The texture of the Cotton Matcha Cheesecake is that of a light cake, similar to a soufflé, and fluffy, with an earthy taste of green tea that balances the creamy cheese flavor.
Cheesecake recipes are many and come from all over the world.
The quintessential Anglo-Saxon dessert, once it traveled the world, brought with it the characteristics of the places where it was “adopted.”
Thus, we have the NY Cheesecake whose main feature lies in its baking, unlike no-bake cheesecakes with a base of crumbled cookies mixed with butter, which may or may not be enriched with cream or gelatin, and finally the Japanese cheesecake, defined as “fluffy” or “cotton” for its texture. It is also baked, but without a crunchy base; instead, the ingredients are mixed together and then baked in a water bath.
The only constant in every version is the “cheese,” meaning the presence of cheese.
The Matcha, as you know, is a variety of green tea from Japan considered a superfood for its numerous beneficial properties.
It is the only green tea in powder form and must be prepared not by infusion but by emulsion: the chasen, the bamboo whisk, is an essential accessory and the main character in the tea ceremony I had the pleasure of attending during my trip to Tokyo.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 15 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 6 servings
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients for an 8-inch pan:
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 tbsp cornstarch (maizena)
- 2 1/2 tsp matcha powder
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 7 oz cream cheese
- 1 1/2 tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup milk
Preparation
Combine the dry ingredients: flour, cornstarch, matcha.
Separate yolks from whites, cover the whites and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
In a saucepan, heat the milk with butter, cheese, and 5 tsp of sugar.
Whisk the egg whites with 3 tbsp of sugar, but not too stiff.
Remove the milk from heat after about 5 minutes.
Add the yolks, the dry ingredients, and with the help of a spatula to avoid deflating, the egg whites.
Bake in a water bath at 356°F for 15 minutes and at 320°F for another 15 minutes.
Leave the cake in the turned-off oven for 15 minutes before taking it out.
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You can also purchase matcha powder online.
How to prepare matcha tea:
Find the video HERE.
In Japan, do they only drink tea or also coffee?
Japan is among the leading nations in the world for coffee import and consumption.
The Japanese coffee is コーヒー (kōhī) and in recent years its consumption has even surpassed that of cola, carbonated beverages in general, and fruit juices, becoming the most consumed “soft drink.”
It made its appearance at the beginning of the Edo period (1603-1867) through Dutch merchants; during the Sakoku, the historical period when Japan closed itself to the entire world, an artificial island was built in Nagasaki Bay called Dejima where the Dutch could dock to conduct their trade, and here they began to prepare the first coffees for their own use.
As also recounted in the Japanese book “While the Coffee is Hot”, “drip coffee” and “pour over” are coffee types highly loved in Japan.
Ground coffee beans are placed inside a paper, cloth, or canvas filter and boiling water is poured over it from above, dripping through showerheads (drip coffee) or directly pouring water with a teapot (pour over coffee), so that as it drips down, the coffee releases all its aroma.
In Japan, a method for preparing pour over with ice has also been developed.
