Western style sweets

[torakris]

Cream puffs (シュークリーム　shuu kuriimu in Japanese) are quite popular in Japan. You would be hard pressed to find a bakery that doesn't sell them and even supermarkets carry a couple varieties, from the puchi (tiny, one bite size) ones to ice cream filled. They can be filled with custard, cream, chocolate, etc or even mixtures.

Though I am not a huge cream puff fan, my favorite has a mixture of custard and fresh cream and not too long ago I had a matcha version from Beard papa (cream puff chain store).

Then 2 days ago discovered one called meron-pan fuu shuu kuriimu (melon pan like cream puff), for those who don't know melon pan is a popular snack it is basically a bread dough covered with a cookie dough and then baked.

This cream puff had a similar cookie topping:

So what are your favorite cream puff versions?

any favorite stores?

[Hiroyuki]

Since my wife and I are frugal (not stringy ), we usually buy cream puffs at a local supermarket. Our favoriates are the various products of Monteur, such as:

http://www.monteur.co.jp/view/4-10920.html

http://www.monteur.co.jp/view/4-13220.html

Homepage of Monteur's website:

http://www.monteur.co.jp/index.html

We find them delicious, and we like the soft crust. Although their regular price is 100 yen (excluding the consumption tax), they are often on sale at 88 yen. I think they are much better than those of most pastry shops.

What do you say?

[smallworld]

I didn't know you could get them filled with ice cream! I imagine that would be similar to a bombetta (is this ice cream sandwich a Japanese invention or an actual Italian dessert?).

My husband loves cream puffs, but as much as I like the crusts (especially the ones that are soft on the inside and crispy on the outside) I can't stand them all stuffed with whipped cream, custard cream or whatever gooey stuff they fill them with. Eeew.

So rather than just ask for the crusts only (which I still have to pay full price for!) I will seek out a place that does ice cream!

[Hiroyuki]

You can freeze regular cream puffs at home, like the ones I mentioned.

EDIT:

And see what frozen cream puffs taste like.

Edited June 10, 2004 by Hiroyuki (log)

[torakris]

I didn't know you could get them filled with ice cream! I imagine that would be similar to a bombetta (is this ice cream sandwich a Japanese invention or an actual Italian dessert?).

My husband loves cream puffs, but as much as I like the crusts (especially the ones that are soft on the inside and crispy on the outside) I can't stand them all stuffed with whipped cream, custard cream or whatever gooey stuff they fill them with. Eeew.

So rather than just ask for the crusts only (which I still have to pay full price for!) I will seek out a place that does ice cream!

I have seen the ice cream ones in several supermarkets in the case with all the rest of the ice cream.

[torakris]

I just received the new flyer for Chateraisse (the store I bought the above mentioned shuu cream at) and they have a new cream puff this week, this is filled with coffee jelly (like jello) and cream), I am still unsure as to what I think of that....

[Sobaicecream]

I just tried making the fluffy Japanese-style cheesecake and it rose really nicely...but then shrank and sunk. Plus it started cracking up quite badly soon after it went into the oven. The end result was delicious though, if not very pretty.

Has anyone tried making it and managed to keep their cheesecake standing tall?

Also, the recipe I have just asks for regular (薄) flour, but I've seen other recipes that use "corn flour"--is that the same as corn starch? Does the corn flour make a big difference?

[rcarter]

Yum. I love Japanese cheesecake. Can you share the recipe?

I have never tried to make it, but I do recall that some Japanese cake recipes I have tried call for some corn starch sifted in with the flour.

Did you bake it in a water bath?

[Gastro888]

Another voice for recipe sharing! What's the difference between NYC cheesecake and Japanese? Could someone please explain? Thanks!!

[spaghetttti]

Another voice for recipe sharing!  What's the difference between NYC cheesecake and Japanese?  Could someone please explain?  Thanks!!

←

I'm no authority on cheesecake, but the Japanese-style steamed cheesecake is my new favorite. NYC cheesecake made with cream cheese is dense and creamy whereas The Italian-style cheesecake found at Veneiros in NYC is lighter and made with ricotta cheese. The Japanese-style is light and fluffy and steamed. I want some now!!!

[Gastro888]

Holla back, spaghetttti! I totally agree with you.

I could eat a whole one in one seating. Dang!

[torakris]

eeewww.... cheesecake

I can't even be in the same room with one, I have never understood why people like these...

obviously I am no help to you, sorry.....

but the book I referred to before (in the miso thread) calls for cornstarch in their cheesescake and it has a very nice height to it.

