Finally had the real LeTAO Double Fromage cheesecake when we went to Hokkaido for grad trip!! Dang, really is good especially when chilled/frozen. We visited the LeTAO main store in Otaru Marchen Square and it was japanese dessert heavenn. Imagine a whole street full of authentic japanese sweets and souvenirs! And not far away, sushi restaurants and seafood, super perfect for a chilly day out. This was what that street was like!
During that trip I tried the original flavors, Hokkaido Melon (which I’ve attempted here), Matcha and Chocolate. Saw a strawberry inspired by a limited edition picture here, and decided to make my own Lemon Yuzu version. Originally wanted to make a version with the Korean Yuzu honey citron tea but couldn’t find it, so Yuzu juice it was!
Tbe actual process took a bit of trial and error; I wasn’t able to get a strong yuzu flavor on the top marscapone cheese layer, so instead of covering up the whole cake in the cake crumbs as originally described, I made a homemade lemon curd for the topping. Then I wasn’t sure if i should add in the lemon zest or keep it clean. And then wasn’t sure if I should add in the animals (Double Lion for my father’s birthday and my family friend’s birthday on the same day in August; making them both Leos). After I did that I couldn’t really undo it, so oh well. 2 Leos swimming in lemon curd it is…
Otherwise the method is the same as what was previously described! Just a different (and hopefully refreshing) flavor this time with Meyer Lemons!
´Lemon Yuzu Double Fromage Cheesecake
| Ingredients
LeTAO double fromage Cheesecake Copycat adapted from LeTAOotaru and Cookies Cake Lab Lemon Sponge Cake Base 4 Eggs (~60g each) Baked Lemon Cheese Layer 250g Cream cheese Yuzu Lemon Cheese Mousse Layer 50g Sugar Homemade Lemon Curd from The Kitchn 3 or 4 lemons |
To make Lemon Sponge Cake Base
Pre-heat oven to 180 deg Celcius. Line side and bottom 8″ cake ring with parchment paper. Place eggs and sugar in a bowl and whisk over a water bath to melt the sugar, to a temperature of around 50c-60c. Place the mixture on stand mixer and whisk at high speed till pale and fluffy. Fold in the sifted flour in 3 batches gently. Pour into the pan and bake at 25-30mins. Cool the cake and cut out 1 cm as the base of the cake. Put the cut out onto the mould and set aside. Process the remaining in a food processor till fine crumbs – we will use that later! To make Baked Lemon Cheese Layer: Pre-heat oven at 150 deg Celcius. Mix all ingredients and sift the mixture to avoid lumps. Pour into the mould with cake base on it and bake for 20 mins until wobbly. Turn off the oven and leave to cool. Freeze for 3 hours. To make Yuzu Lemon Cheese Mousse Layer: Mix gelatine with water to soften it, set aside. Whip cream till stiff peak and set aside. Mix sugar, yuzu juice , yolk and soften gelatine over water bath to melt it. Stir in mascarpone cheese till incorporate. Sift the mixture to remove any lumps. Fold the mixture into the whipped cream and pour into the mould that have the bake cheese and cake base. Freeze overnight. Homemade Lemon Curd Peel 3 lemons, taking as little of the bitter white pith as possible. Cut all the lemons in half, juice them, and measure out 1/2 cup of juice. Combine the sugar and lemon peels in the bowl of a food processor and process until the peels are ground very fine, about 30 seconds. Add the butter, egg yolks, lemon juice and salt to the bowl. Pulse a few times and then process for 15 seconds or so to incorporate everything. Pour mixture into a small saucepan and place over very low heat. Stir frequently, using a heat-proof spatula. Do not leave the mixture unattended as it is very easy for it to overcook and curdle. Cook until the mixture begins to thicken, 12-15 minutes (170˚F if using thermometer). You can also test the curd by coating the back of a spoon with the curd and running a finger through it. It should leave a clear, distinct path. Pour the curd through a strainer to catch any peel and coagulated egg. Allow to cool to room temperature, then seal the jar and store in your refrigerator. To Assemble and Decorate: Unmould cake and crumb coat with some saved mousse layer. Coat with the lemon cake crumbs from step 1 on the sides! Then pour over the lemon curd and swirl for the pattern, finally sprinkliung with fresh lemon zest. Serve by bringing the cake about an hour prior to room temperature from the fridge or freezer. |
My Dose of Sugar 