Sunday 5 May 2013

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.


56 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Haha...Today we all have a same blue colour manicure. My colur is difficult to drop off even though I washed it with liquid soap ;)
    Your ogura cakes are always look perfect !!!!

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    1. Thank you, Esther! Now my nail polish boh liao :)

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  3. Yes I saw many blue fingers on fb... :D
    This oguar cake sounds like a cotton cheesecake and looks really moist and soft. Love it!

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    1. Ann, this cake is really a dream! Or a nightmare if you are on strict diet hah! hah!

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  4. Got time to bake cakes some more huh! Looks delicious and perfect and I really salute you for trying so many times!

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    1. Jeannie, I baked the cake yesterday :)

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  5. Hi Phong Hong, I hv followed your blog for some time now and tq for sharing these wonderful recipes n also your kitchen (mis)adventures. Inspired by your beautiful bakes, I made 3 ogura cakes this wkend and they all turned out beautifully. I believe for the basic recipe, you can't really reduce the oil by so much - from the usual 65ml to jst 25ml without affecting the texture of the cake. Also i think you had left out the cream cheese in the recipe? And bcoz you mentioned that your cake stuck to the cooling rack, that preempted me to line my cooking rack with a pcs of greaseproof paper (when i turned the cake ovr to cool). And this will invariably guarantee a blemish-free cake!

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    1. Hi Ann! Thank you for pointing out my missing cheese. It must have been the excitement of the PRU 13 as I penned this post today hah! hah! I am happy to know that all your 3 ogura cakes turned out beautifully. Keep baking and stay happy!

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  6. Sorry Phong Hong, the earlier comment was penned by Ann - your reader from Kuching

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    1. Ann, thank you for following my blog. Always happy to share!

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  7. PH, your ogura cheese cake texture is really good le....nice one

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    1. Thank you, Li Shuan! I happy, happy lah with this cake :)

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  8. Hi PH
    Beautiful Ogura cheesecake you have made....made me so envious as I still have notmattempted to bake Ogura cake. Looking at the texture it sure is soft and moist. Love it.

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    1. Thanks, Mel! You can try when you come back from your holiday.

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  9. Hi Phong Hong am glad you went to vote any way we will never win UMNO is such a big CHEAT.On Friday I bake the sponge cake but didn't turn out to be as what it is suppose to be.may be my mind was distracted I
    been busy
    reading the news front the internet as well as listening to ceramah from youtube I love to eat your cake looks so soft fluffy and yummy .patut lah cakeI didn't turn out as expected .In a hurry I mix one third of white to yolk mixture then another third then another third .didn't do properly sim hong soo will do again

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    Replies
    1. Can try the cake again. I stayed up until 2 am to see the results. Later in the office so sleepy :)

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  10. PH, your ogura cheesecake really looks so cottony soft, I think I can eat a few slices at one go lol.

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    1. Jess, if I did not control myself I think I can wallop half the cake no problem :)

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  11. Hahaha! U're so cute! Awesome sharing! It's good to be back blog-hopping after a month's absence!

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    1. Hi Shirley, nice to have you back!

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  12. Hi Phong Hong, kudos for taking the time to experiment again and again. Love the moist and fine texture of your cake.

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    Replies
    1. Mich, now I am satisfied that I got it right. This cake is a top favourite at home.

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  13. Hi Phong Hong, I have been using Tatura for my cheesecake bakes, so far no complaints. This cake is lovely. Ever since I bake it, I prefer this to the baked cheesecakes.

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    1. Kimmy, I will still use Tatura but for the baked cheesecake. It is so much cheaper than Philadelphia Cream Cheese.

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  14. Hi Phong, love your blog and recipes.. This cheesecake texture looks tempting and smooth! How I wish to have 1 slice of it...maybe should try it soon....yummm...yummmm ^__^

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    1. Hi Ummi! Thanks for coming. I will pay you a visit soon :)

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  15. Errr....gi pasar malam buy rm2 nail polish can last longer with house work than ink la...lol.

