Baked Cheesecake (ベイクドチーズケーキ)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •15cm round springform pan
• •Parchment paper
• •Mixing bowl
• •Hand mixer or sturdy whisk
• •Fine sieve
• •Offset spatula or rubber spatula

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the pan

   Heat the oven to 160°C. Line the base and sides of a 15cm round springform pan with parchment, leaving a little collar above the rim. The collar gives the cake a clean side and makes unmolding calmer, which is never a bad quality in a dessert.

2. 2

   Make the crust

   Crush the biscuits to fine crumbs, then mix with the melted butter until the crumbs look like damp sand. Press them firmly into the base of the pan and chill for 10 minutes. Firm pressure matters because a loose crust breaks into gravel when you slice it.

3. 3

   Smooth the cheese

   Beat the softened cream cheese with the sugar and salt until completely smooth, scraping the bowl often. Do this before adding anything thin. Cream cheese smooths best when it has no liquid to slide around in, and this is where you prevent lumps instead of chasing them later.

4. 4

   Add the eggs

   Add the eggs one at a time, mixing gently until each disappears. Stop as soon as the batter looks even. Eggs bring structure, but extra beating traps air, and air gives you a cake that rises proudly and falls with equal confidence.

   Use room-temperature eggs. Cold eggs tighten the cheese and make the batter less even.
5. 5

   Finish the batter

   Mix in the sour cream, heavy cream, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth. Sift the cake flour over the batter and fold it in gently. The flour gives a little firmness to the slice, but too much mixing after it goes in makes the cake heavy in the wrong way.

6. 6

   Bake gently

   Pour the batter over the chilled crust and tap the pan twice on the counter to lift large bubbles. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until the edges are set and the center still gives a slow, small wobble when nudged. If the center is fully firm in the oven, it will be overbaked after it cools.

7. 7

   Cool slowly

   Turn off the oven, crack the door, and leave the cake inside for 30 minutes. Then cool it to room temperature on a rack. Slow cooling helps the top settle without tearing, because the cake is still finishing its set as the heat leaves.

8. 8

   Chill and cut

   Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. Unmold the cake cold and cut with a knife warmed in hot water and wiped dry between slices. Warm, clean steel gives the neat face you want. Let the knife do the final bit of seasoning.

Chef Tips

• •Use block-style full-fat cream cheese, not whipped spread. The cake is plain enough that the dairy is the flavor, so buy the good one and let it soften properly.
• •Don't sweeten this into a party trick. Japanese baked cheesecake should be rich but restrained, with the sour cream and lemon keeping the cream cheese awake.
• •A small crack is not failure. Hide nothing, but also don't mistake surface vanity for cooking. If the texture is smooth and the slice is clean, the cake has done its work.
• •For the cleanest cut, chill overnight and wipe the knife after every slice. Cheesecake clings to a dirty blade, and then the second slice pays for the first one's laziness.

Advance Preparation

• •Bake the cheesecake one day ahead. Overnight chilling gives the dairy time to settle and makes the texture denser and cleaner.
• •The finished cake keeps three days refrigerated, covered. Cut slices cold, then let them sit 10 minutes before serving so the flavor softens.
• •The crust can be pressed into the lined pan and refrigerated up to one day before baking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 120g)