By the way, this is the book:http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/4860481658/qid%3D1105741499/249-4447255-1334740#product-details

I really like it as it is a nice mix of western and Japanese sweets, the thing I don't like about it is that the quantities are all over the place and often very small. There are recipes for 2 people on the same page as other recipes for 6 or 3 people....

[origamicrane]

http://www.recipezaar.com/90032

i tried this the other day

i didn't wait for the ingredients to come up to room temperature and so when i folded teh mix with the white it came out a little too watery and so when i cooked it it was very dense but tasted about right although i think i put too much corn starch in.

[Hiroyuki]

Are we all talking about the same thing - cheese mushi pan? If you want recipes for cheese mushi pan in Japanese, just do a google search with チーズ蒸しパン; you'll get a lot of them.

Examples are:

http://www.cookpad.com/lovemama/index.cfm?...28144&Mode=full

http://www12.plala.or.jp/VanillaBeans/simple_musit.html

http://www.city.sendai.jp/kenkou/kodomo/ko...esemusipan.html

http://www.zennoh.or.jp/ZENNOH/TOPICS/APRON/9804/03.htm

http://www2.odn.ne.jp/~cid52890/recipes/musicm.htm

And there's a product called cheese mushi pan mix:

http://www.kawakuboseifun.co.jp/products_m...zemushipan.html

I can never answer your questions, but corn flour = corn starch? I don't think so.

[torakris]

I can never answer your questions, but corn flour = corn starch?  I don't think so.

←

If I am not mistaken cornstarch is the word used in the US and corn flour is used in the UK.

[Yuki]

I am sorry but I am not a fan of Japanese cheesecake. The type of Japanese cheesecake I know of is baked in the oven though.

[Hiroyuki]

I can never answer your questions, but corn flour = corn starch?  I don't think so.

←

If I am not mistaken cornstarch is the word used in the US and corn flour is used in the UK.

←

Thanks, torakris. Learning new things every day!

from

http://www.wwrecipes.com/convert.htm

UK cornflour is the same as US cornstarch. Potato flour, despite its name, is a starch, and cannot be substituted for regular flour. It often can be substituted for corn starch and vice versa. In the US, corn flour means finely ground cornmeal. If in doubt about which type of cornflour is meant in a recipe, ask the person who gave it to you!

***

For those who are not familiar with cheese mushi pan,

cheese mushi pan was first released by Nichiryo in 1990.

http://www.miru.ne.jp/nichiryo/cgis/top.cgi

It became so popular that other baking companies followed suit.

I was a fan of it, but I always thought that 120 yen was rather high for this small and light sweet bun.

[Sobaicecream]

Nope, not talking about mushi pan (steamed cake).

The Japanese cheesecake I'm talking about is baked, and it's sometimes also called souffle cheesecake because the batter contains a lot of whipped egg white, making the texture very light and airy.

Here's the recipe that I used:

250g cream cheese

200g sour cream

110g sugar

1T lemon juice

2 egg yolks

1/2 tsp vanilla oil (I didn't use this)

40g flour

3 egg whites

1. Beat softened cream cheese, sour cream, and 1/3 of sugar until smooth.

2. Stir in lemon juice, yolks, vanilla.

3. Sift flour into the mixture and mix. Make sure it's well incorporated.

4. Cover bowl with saran wrap and let sit for 1/2 hour (I have no idea why).

5. Whip egg whites and rest of sugar until soft-peak stage.

6. Spoon 1/3 of whites into the batter and gently stir. Then carefully but thoroughly fold in rest of whites. Pour into pan.

7. Bake in 180'C oven, with water bath, for 50-60 minutes (sorry, I'm not exactly sure what size tin this was for--I quartered the recipe and made mini cakes--but I think an 8-inch cake tin would be good).

NOTE: After doing a bit of online research, I found the following tips but have yet to test them, so don't know if they work or not:

-if you overbeat the egg whites and they get too stiff, they won't mix well with the batter and you'll get cracked tops

-don't use boiling water in the water bath but warm water

Also, like I said before, I've seen other recipes that called for cornstarch/flour, and I don't know if this makes a difference.

I would love to hear (and see) how other people's cakes turn out, please!

Edited January 15, 2005 by Sobaicecream (log)

[Hiroyuki]

Nope, not talking about mushi pan (steamed cake).

