Japanese Cotton Cheesecake with Mascarpone
A tender, airy cake that always turns out! This Japanese cotton cheesecake can be served on its own dessert-style, simply dusted with powdered sugar. The layer tastes more like a soufflé than a classic sponge.
Updated : 18 February, 2026
Easy
About 30 min.
Ingredients
300 grams
Mascarpone
180 grams
Milk
140 grams
Sugar
70 grams
Butter
70 grams
Wheat flour
25 grams
Cornstarch
6
Eggs
1 teaspoon
Vanillin
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How to make Japanese cheesecake? Prepare all ingredients from the list. They should be at room temperature, so plan ahead: take everything out of the fridge and leave it on the counter for a couple of hours. Instead of mascarpone, you can use any soft creamy cheese. Prepare the baking pan: I used a 20 cm (8 in) springform pan. Wrap the outside with foil so water can’t seep in. Line the bottom and sides inside with parchment paper.
Step 2
Wash and pat dry the raw chicken eggs. Separate the yolks from the whites.
Step 3
In a separate bowl, combine mascarpone (or any creamy/curd cheese) with milk. Mix with a spoon.
Step 4
Blend the cheese-and-milk mixture with an immersion blender or mixer until smooth, trying not to splash. Don’t start at high speed.
Step 5
Melt the butter in any convenient way (stovetop or microwave). Add the melted butter to the cheese mixture and mix well. Don’t worry if it’s hot - this is fine.
Step 6
Add 50 g sugar (about 1/4 cup) to the egg yolks and a tiny pinch of vanillin. Whip with a mixer or blender until pale and fluffy.
Step 7
Carefully add the whipped yolks to the cheese mixture.
Step 8
Mix until smooth.
Step 9
Sift the flour together with the starch, then add it to the cheese-and-egg mixture in portions. Lightly beat with a mixer once the dry ingredients are moistened (so the flour doesn’t fly everywhere).
Step 10
Whip the egg whites into a soft foam. Gradually pour in the remaining sugar in a thin stream. Continue whipping until the whites thicken strongly and the sugar dissolves completely.
Step 11
Fold the whipped whites into the batter in several additions, mixing from bottom to top with smooth, gentle motions.
Step 12
You should get a uniform, fluffy batter. Preheat the oven to 150°C (302°F).
Step 13
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Place the pan on a baking tray. Pour water into the tray to a depth of about 1.5 cm (about 1/2 in). Bake the Japanese cotton cheesecake until done. It took me about 1.5 hours. Adjust the exact time to your oven. Then remove the pan from the oven and let the cheesecake cool. After that, take it out of the pan.
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