Name: How To Make Yuzu Cheesecake (Baked Japanese Cheesecake Recipe)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 200 g Cream Cheese (room temperature); 100 g Yogurt; 100 g Heavy Cream; 2 Eggs (room temperature); 80 g Sugar; 2 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour; 2 Tbsp Yuzu Juice (fresh or bottled is ok); 100 g Biscuits or Graham Crackers; 40 g Butter

How To Make Yuzu Cheesecake (Baked Cheesecake Recipe)

Cheesecake Dessert Easy Fusion Food Vegetarian Yuzu

Cheesecake is loved all over the world and comes in various types, such as baked cheesecake, souffle cheesecake, Basque cheesecake, and non-baked cheesecake (by the way, non-baked cheesecake is called “rare cheesecake” in Japan). You can also find it in various flavors like strawberry, caramel, chocolate, and more.

Cheesecake is very versatile and pairs well with various ingredients, including Japanese ones. Matcha and Yuzu flavors are often found, adding a unique twist to traditional recipes.

Today, we are introducing a baked-style cheesecake with a soft and creamy texture and a Yuzu citrus flavor.

Yuzu is a type of fruit native to East Asia, and Japan is the leading producer and consumer of it. While Yuzu is in season during winter in Japan, its fresh flavor is refreshing and pairs well with the hot summer season.

Instead of using fresh seasonal Yuzu, you can also make a fresh-flavored Yuzu Cheesecake using a bottle of 100% Yuzu Juice, which we actually use in our Yuzu cheesecake recipe. If you can’t find it locally, it is available on our website, so feel free to check it out.

Yuzu Juice is quite useful to have at home. Yuzu has a distinct flavor, often described as a mix of lemon, lime, and grapefruit, but it can be used as a substitute for lemon juice. You can use it to make dressings, sauces, Yuzu juice drinks like lemonade, and more! By using it, you can easily add a Japanese touch to your dishes.

In this recipe, we bake the cheesecake in a hot water bath to keep the texture soft and to make the Yuzu flavor stand out. The texture is smooth, and the Yuzu flavor spreads in your mouth.

Cheesecake tends to be heavy and dense, but this Yuzu cheesecake is creamy yet light. We are sure that it will become your favorite summer dessert once you taste it.

If you are a big fan of cheesecake and want to try something new at home, Yuzu cheesecake should be perfect! Enjoy discovering a new pairing with cheesecake and savor the harmony of creamy cheesecake with a Japanese twist.

Overview

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 60 mins

Total time: 1hr 15mins

Total servings: 6

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

200 g Cream Cheese (room temperature)
100 g Yogurt
100 g Heavy Cream
2 Eggs (room temperature)
80 g Sugar
2 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
2 Tbsp Yuzu Juice (fresh or bottled is ok)
100 g Biscuits or Graham Crackers
40 g Butter

Expert's Tip

Sameura-Hand-Squeezed-100%-Pure-Yuzu-Juice-120ml-1-2024-06-18T07:50:10.335Z.jpg

Fresh yuzu is hard to come by outside of Japan. If you want to recreate this yuzu cheesecake or add a yuzu touch to any other dish, this 100% pure yuzu juice is the best choice. It contains only hand-squeezed yuzu juice, ensuring the freshest yuzu flavor possible.

Instructions

springform pan lined with parchment paper and aluminum foil for yuzu cheesecake

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1) Gathering the Ingredients

Gather the ingredients together. Bring the eggs and cream cheese to room temperature.

Prepare a piece of parchment paper and place it inside of a round cake pan. If you are using a springform pan, cover the bottom with aluminum foil to prevent water from leaking in.

Note: We are using a 15cm cake pan.

adding melted butter to the crushed biscuits

mixing the biscuits and melted butter until it achieves a wet sand texture

flattening the cheesecake crust with the bottom of a glass

chilling the cheesecake crust in the fridge

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2) Preparing the Cheesecake Crust

Melt the butter in a small cup in the microwave.

Double-bag the biscuits, crush them into small pieces, and transfer them to a bowl. Pour the melted butter over the crushed biscuits and mix well with a spatula.

Then transfer the mixture to the round cake pan and press it firmly using a cup or a flat object. This will form the base of the cheesecake.

Once prepared, refrigerate it to set.

3) Preheating the Oven & Baking Tray

Preheat the oven to 170℃ (340°F) and place a baking tray in the oven to heat up.

Tip: Use a deep baking tray if you have one.

mixing the cream cheese with a hand mixer

adding the sugar to the whipped cream cheese

adding the eggs to the cream cheese mixture

adding the yogurt to the cream cheese mixture

adding the yuzu juice to the cream cheese mixture

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4) Making the Yuzu Cheesecake Batter

Prepare a large bowl and mix together the cream cheese, sugar, egg, yogurt, all-purpose flour, heavy cream, and Yuzu juice. Mix well, adding each ingredient one at a time.

pouring the yuzu cheesecake batter into a sieve to smooth it out

pouring the smooth yuzu cheesecake batter into the cake pan

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5) Pouring the Yuzu Cheesecake Batter Into The Cake Pan

Take the round cake pan with the crust out of the fridge. Pour the yuzu cheesecake batter over the crust.

Tip: To ensure a smooth texture, pour the mixture through a strainer into a bowl, then transfer it to the cake pan.

placing the yuzu cheesecake into the oven

covering the yuzu cheesecake with a piece of foil

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6) Baking the Yuzu Cheesecake

Once the oven reaches 170℃ (340°F), pour approximately 60℃ (140°F) hot water into the baking tray to a height of about 2cm.

Lower the temperature from 170℃ (340°F) to 160℃ (320°F), then carefully place the round pan into the hot water, being careful to avoid burns.

Bake it for 40 minutes at 160℃ (320°F). After 40 minutes, open the oven and cover the top of the cheesecake with aluminum foil to prevent it from burning.

Then bake for another 15 minutes at 140℃ (285°F). After 15 minutes, turn off the oven and let the cheesecake sit in the oven for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, take the cheesecake out and let it cool to room temperature with the round cake pan still on.

*Keep the hot water in the baking tray the entire time. If the water level gets low, add more hot water as needed.

chilling the yuzu cheesecake in the fridge

7) Chilling the Yuzu Cheesecake In the Refrigerator

Once the cheesecake has cooled to room temperature, place it in the fridge overnight.

Note: Do not remove it from the cake pan.

using a wet knife to slice the cheesecake

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8) Serving the Yuzu Cheesecake

Remove the yuzu cheesecake from the pan and cut it as desired. For a smoother cut, warm the knife in hot water first.

Enjoy!

About the author

Megumi Moriya

Megumi is a recipe writer based in Chiba, Japan. She carries a Bachelor in the Faculty of Foreign Studies and is interested in creating content about Japanese cuisine and traditional confectioneries. Megumi is most interested in making Japanese recipe content, and in her free time, she likes to play the piano, make handcrafted goods, and hula dance. She hopes to inspire Japanese Taste readers to make Japanese recipes at home and of course share more about Japanese culture.

View articles by Megumi Moriya