From “Dreamy Japanese Cheesecake” to… Strawberry Cheesecake Bites? 🤷♀️😂
From “Dreamy Japanese Cheesecake” to… Strawberry Cheesecake Bites? 🤷♀️😂
Baking is always a mix of science, patience, and surprises—and this week, I took on an unexpected challenge! My friend at work was craving Japanese cheesecake, but the fun part? I had never even seen one before! Still, I was excited to try, and this turned out to be a journey full of learning, mistakes, and lots of fun.
Expectation vs. Reality 🤭
🔹 Expectation: A fluffy, jiggly, cloud-like Japanese cheesecake that melts in the mouth.
🔹 Reality: A not-so-fluffy, slightly confused, but still delicious Strawberry Cheesecake Bites (Yes, that’s what I’m calling them now! 😆) 
The Baking Process – My Journey Step-by-Step 🛤️
📌 Step 1: Inspired by a Video & Feeling Overconfident
After my friend talked about her craving, I found this Japanese cheesecake video:
👉 Tasty’s Japanese Cheesecake Recipe
It looked so easy, and I thought, “This is just a cakewalk! I can totally do this!” 😎 (Spoiler: It wasn’t.)
📌 Step 2: Preparing the Ingredients & Mixing the Batter
I carefully followed the instructions—beating eggs, folding in the batter, and making sure everything looked right. It felt like I was doing everything correctly!
📌 Step 3: Into the Oven It Goes! 🔥
Once my cake batter was ready, I poured it into the cake tin and placed it in the oven. I had high hopes for a beautiful, fluffy rise! 
The Unexpected Challenges & My Biggest Mistake 🤦♀️
🔸 No Rise in the Cake: After 20 minutes, I noticed the cake wasn’t rising as expected. I started wondering what went wrong!
🔸 Overconfidence & Wrong Equipment: The biggest mistake? I didn’t have a whisk machine for the egg yolk! Instead, I used a hand blender, which completely ruined the texture. I realized later that this step was crucial for getting the right fluffiness.
🔸 The Top Wasn’t Browning: Even though the cake was baking, the golden-brown color I expected wasn’t appearing.
🔸 The Texture Was Different: When I finally took it out, it wasn’t the fluffy, soufflé-like texture I had imagined.
The Best Part? My Kids Loved It! ❤️
Even though my cheesecake didn’t turn out as expected, my kids absolutely loved it! 🎉 Sometimes, it’s not about perfection but about making something with love and enjoying the process.
Key Learnings for My Next Baking Attempt 🍰
✅ Whisk Machine is a Must! No more hand blender experiments—lesson learned! 😆
✅ Perfect Egg Whites = Perfect Texture. I’ll focus on getting the meringue right next time.
✅ Temperature Control is Crucial. I’ll test my oven settings beforehand.
✅ Patience is Key. Good baking takes time—I won’t rush the process.
✅ Trying New Things is Fun! No matter the result, I enjoyed the learning experience.
Final Thoughts: Will I Try Again? 🤔
Absolutely! Next time, I’ll get a proper whisk machine, adjust my technique, and aim for that perfect fluffy cheesecake. Baking is all about experimenting, failing, learning, and trying again!
What do you think? Have you ever tried baking something new that didn’t turn out as expected? Let me know in the comments! 😊
About The Author
Poonam .
"An experienced Early Childhood Educator reconnecting with my passion for teaching through EDTC 300. Excited to explore educational technology and collaborate with like-minded educators!"
I love your positivity Poonam! Baking is definitely a science that takes a lot of patience and practice. The egg-white mixing technique is definitely a no-variation part of baking. Keep working hard and you’ll get it in no time!
This blog post was so fun to read! I appreciate your ability to roll with the experience and end up creating something just as enjoyable as the initial goal! I also enjoy your use of emojis in your writing, it’s so fun!
I love the humor you brought to this post. You had me hooked at ” A not-so-fluffy, slightly confused, but still delicious Strawberry Cheesecake Bites”. Taking on the challenge of making something you’ve never even seen before is not easy, but I can tell from your post that you enjoyed the experience. This was a great read!
I love how even through all of the mistakes you still stayed so positive! At least if you do decide to try this recipe again, you know what went wrong and how to fix it for next time. Even though it didn’t turn out exactly how you wanted, your kids still loved it so thats a win!
I am happy to see you were so positive even after it did not turn out as you expected. I admire your positive attitude and say “it not about perfection, but enjoying the process.” I find myself often reminding myself of this.
I really like how you laid out your post! It was easy to read and follow. I think it’s awesome that you are going with the flow and rebranded your baking to cheesecake bites. Way to make it your own!
I loved your baking story. It reminded me of when I started crocheting! I expected decent results right away, but my first pieces were pretty wonky too. But like your cheesecake bites, they still brought joy, and that’s what really matters. Can’t wait to see what you bake next!
Wow the end result is stunning, I so want to make it but its too sweet to me. Does lowering the amount of sugar affect it?