Lately, I have fallen in love with reading interior design and DIY blogs. Somehow the idea of being able to create something appeals to me. Perhaps that's why I love to bake!

I have been spending the last two weekends re-arranging my house, and taken on mini projects to inspire and rejuvenate self. Seeing the pieces come together is fun!

Feeling a bit guilty I keep procrastinating, I finally baked this - a Japanese Cheesecake.

Compared to previous recipes I had tried, this used whipping cream and a lot more cream cheese. Looking at the ingredient list, I thought how decadent it is! It proved to be true. My hubby even asked for a second helping.


Texture wise, it tastes rich, yet fluffy, and melts in your mouth. However, it is important to ensure that the baking tin is lined with sufficient aluminium foil to prevent water from seeping into the tine during baking.



On another note, I had some frozen egg whites in my fridge. Sometimes there are left-overs, as certain recipes might only require egg yolks. As I did not want to waste the egg whites, I would pour them into ice cube boxes. Just nice, one square for one egg white. The other way could be done for egg yolks too. So when I need my eggs, I just let it de-frost and come to room temperature. The results are good! My de-frosted egg whites could still be beaten up to stiff peaks.

Recipe adapted from Just One Cookbook

Ingredients:
400g cream cheese
60g sugar
60g unsalted butter
2 large egg yolks
200ml whipping cream0
1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
1 tbsp rum (optional)
80g plain flour

For the meringue
6 egg whites
100g sugar

Instructions:
Preparation note - The cream cheese, unsalted butter, eggs and whipping cream should be brought to room temperature before use.

1. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 inch spring-form plan and line with parchment paper. Wrap the base of the pan with aluminium foil to prevent seepage.

2. Preheat the oven to 160C. Start boiling a kettle of hot water (for the water bath later).

3. In bowl of the electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium high speed until smooth. Add the butter and mix until incorporated.

4. Add the egg yolks, one at a time. Mix well. Add in the whipping cream and mix well.

5. Add in the lemon juice / rum and mix until the batter is smooth. At this time, the batter would appear runny.

6. Shift the plain flour and add to the batter. The batter would start to thicken up.

7. To prepare the meringue, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Using the bowl of the electric mixer, begin by whipping the egg whites on medium speed (speed 4 for KA) until foamy. Gradually add in the sugar as the mixer runs. Once all the sugar has been added, continue to let the mixer whip the meringue until it is glossy, and the volume has doubled in size.

8. Add 1/3 of the meringue to the cream cheese batter. Mix well to loosen up the batter. Then add the remaining meringue to the batter. Fold it in until incoporated.

9. Pour the batter into the cake pan, and drop the pan slightly onto the table to remove any air bubbles.

10. Place the cake pan into a tray / roasting pan filled with hot water. This creates a water bath. Place the pan in the middle middle rack of the oven.

11. Bake at 160C for 60 mins until light golden brown. Then reduce the temperature to 150C and bake for another 30 mins. It is ready when a wooden skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

12. Let it cool in the oven, with the door slightly ajar before removing it from the roasting pan.


* Just a note for self: To bake the cake longer (for about 30 mins) and to tent the cake, if the skewer comes out with moist crumb after 1.5 hours. I suspect my cake is a little under-baked this time.