If you love cheesecake and custard tarts equally, you must have heard of a beautiful combination of the two, called Baked Cheese Tarts! Originating in the island of Hokkaido, Japan, these dairy treats include a flaky buttery pastry filled with mildly sweet cheese filling, finished with a lightly torched caramelised top!
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What Are Baked Cheese Tarts: Blurring The Line Between Sweet & Savoury
A famous Japanese street food, popularised by a bakery in Sapporo, Hokkaido. These days they are popular across the world and there are bakeries dedicated to this specific cheese tart in some of the largest metropolitan cities.
The original recipe is made with world-renowned high-quality Hokkaido dairy, but similar results can be achieved using local produce wherever you are in the world.
Hokkaido cheese tarts are considered to be a dessert in Japan, however, they are not overly sweet. With less than 5g of sugar per cheese tart, this tart recipe really blurs the line between sweet and savoury. In the best possible way!
Our version of these Japanese baked cheese tartlets requires only two types of cheese: cream cheese and Parmesan cheese, and two other dairy products: butter and milk. We have further flavoured the cheese mixture with vanilla extract and lemon juice.
Equipment Needed
To make these Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tarts you will need:
- 12-hole muffin tin: make sure to use a non-stick pan. Alternatively, use small tart tin/tartlet moulds.
- Silicone Spatula.
- Piping bag
- Pastry Brush.
Ingredients and Substitutes
Our version of baked cheese tart is an easy one: we use shop-bought ready-rolled shortcrust pastry. However, you can make your own pastry (see the recipe in the notes on the Recipe Card). Here’s what you will need for this easy recipe:
- ready-rolled shortcrust pastry: or make your own! We love these baked cheese tarts with Sourdough Shortcrust Pastry.
- cream cheese: also known as soft cheese in the UK. Full-fat Philadelphia cream cheese or supermarket own brand will work just fine.
- parmesan: can be substituted with Padana Grano.
- butter: unsalted.
- milk: use whole milk (full-fat milk) if you can. Alternatively, substitute it with single cream or heavy cream (double cream) or whipping cream for extra decadence.
- caster sugar: can be replaced with icing sugar.
- cornflour: also known as corn starch.
- vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste or seeds from a vanilla pod.
- lemon: juice only. You may choose to use bottled lemon juice.
- eggs: 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk will be needed to make this recipe.
Read more about how to treat these ingredients for the best results in the Tips & Tricks section.
Step-by-Step Method
STEP 1: Make The Creamy Cheese Filling
Start by making your cheese filling for the tarts. Add milk, butter, cream cheese and parmesan to a heavy-bottomed pan. Set it over low heat and stir continuously until the cheeses melt and the mixture has almost no lumps in it.
Add the caster sugar and cornflour and mix again. Then tip in the lemon juice and vanilla. Stirring vigorously, pour in the beaten egg.
Adjust the stove to medium heat and keep on stirring, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom to prevent lumps from forming. Keep mixing until the cheese mixture thickens. Look for a thick custard consistency that will be pipeable when cooled. The process should take about 8-10 minutes.
Once thick enough, take the mixture off the heat. Set a fine sieve over a bowl, and push the creamy cheese filling through the sieve with a rubber spatula to ensure no lumps remain.
Place a piece of plastic wrap (cling film) over the top of the filling (so that the wrap directly touches the filling) and set it aside to cool down. The cling film will prevent the crust from forming. Once cooled down, transfer the filling to the fridge for at least 1 hour to firm up.
STEP 2: Bake Tart Cases
Unroll the shop-bought pastry, and, using a cookie cutter, stamp out 12x 9cm (3.5in) circles. Gently press pastry dough into the muffin tin holes. If you have any excess dough, you can reroll it and make more tartlet cases.
Prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork and place the tin in the freezer for 20 minutes.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 170C Fan. Place the tart crust in the lower half of the oven and bake for 15-17 minutes until the cases are golden brown.
Once baked, transfer the tartlet cases onto a wire rack to cool completely.
STEP 3: Assemble Cheese Tarts
When you are ready to assemble, fill a piping bag with the cheese mixture. Pipe it into each of the baked tart shells, then place the filled cheese tarts in the freezer for 20-30 minutes, until the top is firm enough to the egg wash.
In the meantime, beat the egg yolk with a teaspoon of water in a small bowl. Preheat the grill to high (or alternatively, you can use a kitchen blowtorch).
Using a pastry brush, gently brush the egg-wash mixture on top of the cheese filling. Place the Japanese Cheese Tarts under the grill for 4-5 minutes until the tops brown. If the tops haven’t been browned enough, use a kitchen blow torch to create caramelised tops!
Serve Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tarts warm, at room temperature, or cold!
Making Your Own Pastry?
