Western-style cheesecakes, containing less cheese and sugar. The cake is made with cream cheese, butter, sugar, and eggs. Similar to chiffon cake or soufflé, Japanese cheesecake has a fluffy texture produced by whipping egg white and egg yolk separately. It is traditionally made in a bain-marie.
The cake was popularized around the world in the 1990s as the signature dish of Uncle Tetsu's Cheesecake, which originated in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, in 1947.