    Good looking cake ...

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    1. Before I went to vote, I thought of taking along my CSI rubber glove to protect against smudging my ballot paper. But shy lah, nanti look like Michael Jackson pulak.

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  16. Wow! This cake looks so cottony soft & light. Me super LIKEY! Now you're tempting me to give it a try. Let see if I've all my courage! LOL Seriuosly this cake looks prefect to me , well done PH for trying it again! ;)

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    1. Thanks, Kit! You should bake this cake. I guarantee that you and family will love it.

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  17. hi PH..looks so soft & comfy..will try 1 day..yeahh..there will b a day.. ;-)

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    1. Yes, that day will come soon. Hee..hee....

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  18. Hi Phong Hong,
    Everything about the GE is pretty disappointing! It was a moodless Monday for me!
    Your cheesecake looks very soft and spongy, great job!

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    1. Joyce, many Malaysians are disappointed. I was so sleepy on Monday :)

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  19. Ooooo....sooooo nice! We have Japanese baked cotton cheesecake here, something like Uncle Miki's....so very nice!!!! Bet yours would be even nicer.

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    1. Thanks, Arthur! I am sure your Melissa can bake this cake very well :)

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  20. Looks so soft, and my kids love Japanese cheesecake a lot!

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    Replies
    1. Yen, this is a very popular cake and it is gone very soon after it is baked :)

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  21. Hi PH! I prefer the Jap style cheesecake to the super rich American style... so I'm happy to sample your version... if there's a chance! :D

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    1. Oh, yes it is much lighter and softer - like a cloud in a dream LOL! Don't wait to sample my cake, ask wife nicely to bake one for you :)

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  22. Replies
    1. Sonia, two thumbs up for this cake!

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  23. Hi Phong Hong, your baking skilled is getting better. 2 thumbs up for you. Very delectable Ogura cheesecake, so cottony soft.

    Best regards.

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    1. Thank you, Amelia! I hope to get better and venture into other things like bread and buns :)

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  24. HI Phong Hong, I am so eager to try this recipe after I saw those pictures. However, I notice that in other Ogura Cake, you usually use steam bake method. So does this recipe also required steam bake method, or just bake it in a normal way? Thank you so much in advanced!

    Best regards.

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  25. Hi Tran Thuy Linh! Thank you for spotting my error. I forgot to say Steam Bake and have made the correction. Yes, you need to steam bake this cake, just like the others. Happy baking!

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  26. hi phong hong, my nail polish did stayed for a day. However, i was really in no mood after the election, now only catching up with blogging. hey, you good la..i can see that the cake has a very nice texture, and thanks on the tips on the baking paper.

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    1. Lena, I was very excited on election day but next day no mood liao....

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  27. Hi Phong Hong, May I ask what is the egg size? Just want to be sure I use the right size as I usually use 6 eggs to bake ogura and that is excluding the whole egg. The egg size I used is 53 g without shell. Thanks.
    Octopusmum

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    1. Hi Octopusmum! I am sorry I do not weigh my eggs :) I used the eggs which are classified as large and sometimes I use medium. They seem to turn out alright whether large or medium.

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    2. ok thanks. Can't wait to try this out. Rgds octopusmum

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  28. what kind of oven do you use for steam bake? thank you.

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    1. Hi there Journey of Life! I am actually using a microwave convection oven and I place a tray of boiling water (boiled just before placing in the oven)under my cake pan. Check out my Mango Yogurt Cottony Cake for the method I used for steam baking.

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  29. Dear PH
    I tried this recipe. So yumm. Perfect. Never think that i can bake so perfect. Thanks
    Ling from indonesia

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    1. Hi Ling! I am so happy to hear that your cake turned out perfect. It is not just the recipe, but you have talent! Thanks for coming over :)

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