Learn how to easily make soft fluffy Japanese cheesecake using a rice cooker. This rice cooker Japanese cheesecake is really light yet decadent at the same time.
Use a small knob of butter to grease the bottom and the side of the inner pot of the rice cooker. Set aside
How to soften cream cheese:
Bring all your cold ingredients like milk, cream cheese, heavy cream (or yogurt), and eggs to room temperature by placing them on the counter for 30 minutes before you plan to start making. Cold ingredients need longer mixing time and can cause curdles and also the cheesecake to collapse after baking
Cut the cream cheese up into small cubes and leave them at room temperature about 30 minutes and they will soften faster than the whole block. Alternatively, you can always remove the cream cheese from its wrapper and microwave them for 20 seconds. You don't want to melt the cream cheese
Make the thick batter:
Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature or you will have curdles later. Place softened cream cheese, egg yolks, melted butter, heavy cream (or yogurt) and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer with a paddle attachment to mix until the mixture is creamy
Gradually fold in the flour in 3 batches and mix until it's smooth. Strain the mixture if necessary if there are lumps
Make the meringue:
Place the egg whites in a mixing bowl and then use a whisk attachment to beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy and then gradually add in sugar in 3 batches and turn the speed up to high (speed 6 on kitchen aid) and beat until it turns white, shiny, and form a stiff peak. When you hold it up, it won't drip
Folding the batter:
Slice the blade of the spatula straight down through the meringue and then scrape the spatula following the curve of your bowl and scoop the batter up and fold over. Turn the bowl and repeat the same action again. Fold in the next 1/3 of the meringue and fold again before you add the last 1/3. You can stop once they are well incorporated
Baking in the rice cooker:
Please note that every rice cooker varies greatly. I highly suggest using a rice cooker with multifunctions to get the best result
Pour the batter into the greased inner pot. Gently bang the bottom of the inner pot on a countertop to release some air bubble. Place inside the rice cooker. If your rice cooker has a "cake/bake" setting, you can use that. I don't have. I use "brown rice" setting on my Zojirushi rice cooker, which takes about 80 minutes to cook, which is perfect to let me cook continuously without stopping. Please note that every rice cooker is different and you may need to experiment with setting and timing on yours
If your rice cooker doesn't have the ability to set a timer, use the "white rice" function or "cook rice" function. You may need 2 cycles in the row to cook the cake. This depends on how long your rice cooker cooks a regular white rice. Most rice cooker with white rice setting takes about 45 minutes to cook. So you may use 2 cycles, but check 10 minutes earlier before the end of 2nd cycle. Please note that with this type of rice cooker, you may not get a very good result
Once it is done baking, turn off/cancel or simply unplug to turn off the rice cooker. Open the lid. You can see the cake has pulled away from the sides if it's cooked. You can also use a skewer to double check and insert into the middle of the cake to make sure it comes out clean. If it's not, cook a bit longer. If it's cook through, leave the cake in there for about 15 minutes. This to prevent the cake from collapsing from a sudden change in temperature
Remove the inner pot from the rice cooker. Place a large flat plate on top of the inner pot and gently but quickly flip the pot over and there's your cheesecake. Let it cool down completely at room temperature. Chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour and then cover and wrap it up and can be stored for up to one week. The taste is even better after the next day
Decorating:
I use a doilies paper to decorate some pattern using confectioner's sugar. You can do whatever cute pattern you like. Some like to decorate with fresh berries and whipped cream