Guest Post! Matcha Zebra-Striped Japanese Cheesecake
Today I’m featuring a special guest post from Pancake Yancake! If you haven’t done so already, click on the link and check out the blog! Pancake Yancake was started by two of my good friends Felicia and Crystal who also happen to be identical twins. Not only are they incredible dancers and super high achieving pre-med students, they also chug out loads of gourmet desserts from their kitchen every week. (Yes boys, they're still single ;P) I’ll leave you to go and explore their website and am turning it over to Felicia.
Japan is known for a motely of things, like anime, fuel efficient cars, and Sumo wrestling. But narrow in on the foodie world and you’re swimming in a sea of sushi, sashimi, soba, sake, miso, mirin, and mochi. Zoom in even further, and you’re looking at a modern dessert scene comprised of Pocky sticks, Hello Panda biscuits, just about any flavor Kit Kat (from the “standard” matcha and cherry blossom to the more bizarre soy sauce and chili), and Japanese cheesecake. This last one is precisely the reason for today’s post!
I was first introduced to Japanese cheesecake nearly two years ago by a then fellow PADT newbie, Amy. In the words of Amy herself, Japanese cheesecake "tastes like cheesecake but has the texture of a sponge cake." Thankfully, Amy made this for one of our newbie potlucks because if she hadn’t, I’d probably still be ignorant of its existence, which would seriously be a shame because it’s so frickin’ delicious! So when Amy asked Crystal and I to do a guest post for her blog, Japanese cheesecake seemed like the perfect food for thought.
Earlier this summer, I made a tofu version of Japanese cheesecake, but this time around I had matcha on my mind. To make it more special, I striped the cake with matcha and original flavored batter; however, you could easily make a completely matcha cheesecake and likewise completely original cheesecake instead. You’ll notice in the photos though that the matcha layer sunk to the bottom towards the middle of the cake. This is probably because I folded the meringue into the matcha batter first so it was slightly deflated and therefore denser compared to the original flavored batter by the time I started the striping process. I’d advise to seek a friend’s help so that the two of you can simultaneously fold the batters to avoid this problem. Also try to fold to the same extent! (This is what I was aiming for.)
If you’ve never tried this sponge cake-meets-cheesecake dessert, then wait no more. Terminate your deprivation and get baking!
Matcha Zebra-Striped Japanese Cheesecake
Adapted from Diana’s Desserts
Makes one 8” cake
Ingredients
8 oz. cream cheese
100 mL milk
50g butter
60g cake flour
20g corn starch
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
6 egg yolks
6 egg whites
¼ tsp cream of tartar
120g fine granulated sugar
½ tbsp matcha powder
Directions
1. Melt the cream cheese, milk, and butter over a double boiler. Set aside to cool.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the cake flour, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk this into the cooled cream cheese mixture, along with the egg yolks and lemon juice; mix well.
3. Divide the batter in half (a kitchen scale is handy). Add matcha powder to one of the batters and mix well. Strain both mixtures to ensure a smooth final product.
4. With an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites on low speed until foamy and then add the cream of tartar. Slowly stream in the sugar and continue to whisk while gradually increasing speed until soft peaks form.
5. Divide the meringue mixture in half (again, it’s best to use a kitchen scale for this). Fold 1/3 of the divided meringue into the original-flavored batter, followed by the remaining 2/3. Repeat for the matcha-flavored batter. (Make sure to fully incorporate the meringue but be careful not to overmix as doing so will deflate the egg whites.)
6. Spoon 6 heaping tablespoons of the original-flavored mixture into the center of the cake pan*. Immediately spoon 6 heaping tablespoons of the matcha-flavored mixture on top. Repeat this process until all of the batter has been used.
7. Bake on a lower rack in a water bath at 325°F for 1 hour 10 minutes. Cover the top with a loose sheet of aluminum foil when the desired top color is achieved. As a precaution to prevent the cake from collapsing, after it’s done baking, turn off the heat but leave the cake in the oven with the door slightly ajar for 10 minutes before removing. Allow to fully cool at room temperature and then chill for about 2 hours.
*The cake pan should be wrapped with aluminum foil twice to prevent seepage from the water bath.
As Amy would say, “Happy munching!”