←

Sorry about the confusion. I had no idea that such a cheesecake is a Japanese-style one.

I am a fan of 'rare cheesecakes'.

http://japanesefood.about.com/library/weekly/aa032403a.htm

http://www.unifiller.com/baking_world_japan.htm

I much prefer them to baked ones.

[melonpan]

Sorry about the confusion.  I had no idea that such a cheesecake is a Japanese-style one.

I am a fan of 'rare cheesecakes'.

http://japanesefood.about.com/library/weekly/aa032403a.htm

http://www.unifiller.com/baking_world_japan.htm

I much prefer them to baked ones.

this is so great. i have seen these for sale and for some reason i just assumed that these were cheesecakes that were made with rare (hard to find) cheeses.

now i know better.

i think if there are unbaked cheese cakes in america, youd call them, well, "<a href="http://www.google.com/search?tab=gw&q=%22unbaked%20cheesecake%22&hl=en&">unbaked cheesecakes</a>".

[Sobaicecream]

Sorry about the confusion.  I had no idea that such a cheesecake is a Japanese-style one.

←

Actually, Hiroyuki-san, I should apologize because I don't know if this is officially a "Japanese" cheesecake!

[prasantrin]

Nope, not talking about mushi pan (steamed cake).

The Japanese cheesecake I'm talking about is baked, and it's sometimes also called souffle cheesecake because the batter contains a lot of whipped egg white, making the texture very light and airy.

<snip>

Also, like I said before, I've seen other recipes that called for cornstarch/flour, and I don't know if this makes a difference.

I would love to hear (and see) how other people's cakes turn out, please!

←

The recipe I've been using for 6+ years (which uses all-purpose flour) always shrinks/falls and almost always cracks. That's the nature of this type of recipe, I think. The only time my cheesecakes haven't cracked has been when I've used lower heat than the recipe called for, and baked it for a longer period of time. I think I covered it during the latter part of the baking time. It still shrinks and falls, though. My recipe is called "Lemon Souffle Cheesecake" and with "souffle" in the title, I think the falling/shrinking part is pretty much a given.

If you wanted the height for looks, you would have to serve it still warm from the oven, and having done that, I found that it destroyed the texture and flavour. It is very eggy--both in texture and flavour--when served warm. It's also easier to cut when warm.

Here's the non-cracked cheesecake

This cheesecake has become my signature dessert and even people who don't like cheesecake love it.

[Sobaicecream]

Hi prasantrin, I just tried again, this time baking at 160'C, and the cake still cracked (but this time didn't shrink or fall--I think whipping the egg whites only until the soft-peak stage did the trick).

But here is a picture of a home baker's attempt at "Japanese" cheesecake, and look how perfect and smooth her cake's top is:

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/luvkdogg/det...4&.dnm=95b8.jpg

Oh, I wish my cake would look like this!

[prasantrin]

Hi prasantrin, I just tried again, this time baking at 160'C, and the cake still cracked (but this time didn't shrink or fall--I think whipping the egg whites only until the soft-peak stage did the trick).

But here is a picture of a home baker's attempt at "Japanese" cheesecake, and look how perfect and smooth her cake's top is:

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/luvkdogg/det...4&.dnm=95b8.jpg

Oh, I wish my cake would look like this!

←

That is a beautiful cake! Did you take a look at the recipe she used? It's more like mine, though mine calls for whipping the egg whites to stiff peaks and hers calls for soft peaks (as you did for your second try).

One thing to consider, as well, is the temperature of your oven. Too hot an oven will cause cracks. My ovens in Japan have always run hot and, since I now have a gas convection oven, I have to really watch the temperature (here's a picture of what happened to my first cheesecake in my new oven, using the original temperature and time). I just picked up an oven thermometer in Singapore, so I'm going to be testing temperatures more carefully.

Maybe you could try covering the cake fairly early in the baking process?

[torakris]

a souffle cheesecake...

I had never even heard of this before, but then again I don't like cheesecake.

That same cookbook has two souffle cheesecakes, one is plain and one has apples in it, they both are very high with no visible cracks. both call for the egg whites to be whipped to stiff peaks and both call for flour, but the plain one has some fresh cream in it and the apple one has sour cream and 20g of cornstarch are added to the egg whites after whipping.

They are both cooked with hot water baths, but the plain (which looks a bit fluffier) is cooked at 170 for 40 minutes, while the slightly denser looking apple one is cooked at 160 for 70 minutes.....