Ogura Cheesecake

Before we talk cheesecake, this morning I voted in the 13th General Election. I am happy and proud to have fulfilled my responsibility as a Malaysian citizen and to have my voice  counted in the determination of my country's future.

My free "manicure" courtesy of the EC. The ink was still wet when
I left the polling station and I was careful not to smudge it.

But after doing my housework, cooking and taking my shower, my "nail polish" dropped off. I was disappointed  because I wanted to show off my mark after having cast my vote for the first time in my life.

Back to cake. When I saw this Ogura Cheesecake recipe, it brought back memories of my battle with Cotton Soft Japanese Cheesecake (CSJC). You must be wondering what is my progress with CSJC. That I will tell you in another post. First, let's deal with Ogura Cheesecake.

This cake was a lot friendlier to me. On my first attempt, I got it right but not without some problems. I usually use Philadelphia Cream Cheese but this time I used Tatura, a cheaper alternative. The cream cheese did not melt easily and I ended up with a lumpy egg yolk batter. And I had to sieve it twice to smooth it out. And when I sniffed the batter, it had a funny smell. It was either the cheese or the corn oil. Turned out that my corn oil had a smell, not a bad smell but it is not pleasant in a cake batter. Even after adding vanilla [I do this because I can't stand the smell of cheese, makes me "pening"(dizzy)] I could still detect a hint of the corn oil.

Some cracks on my cake. There were no cracks in my earlier attempts.

Anyway, with a heavy heart I went ahead and baked the cake. It rose beautifully in the oven. After taking the cake out, I inverted it on my cooling rack. When it was time to cut the cake, disaster struck. My cake got stuck to the cooling rack and the nice brown top got torn off. Haiyah!! Never mind, I still cut the cake and tasted a slice. Hmmm..nice! The corn oil smell was gone but I found the cake a bit on the dry side. With this in mind, I increased the oil from 25ml to 50ml and I used grapeseed oil instead. It is totally neutral and has no smell.

My cake unfortunately got stuck again to the cooling rack. Haiyah!!!! again! But this time, it was perfect. Moist and melt in your mouth. I couldn't help taking another slice. So how did I solve the sticky problem? I used baking paper to line the cooling rack just like what I did for the Pandan Soufle Cake.

The cake you are looking at here is my fourth attempt and I switched back to Philadelphia Cream Cheese. Even though  the egg yolk mixture was a lot smoother than the earlier attempts using Tatura, it still needed to be sieved. But I took a chance and did not sieve the batter. I could feel some lumps when I folded the batter but it did not affect the texture of the cake.

The texture of the cake was smooth, soft and moist. Really beautiful! And once you eat a slice, you will want another and another and another :) Highly recommended for cheesecake lovers especially if you love Japanese Cheesecake. 

The recipe below is taken from Food@Home Sweet Home with my modifications and notes in red.

Ogura Cheesecake
Recipe source : Food@Home Sweet Home

Ingredients : 

Egg Yolk Batter :
- 120g cream cheese
- 25gm corn oil (I used 50ml grapeseed oil)
- 80ml milk (I used 120ml)
- 1/4 tsp salt (I omitted)
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (this is not in the original recipe)
- 65g superfine flour (I sifted twice)

Egg White Batter :
- 5 egg whites
- 75g caster sugar
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Method :

For the Egg Yolk Batter :
1. Using the double boiler method, melt the cream cheese together with the milk.
2. Set aside to cool.
3. Once cooled, add corn oil, salt (if using), egg yolks, whole egg and vanilla extract (if using). Whisk to combine.
4. Then add flour, a bit at a time and mix until well incorporated and set aside. (Sieve the batter if it is lumpy)

For the Egg White Batter :
1. Add cream of tartar to the egg whites and whisk until frothy.
2. Add sugar gradually and continue to whisk until stiff peaks.

To complete the cake :
1. Take 1/3 of the egg white batter and fold into the egg yolk batter until well incorporated.
2. Pour the egg yolk batter into the remaining egg white batter and fold until well incorporated.
3. Pour batter into a lined 9" pan and smooth the top. Tap firmly a few times on work surface to release trapped air bubbles.
4. Steam bake at 140C for 55 minutes (You need to adjust baking temperature and time to suit your oven).
5. Once baked, remove from oven and invert on cooling rack. Remove baking paper carefully after 10 minutes and let cake cool completely.