Sourdough Discard Japanese Cotton Cheesecake

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Advanced3 hours (including resting and chilling)Serves 8

Japanese cotton cheesecake sits somewhere between a soufflé and a sponge: tall, wobbly and incredibly light. Sourdough discard adds a gentle tang that suits the cream cheese. A slow bake in a water bath and a gradual cool in the oven are what keep it smooth and crack-free.

Ingredients

  • 200 g full-fat cream cheese
  • 50 g unsalted butter
  • 100 g whole milk
  • 50 g sourdough discard (100% hydration)
  • 4 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
  • 30 g plain flour
  • 20 g cornflour
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 70 g caster sugar
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • Icing sugar or apricot jam, to finish

Contains: milk, eggs, wheat (gluten).

Method

  1. Prepare. Heat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan). Line the base and sides of an 18 cm deep round tin with baking paper, with the side paper standing 5 cm above the rim. Wrap the outside in foil and have a roasting tin and a kettle of hot water ready.
  2. Melt. Gently warm the cream cheese, butter and milk in a bowl over simmering water, whisking until smooth. Remove from the heat and whisk in the discard.
  3. Yolks and flour. Whisk in the yolks one at a time, then sift in the flour and cornflour and whisk until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice and pass the batter through a sieve.
  4. Meringue. Whisk the whites with the cream of tartar to soft peaks, then add the sugar gradually and whisk only to soft-to-medium peaks that curl over — stiff meringue makes it crack.
  5. Fold. Fold the meringue into the cheese batter in three additions until smooth and even.
  6. Bake in a water bath. Pour into the tin, tap out large bubbles, set it in the roasting tin and pour in 2 cm of hot water. Bake for 20 minutes, then lower to 140°C (120°C fan) and bake for 45–50 minutes more until risen and set with a slight wobble.
  7. Cool slowly. Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake inside with the door slightly open for 30 minutes before taking it out.
  8. Serve. Lift out, peel off the paper, and serve warm and fluffy, or chill for 2 hours for a denser, creamier texture. Dust with icing sugar or glaze with warmed apricot jam.
Dough Dough San Francisco sourdough starter pack

Bake this with a live starter

Our San Francisco sourdough starter is a live culture held dormant rather than dehydrated — ready to bake with in about two hours.

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