With all the turmoil that is unfolding in Japan, the Japanese people are much in my thoughts these days. I admire so much about them—their quiet patience and tenacity in the face of catastrophe; their centuries-old customs and rituals; their style and creativity; and, of
course, their incredible cuisine. While Japanese cuisine is a thing unto its own, occasionally they have been known to put their own spin on American foods, including cheesecake. Japanese-style cheesecake is similar in appearance to its American cousin, and is
made with almost the same ingredients, but it is distinctly different. It’s much, much lighter than our cheesecake, and is made with a fraction of the amount of cream cheese. It also has whipped egg whites folded into the batter, giving it a light-as-a-cloud, spongy
texture that is sublime. If you’ve never tried it, I urge you to give it a whirl—you’ll be amazed at how wonderful it is and wonder why no one has told you about this incredible cake before. This recipe came from a pastry chef friend of mine, and I adapted it slightly,
adding lemon zest and vanilla and scaling down the amount of batter to fit in an 8-inch springform pan. Though I chose fresh raspberries, you can top this cheesecake with any berry or fruit, such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries or peaches. It would work very nicely with caramelized apples, I think.
To donate to the Red Cross’s earthquake relief effort in Japan, click here.
