Japan is known for a motely of things, like anime, fuel efficient cars, and Sumo wrestling. But narrow in on the foodie world and you’re swimming in a sea of sushi, sashimi, soba, sake, miso, mirin, and mochi. Zoom in even further, and you’re looking at a modern dessert scene comprised of Pocky sticks, Hello Panda biscuits, just about any flavor Kit Kat (from the “standard” matcha and cherry blossom to the more bizarre soy sauce and chili), and Japanese cheesecake. This last one is precisely the reason for today’s post!

I was first introduced to Japanese cheesecake nearly two years ago by a then fellow PADT newbie, Amy. In the words of Amy herself, Japanese cheesecake “tastes like cheesecake but has the texture of a sponge cake.” Thankfully, Amy made this for one of our newbie potlucks because if she hadn’t, I’d probably still be ignorant of its existence, which would seriously be a shame because it’s so frickin’ delicious! So when Amy asked Crystal and I to do a guest post for her blog, Nomzies, Japanese cheesecake seemed like the perfect food for thought.

Earlier this summer, I made a tofu version of Japanese cheesecake, but this time around I had matcha on my mind. To make it more special, I striped the cake with matcha and original flavored batter; however, you could easily make a completely matcha cheesecake and likewise completely original cheesecake instead. You’ll notice in the photos though that the matcha layer sunk to the bottom towards the middle of the cake. This is probably because I folded the meringue into the matcha batter first so it was slightly deflated and therefore denser compared to the original flavored batter by the time I started the striping process. I’d advise to seek a friend’s help so that the two of you can simultaneously fold the batters to avoid this problem. Also try to fold to the same extent! (This is what I was aiming for.)

If you’ve never tried this sponge cake-meets-cheesecake dessert, then wait no more. Terminate your deprivation and get baking! You can find the recipe here.