How To Make Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tarts (Baked Lava Cheese Tarts Recipe)

Gather the ingredients together. Grease your muffin tin with butter.

With a hand mixer, cream the butter until soft, then add sugar and cream on medium-high speed until fluffy. Add the egg yolk and continue mixing until combined. Then add vanilla extract and flour, blending on low speed. Press the dough softly with a spatula until it comes together without falling apart.

Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F).

Roll out the dough to 3mm thickness, then cut it into a circle slightly larger than the muffin tin molds. Trim a portion as shown in the photo. Press down with your finger on the overlapping parts to form a neat tart shape, then let the dough rest in the freezer for 1 hour.

After removing it from the freezer, pierce the dough with a fork, and place the dough into muffin cups. and top with pie weights or beans.

Bake at 170°C (325°F) for 15 minutes, then remove the pie weights and bake for an additional 5 minutes. You'll know the tart crusts are ready when the edges start to turn golden brown.

Remove the crusts from the pie tin and let them cool on a wire rack.

Tips: If the tart crusts are difficult to remove from the mold, allow them to cool for 30 minutes to an hour before removing.

Whisk the cream cheese until smooth, then gradually add the heavy cream in two batches along with the vanilla extract, ensuring no lumps remain as you mix.

Add half of the sugar to a bowl of egg whites. Beat with an electric hand mixer until soft peaks form. Then, add the remaining sugar and beat again.

Gradually add the meringue mixture to the cheese mixture and mix with a whisk until smooth.

Neatly pour the cheese mixture into the tart shells. Brush the egg yolk onto the surface.

Bake the cheese tarts at 170°C (325°F) for 8 minutes, then bake for an additional 10 minutes at 200°C (400°F).

Enjoy them freshly baked or chilled!