Earl Grey Boba Milk Tea Japanese Cheesecake Recipe: Make a delicious Earl Grey Japanese Cheesecake filled with Boba!

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Hi friends! My favorite tea is Earl Grey Milk Tea with bubbles. By steeping a tea bag and tea leaves in warm milk, I was able to make a strong Earl Grey milk tea to add into my Japanese cheesecake batter. As a result, I made a delicious Earl Grey Boba Milk tea Japanese cheesecake! I am so excited about this original recipe. The cake is my absolute favorite. It’s tall, fluffy and bouncy, light and moist and addictive to eat!

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Earl Grey Boba Milk Tea Japanese Cheesecake

Yield

4-6 people

Author

Kat Lieu

Prep time

20 Min

Cook time

70 Min

Total time

1 H & 30 M

Make a beautiful Earl Grey Boba Milk Tea Japanese cheesecake and impress your loved ones! You'll be addicted to the flavors of this cake, and will want to bake it again and again!

Ingredients

Stiff peaks meringue

• 4 egg whites 🥚
• 1/4 tsp (.85g) cream of tartar (or vinegar or lemon juice) 
• 1/8 cup (12.5g) granulated sugar

Cake Batter

• 3 egg yolks (save the fourth yolk for something else)
• 4 oz cream cheese (1/2 bar)
• 1/8 cup (27.5g) butter
• 1/4 cup (55g) earl grey milk tea
• 1/8 cup (12.5g) granulated sugar (more if you'd like a sweeter cake)
• 2 tbsp (15g) corn starch
• 1/4 cup (34g) flour (all-purpose is fine, or cake flour, or gluten-free flour)
• About half a cup of boba-- you can make your own boba or buy some from a Bubble Tea shop. 

Instructions

1. To make the strong Earl Grey milk tea: To make the earl grey milk tea, warm about 1/3 cup of milk in the microwave and then allow 1 earl grey tea bag and about 1 1/2 tsp of earl grey tea leaves to steep in the tea. (I use a tea infuser, you can place the tea leaves directly in the milk, just strain it afterward.) Cool down the milk before using in the batter.
2. Preheat oven 325F. Use one 6-inch cake pan. Line the cake pan with parchment paper (NOT WAX PAPER), rim and bottom. Separate 4 eggs. Place 3 egg yolks in a bowl, and 4 egg whites in a mixer bowl. Prepare a bain-marie by putting water in a deep rectangular baking pan or dish.
3. Place the butter, cream cheese into a pot over low-heat. Allow the ingredients to melt, and mix together into a beautifully smooth batter mixture. Add 1/8 cup granulated sugar and mix together.
4. Remove the pot from heat, and add the egg yolks into the batter mixture. Mix well, but gently.
5. Add the cornstarch and flour into the powder. Once again, mix well. Clumps should disappear. Add the earl grey milk mixture. Mix well. The batter should be smooth. You do not have to strain this mixture. (See video) The beaten egg white will thicken the batter.
6. Set batter aside as you beat the egg whites into glossy stiff peaks that don't move or budge (see video). Beating eggs is a slow gradual process (8-12 minutes). Add cream of tartar after you see some foam, and add sugar after the egg whites become foamier and whiter. Once you achieve stiff peaks, place some beaten egg white into the batter and mix together.
7. Repeat the above step two to three more times.
8. You don’t want to over mix the batter. Pour the batter into the rest of the egg whites and mix together using folding techniques. You don’t want to over-mix or under mix. If you over mix, the cake will not rise. If you under-mix, your cake will be uneven. The egg white will float to the top and you’ll have meringue-like cake at the top, and a dense cheesecake at the bottom.
9. Pour the well incorporated, but not over-mixed batter into the baking pan(s).
10. Bake bain-marie style for 25 minutes 325F(Depending on your oven, you may have to adjust the temperature.) After 25 minutes, your cake should rise. (My cake rises by 10-12 minutes.) If it has not risen yet, allow it to stay at the same temperature and give it time to rise, or you might have to raise the temperature if it doesn't rise at all, or unfortunately you may have over-mixed your final batter, or your egg whites were not beaten to stiff peaks. Once the cake rises nicely, crack open the oven door slightly and keep it opened for 10 seconds (approximately). Lower the oven temperature to about 285F, depending on your oven and bake for an additional 45-55 minutes. If your cake top is cracking, the temperature is too high. If the cake is not browning, temperature is too low, or the parchment paper around the rims is too high. If your cake is still wet after 45 min, keep the cake in the oven for longer. Do not attempt to flip a wet cake! Disaster will result!
11. Alternatively, you can also bake at very high temp like 400F for 15 minutes, then open oven door, lower temp to about 285F and bake for at least 30 min. And leave the cake in the oven for 30 more minutes. All ovens are different so you really have to watch your cake to see what works for you. Michael Lim starts at a lower temp, then raises his temp and then lowers the temp again.
12. Allow your cake to rest after baking for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Be careful and use oven mitts as needed. The steam from the Bain Marie can burn you. I burned my hand today. Place a sheet of parchment paper over the cake. Place a plate over the cake and parchment paper. Flip the cake upside down so the top of it is now the bottom, while resting on the parchment paper over the plate. Remove the cake from the pan by sliding it out, or gently shaking it out. Be gentle when flipping the cake. I’ve seen someone’s whole hand print embedded on the cake.
13. Remove the wet parchment paper from the cake, replace the bottom parchment paper of the cake. Now place another plate— the presentation or serving plate, on top of the cake. It should be on top of the bottom of the cake. Flip the cake again, carefully. Play with the bouncy jiggly-ness of the cake. Serve when still warm, or chill in the fridge. It won’t be bouncy or fluffy after chilling though!

