I made my first ever gluten free soufflé cheesecake yesterday i.e. a type of Japanese cake more on the spongy side, made super light and fluffy by whipping a bunch of egg whites.
I think I may actually prefer this to a standard gluten free sponge to be honest. 😛 It takes a little bit more effort and has a longer cooking time, but it’s well worth it. The texture is so nice, more springy and moist, and it holds well without crumbling at all. Unlike normal gluten free sponge cake, it doesn’t dry out 5 minutes after being taken out of the oven either. 😀
While doing some research, I came across SO many variations with some being cheesier, some spongier. This one is definitely more on the spongy side, just so you know. 🙂
P.S.: I used Freee Foods self-raising flour for this recipe. Normally you’re not meant to use baking powder/SF flour for this, but I went along and used some anyway and It worked perfectly. In my experience it’s always safer to do so with gluten free flour! lol If you’re using a plain flour blend, just add half a teaspoon of baking powder.
- 140g plain cream cheese
- 40g butter (add ¼ tsp salt if using unsalted)
- 50g whole milk
- 70g gluten free self-raising flour (I used Doves Farm)
- * Add ½ tsp baking powder if using a plain flour blend instead of self-raising
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 egg whites
- 50g sugar (or more - to taste)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of half a lemon
- 150ml double cream
- 2 Tbsp icing sugar
- 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
PREPARE THE BATTER
- Pre-heat your oven to 120C (250F).
- Carefully separate your eggs and place your egg whites in the fridge for the time being. Note: make sure the bowl you’re using for your egg whites is very clean as any spot of grease can ruin a meringue. A good way to ensure this is to wipe your bowl with a sheet of kitchen towel and some lemon juice or vinegar.
- Combine the cream cheese, butter and milk into a bowl and gently melt by placing or holding the bowl over a pan of boiling water, stirring constantly. You could also use the microwave (in 5 second increments) but be very careful not to overheat it if you do.
- Sift the flour into the bowl and mix well. Note: don’t forget to add half a teaspoon of baking powder if using plain flour blend instead of self-raising.
- Then stir in the egg yolks.
WHIP THE EGG WHITES & FOLD IN
- Take your egg whites out of the fridge and prep the paddle attachments of your electric mixer by wiping them with a kitchen towel and a bit of lemon juice or vinegar.
- Beat on medium/low speed and once you reach quite a foamy consistency (see picture collage above), add half of the sugar. Then carry on mixing and once the sugar has fully dissolved, slowly add the rest of it.
- Keep on mixing until you reach a smooth creamy consistency that forms soft peaks.
- Little by little, add the meringue into your cake batter and fold it in gently using a spatula.
PREP THE CAKE PAN
- Grease your cake pan with butter and line the bottom with baking paper.
- Pour in the batter and gently tap your cake pan on the table a few times to get rid of any big bubbles there may be inside.
BAKE THE CAKE:
- Ideally you want to cook your soufflé cheesecake in a bain-marie i.e. add a centimetre or two of water into a deep baking tray a place your cake pan on it. This can help the cake cook more evenly. If you’re using a springform cake pan with a clip (like I did) and are worried about water potentially getting into your cake pan, wrap the bottom part of your cake pan with foil (but do not cover the top!).
- Bake for 1 hour at 120C (250F).
- Then turn the temperature up to 150C (300F) and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the top turns a nice golden brown colour.
Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Kimi x
I love following your recipes they are so clearly explained and illustrated and it is so refreshing to find such a varied selection of GF things to make with everyday ingredients. Thank you.
What size springform pan?
Again, as Lala asked… what size springform pan?