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Japanese-Style Cheesecake (Mexican Version)

Name: Japanese-Style Cheesecake (Mexican Version)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 90 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 250 g Cream Cheese; 60 g Butter; 100 ml Milk; 6 Egg; 100 g Superfine sugar; 30 g Cornstarch; 1 tsp Vanilla Extract; 0.5 tsp Cream of Tartar

90 min (30 prep + 60 cook) Medium 8 servings Ciudad de México

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: Mar 24, 2026 · Updated: May 12, 2026

Ultra-light Japanese-style cheesecake, fluffy and delicate.

About this recipe

The Mexican-adapted Japanese cheesecake is an ultra-light, spongy cheese cake with an airy texture that melts in the mouth.

History & Origin

Japanese cheesecake arrived in Mexico through the gastronomic globalisation of the 2010s, when viral social media videos showed these jiggly, wobbling cakes that captivated the Mexican public. In Mexico City, bakeries and pâtisseries began offering their version of the Japanese cheesecake, adapting it to the local palate. Unlike the dense, heavy American cheesecake, the Japanese version uses the meringue technique to achieve an incredibly light, spongy texture. Mexican bakers added their own touch with Mexican vanilla from Papantla, considered the finest in the world, and in some versions a hint of cajeta. The success was immediate: specialist pâtisseries multiplied in neighbourhoods such as Roma, Condesa and Polanco. What makes this dessert special in Mexico is the fusion of Japanese technical discipline with the warmth and sweetness of Mexican ingredients.

Estimated cost

$6.80

Total cost

$0.85

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on US supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

250

Calories

Protein

22g

Carbohydrates

15g

Fat

Fiber

180mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Preheat the oven to 160°C. Prepare a 20 cm round can lined with baking parchment. Heat water for a bain-marie.
2
Melt the cream cheese with the butter and milk over low heat. Mix until smooth. Leave to cool slightly.
3
Separate the yolks from the whites. Add the yolks one at a time to the cheese mixture, mixing well. Fold in the cornstarch and vanilla.
4
Whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and whisk until you have a firm meringue.
5
Fold the meringue into the cheese mixture in three batches with gentle folding movements. Do not overmix.
6
Pour into the can and bake in a bain-marie at 160°C for 25 minutes, then reduce to 140°C for a further 35 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave inside for 15 minutes with the door ajar.