Japanese Cheesecake for One Recipe

Kayleigh here. I know I just posted a cheesecake recipe a couple weeks back, so it seems too soon to post another one, but I feel strongly that one should go into battle armed with knowledge and options. Choose the one that appeals most to you, and go forth!

To give a little bit of a background to this, I found that quite a few foods I have come to enjoy in America are slightly different when bought in Japan. Beers are almost all pale lagers, bottled teas were unsweetened and usually green or barley, and peanut butter was replaced with peanut cream- a syrupy, lightly peanut flavored concoction that would best find its home on an ice cream sundae. Desserts were as likely to contain matcha or adzuki beans as they were chocolate, and coffee (if not bought in a can) was often brewed in fantastical steampunk contraptions of glass spheres and metal workings. But what this recipe focuses on is the cheesecakes that I would find, not in the refrigerated aisle, but on the baked goods shelf.

Really, this is pretty far from what the average American would consider a cheesecake, given its light and fluffy texture and mild creaminess-it's like someone mixed a New York cheesecake with an angel food cake. Because of this, I think it's the only cheesecake I've ever had that actually tastes best at room temperature, or even slightly warm. Heavy mix-ins or extra sweet toppings may not pair very well with this- I would recommend flavor add-ins like matcha/cocoa powder or tiny bits like mini chocolate chips or finely chopped chestnuts if you choose to embellish.

Japanese-style Cheesecake for One Recipe

Ingredients:

1 Egg, white and yolk separated

2 ts Sugar

1 pinch cream of tartar

2 TB Unsweetened Applesauce (if sweetened, reduce sugar to 1 ts)

2 TB cream cheese, Plain Greek Yogurt, or Sour Cream (whatever you have on hand)

1/8 Cups Millet Flour

1/8 Cups Vanilla Whey Protein powder

1-2 drops Vanilla Extract

1 Pinch Baking Powder

1 Pinch Salt (tiny amount!)

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Whip egg white, sugar, and cream of tartar in a bowl until stiff peaks form.

2) Combine the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl and stir thoroughly. Gently fold in the egg white mixture afterwards.

3) Pour/spoon the mixture into an oven safe bowl (sturdy coffee mugs or bowls work, and giant ‘Texas size’ muffin tins are great if you want to increase the recipe and make more than one). Bake for 20 minutes, or until the surface is cracked and lightly browned. If baked it in a container with little surface area, then you may also want to check the center with a toothpick to make sure it cooked all the way through.

4) Let sit for 30 minutes or until nearly room temperature, then transfer upside down onto a plate to cool completely. You can also refrigerate the cake for 1 hour or more to enjoy it chilled.

Jason here. So I never got to try any cheesecake while in Japan, or any baked goods really. Gluten free wasn’t really a known thing in Japan. That’s why I was excited to see what Kayleigh was raving about.

Some long time readers may remember the amazing Dragon Cake recipe. The thing about that recipe though… is it is ridiculously sweet. It’s basically sugar infused angel food cake coated with sugar and more sugar on top. If dentists had an arch nemesis, it would be that recipe.

The Japanese cheesecake tastes a lot like angel cake, but without all that ridiculous sugar. Sure it still tastes sweet like angel cake should, but it’s also got a creaminess to it that makes it good to eat all on its own.

We enjoyed our little cakes topped with raspberries, which added a nice tartness to it. Something fruity, but not too sweet is what I would recommend as a topping. As mentioned, the cake itself has a light sweetness to it, so you don’t want to overwhelm it. Something sour or tart makes for an excellent addition.

If you’re interested in trying out Japanese Cheesecake, or just looking for another angel food cake recipe give this one a shot.
 

Greek Yogurt Cheesecake for Two Recipe

Edit- the last batch was not particularly photogenic. We'll have to take more next time we make this!

Kayleigh here. While I would not quite call this a gluten free recipe, since it is gluten free by default, I still feel like this recipe should get out to you guys.

Think of the last time you craved a cheesecake. Buying a slice from the grocery store or getting Cheesecake Factory to go is out of the question, but you loathe to have an entire cheesecake in the house, tempting you at every pass through the kitchen. Plus, being made of mostly Greek yogurt, it's more like you're enjoying a healthy breakfast for dessert, right?

This recipe is for a crustless cheesecake, because adding everything to a mug and microwaving it does not cook the crust properly. If you want a crust, I recommend taking the time to bake small discs of crumbled cookies mixed with melted butter in the oven, letting them cool, then placing the discs on top of the finished cheesecakes just before you serve them.

Greek Yogurt Cheesecake Recipe

Makes 2 full large mugs (slightly smaller than a cheesecake factory slice), or four smaller servings.

Ingredients:

4 TB Cream Cheese (at room temperature)
1 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
2 Eggs
2 TB Sugar
1/2 ts Vanilla Extract, Lemon Juice, or flavor of your choice
Mix-ins like chocolate chips, strawberries, flaked coconut, peanut butter, cookie dough, etc.

Directions:
1) Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Grease 2-4 mugs, then fill them evenly with the batter.
2) Microwave on high for 1 1/2 or 2 minutes, depending on how powerful your microwave is. You'll want them to be set on the top, but still quite jiggly.
3) Once they have cooled slightly, place them in the refrigerator for at least one hour to chill before serving.

Jason here. Kayleigh loves finding and creating recipes for simple quick serving desserts. Just the other day Kayleigh made me one of these cheesecake servings in a little mug. It was one with peanut butter mixed in.

There is something just divine about the smooth taste of peanut butter cheesecake. I like most cream cheese based desserts, but this is one of my favorites. Depending on how you like your cheesecake, be sure to mix the ingredients very thoroughly to get the smooth creamy texture.  

An added bonus for me is that I never really liked cheesecake crust. To me the crust is there purely as a transport for the cheesecake itself. This recipe skips all the crust and leaves me with nothing but as much delicious filling as I want to partake in for one sitting.

A larger recipe of this is actually something I have made for Kayleigh’s birthday before, so I’m looking forward to making this much simpler recipe as a quick surprise for her one day.