3-ingredient Japanese Souffle Cheesecake with Lemon Curd

This is an old bake but it's what got me started on baking cakes. I was so charmed by this melt-in-your mouth cheesecake which requires so few ingredients that I decided to set aside my fear of beating egg whites and dig out my handheld mixer that I have never used from the dark recesses of my kitchen cabinet. I am blogging about this simple bake as part of my baking journal. Presenting my humble Japanese souffle cheesecakes with homemade lemon curd!

I followed Ann Low's recipe closely for the cheesecake and used an awesome lemon curd recipe from here. It's my first time steam baking too! I was pretty pleased when the cheesecakes turned out beautifully!

I baked the portion of batter in two 4" round tins and four jumbo muffins.

Recipe for Souffle Japanese Cheesecake
Ingredients:
125g cream cheese at room temperature
120g white chocolate (I used three bars of Meiji white chocolate)
3 large cold eggs (68-70g each)
1/2 tbs lemon juice and zest of half a lemon*
1/4 tsp cream of tartar (optional)

Steps:
1. Line the 4" cake pans at bottom and sides and grease with butter. Grease the paper cupcake liners for the jumbo muffin pan. Prepare boiling water for steam baking.
2. Separate the eggs and place egg whites in the fridge. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
3. Break white chocolate into pieces in a large bowl and melt in a double boiler over hot water. Mix chocolate until smooth with a spatula then add cream cheese.
4. Remove bowl from double boiler and add the egg yolks. Mix well. Add lemon juice and zest. Mix well with a hand whisk.
5. Whisk egg whites with electric mixer until foamy. Add cream of tartar and beat until firm peaks form and the bowl can be overturned without the meringue falling out.
6. Add one third of meringue into cream cheese batter and blend well with spatula. Fold in the rest of the meringue in two additions until well combined.
7. Fill the pans and muffin cases with batter and dropp the pans on table lightly to release trapped air.
8. Steam bake at 160 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes,  followed by 150 degrees for 15 minutes, and then resting the cakes in the oven with the heat switched off for 15 minutes.
9. Leave cakes to cool completely before removing from cake pan or muffin cases. Chill cake before consuming or topping with lemon curd. You may dust with powdered sugar instead of topping with lemon curd but I prefer the tangy counterpoint of the curd with the sweetness and richness of the cheesecake.

Recipe for lemon curd
Ingredients:
42g unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zest

Steps:
1. Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer for 2 minutes. Slowly add egg and egg yolk and continue to beat for 1 minute after adding them. Mix in lemon juice.
2. Cook mixture over low heat until smooth.  Increase heat to medium and cook sgitring constantly with a wooden spoon until it thickens. This takes about 15 minutes. It should leave a path on the back of the wooden spoon. Do not boil.
3. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest. Transfer to a bowl and press cling wrap on surface of the lemom curd to keep a skin from forming. Chill in the fridge. It can keep in the fridge for one week covered tightly and in the freezer for two months.

Top the cheesecakes with lemom curd and fruits. Yums!

I gave some of the cakes to my neighbors and they loved it too!

If you would like to start baking but find that the whole meringue process is too scary, this recipe is good as a start!

This post is linked to the event Little Thumbs Up (June 2014 Event: Butter) organised by Zoe (Bake for Happy Kids) and Mui Mui (My Little Favourite DIY) and hosted by Jozelyn Ng (Spice Up My Kitchen)

With love,
Phay Shing

* The original 3-ingredient Japanese souffle cheesecake recipe by Ochikeron that Ann Low adapted from did not include lemon juice and zest (and therefore truly 3-ingredient) but I find it necessary to add for the cheesecake not to end up one-dimensionally sweet.