Japanese Jiggly Cheesecake

For the Berry Compote

1. In a small saucepan add the berries, sugar and water. Stir over medium heat until berries start to burst. Turn to low and simmer until thickened and reduced. Set aside.

Cheesecake

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk the cream cheese, butter and heavy cream until smooth. Remove from heat and cool.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth, then slowly drizzle in the cooled cream cheese mixture, stirring until evenly combined. Whisk in the vanilla and lemon zest to combine. Sift in the flour and cornstarch, whisking to avoid any lumps.
4. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until you see soft peaks. Slowly add the sugar while continuing to beat until you see hard, shiny peaks form.
5. Take a third of the egg whites and fold them into the cream cheese egg yolk mixture, then repeat with the remaining egg whites until the batter is thoroughly combined.
6. Line the bottom and sides of a 9x3 inch cake pan being sure sides are 4 inches tall. If using a springform pan, be sure to wrap the bottom and sides completely in foil to prevent any leaking of batter.
7. Pour the batter into the parchment-lined pan and shake on counter top to release air bubbles.
8. Place the filled pan into a roasting pan or dish lined with a tea towel or 2 paper towels at the bottom. Fill the larger pan with one inch of hot water. Bake for 25 minutes at 325°F, then reduce the heat to 280°F, and bake for another 55 minutes, until the cake has risen to almost double its height.
9. Check to make sure the cake for cooked by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake, it should come out clean. Bake the cake for an additional 10 minutes to brown the top if not already. Turn off the heat and open the oven door about 2-3 inches. Let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 1 hour.
10. Remove from oven, and carefully, invert the cake onto one hand, quickly removing pan and bottom parchment from cake and place on stand or plate. Peel off the remaining parchment paper.
11. Sprinkle the top of the cake with powdered sugar, slice (I found a serrated knife works best), and serve with berry compote and mint sprig.