Whilst this recipe works equally well with shop-bought shortcrust pastry, you can definitely make it completely from scratch. Here’s what you will need:
- 150g all-purpose flour
- 75g unsalted butter, fridge cold, cubed
- 30g icing sugar (optional)
- 1 egg yolk
Put the flour and cubed butter in a large mixing bowl. With your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. If you have a food processor, it is highly recommended that you use it – just pulse the flour and butter until you have a mixture that looks like sand.
Mix in icing sugar (if you like your pies extra sweet) and a pinch of salt. Add egg yolk into the flour mixture and stir it in. With your hands, bring the mixture together into a ball. If it is too dry and crumbly, add a tablespoon of water. Knead it very briefly until it comes to a ball of dough – the less you knead, the flakier the pastry will be when cooked.
Flatten the ball of dough, wrap it in clingfilm and pop it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. Once chilled, take the pastry out of the fridge and on a floured surface, using a rolling pin, roll the pastry into a large circle, about 3mm thick. Carry on with the pastry shell recipe below!
Tip & Tricks For Success
- Use high-quality cheese. The success of these baked cheese tarts highly depends on the quality of the dairy products that you use.
- Take your dairy products out of the fridge an hour before making the filling. Room-temperature cheese will take less time to melt and the filling will ultimately be more cohesive.
- Make your own sweet shortcrust pastry to the ultimate flaky crust. There is a recipe in the notes on the recipe card, or you can make a delicious Sourdough Shortcrust Pastry if you keep a sourdough starter.
- If you are making homemade pastry, start by preparing it first, as it will need to chill.
- Melt the cheese on low heat. Don’t be tempted to increase the heat – be patient and stir continuously with a rubber spatula until the mixture is smooth and cohesive.
- Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the pan as the mixture thickens, to avoid the cheese filling burning or becoming lumpy.
- However, don’t be discouraged if you see a few small lumps: we will put the mixture through a sieve later!
- Make sure to cook your tart cases and the cream cheese filling completely.
Storage
The Japanese Cheese Tarts are best on the day that they are baked. We love them slightly warm straight from under the grill, but they can also be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Note though that the pastry will soften.
Other Japanese-Inspired Recipes
- Japanese Cotton Cheesecake (recipe coming soon)
- Yasai Itame With Tofu
- Aubergine Donburi
Recipe Card
Hokkaido-Style Baked Cheese Tarts
Equipment
Ingredients
- 375 g ready-rolled shortcrust pastry
- 200 g cream cheese full-fat
- 30 g parmesan finely grated
- 80 ml whole milk
- 40 g caster sugar
- 15 g cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- ½ lemon juice only
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 1 egg yolk for egg wash
Instructions
STEP 1: Make The Creamy Cheese Filling
- Start by making your cheese filling for the tarts. Add milk, butter, cream cheese and parmesan to a heavy-bottomed pan. Set it over low heat and stir continuously until the cheeses melt and the mixture has almost no lumps in it.
- Add the caster sugar and cornflour and mix again. Then tip in the lemon juice and vanilla. Stirring vigorously, pour in the beaten egg.
- Adjust the stove to medium heat and keep on stirring, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom to prevent lumps from forming. Keep mixing until the cheese mixture thickens. Look for a thick custard consistency that will be pipeable when cooled. The process should take about 8-10 minutes.
- Once thick enough, take the mixture off the heat. Set a fine sieve over a bowl, and push the creamy cheese filling through the sieve with a rubber spatula to ensure no lumps remain.
- Place a piece of plastic wrap (cling film) over the top of the filling (so that the wrap directly touches the filling) and set it aside to cool down. The cling film will prevent the crust from forming. Once cooled down, transfer the filling to the fridge for at least 1 hour to firm up.
STEP 2: Bake Tart Cases
- Unroll the shop-bought pastry, and, using a cookie cutter, stamp out 12x 9cm (3.5in) circles. Gently press pastry dough into the muffin tin holes. If you have any excess dough, you can reroll it and make more tartlet cases.
- Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork and place the tin in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 170°C Fan. Place the tart crust in the lower half of the oven and bake for 15-17 minutes until the cases are golden brown.
- Once baked, transfer the tartlet cases onto a wire rack to cool completely.
STEP 3: Assemble
- When you are ready to assemble, fill a piping bag with the cheese mixture. Pipe it into each of the baked tart shell, then place the filled cheese tarts in the freezer for 20-30 minutes, until the top is firm enough to the egg wash.
- In the meantime, beat the egg yolk with a teaspoon of water in a small bowl. Preheat the grill to high (or alternatively, you can use a kitchen blowtorch).
- Using a pastry brush, gently brush the egg-wash mixture on top of the cheese filling. Place the Japanese Cheese Tarts under the grill for 4-5 minutes until the tops brown. Use a kitchen blow torch for an extra torched exterior!
- Serve Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tarts warm, at room temperature, or cold!
Notes
- 150g all-purpose flour
- 75g unsalted butter, fridge cold, cubed
- 30g icing sugar (optional)
- 1 egg yolk
Nutrition
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