Notes:

Egg whites must be stiff! It takes a while to beat egg whites to stiff peaks. The trick is to start on medium speed and add in cream of tartar or lemon juice after you see some foaming, and add the sugar gradually after you see the egg whites become whiter and foamier. Even when you think you’ve achieved stiff peaks, beat for a little longer, but not on max speed. Once the egg whites are over-beaten, the meringue is water and gritty and your batter will be watery/bubbly. Your cake will most likely be flat. Large cake pans result in flatter cakes. A magical pan seems to be 6 inches in is it diameter and three inches tall. 
My cake cracked little on top. It’s my first try making an Earl Grey Japanese cheesecake.

https://www.philandmama.com/adventures/2020/5/29/earl-grey-boba-milk-tea-japanese-cheesecake-recipe-make-a-delicious-earl-grey-japanese-cheesecake-filled-with-boba

Recipe COPYRIGHT © PHILANDMAMA.COM 2020, Phil and Mama, LLC. All rights reserved. You may not use any photographs of Phil and Mama Kat without both verbal and written consent from the owners of www.philandmama.com.

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Earl Grey Boba Milk Tea Japanese Cheesecake

COMMON JAPANESE CHEESECAKE BAKING PROBLEMS AND JAPANESE CHEESECAKE TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE

Why is my Japanese cheesecake not rising?Make sure to bake the cake mid-rack in the oven, and in a water bath or Bain Marie. The egg white beating process and then folding it into the batter are also key to the success of your Japanese cheesecake. The egg whites must be beaten to stiff peaks and the folding process requires you to fully incorporate the egg whites into the batter, without over-mixing your final batter. Your oven temperature may also be too low.

Why does my Japanese cheesecake have a dense bottom?Your Japanese cheesecake will have a dense bottom when you don’t fully incorporate the beaten egg white into the batter, leaving you with free floating meringue in the batter to floats to the top. The cake will have a light and fluffy top and a dense layer on the bottom.

Why did my Japanese cheesecake deflate?The key to having a cake that rises and doesn’t drastically deflate is baking in a water bath, beating the egg white meringue to stiff peaks, mid-rack baking, and not having too high of a parchment paper rim. The mixing of the final batter will also affect your cake; over-mixing the batter will lead to a flatter cake. Drastic quick changes in temperature can also affect the cake and make it deflate. Corn starch is helpful in keeping the cake’s shape.

Why is my Japanese cheesecake’s final batter so watery? Check your egg white meringue again. Was it beaten to stiff peaks? Or was it over-beaten? The water starts leaking out of egg whites when they are over beaten. Unfortunately that will affect your cake.

Why is my Japanese cheesecake still watery after baking?
Your oven temperature may have been too low. Your cake needs more time in the oven. Do not attempt to flip the cake when it is still wet in the middle.

Why is the top of my Japanese cheesecake not browning?
Your oven temperature may be too low and you may need to keep the Japanese cheesecake in the oven for a bit longer. Make sure the parchment paper rims are not too high. That prevents the cake’s top from browning.