The Cheese Mushi Pan was the food trend in the 1990’s in Japan. My mother loved it and so did the whole family. I remember we bought them nearly every day for an afternoon snack. The Master Chef Australia is showing “Japan week” and I missed these steamed buns so much, so I made them.
This mushi pan is very similar to the Japanese cotton cheesecake both in texture and taste. The double cheese mushi pan is an easier way to make the cheesecake in less time and achieve a similar texture and taste. And you can get all the ingredients from any supermarkets. This recipe does NOT require any special “Japanese ingredients” which may be difficult to get if you live outside of Japan.
As you can see the sliced cheese and philly cheese are used for the recipe which are not typical Japanese ingredients. When it is called Mushi Pan, Mushi means steamed in Japanese but I used an oven to steam them. So more like steam baked buns. I put them in a muffin tray using muffin tin lining paper. I placed the 6 muffin trays in a deep oven tray, which I usually use for roasting, with water to steam bake the mixture in the oven. After the cake is steam-baked then take the tray out, remove the lining paper, put the cake back for grilling the surface of the cake a little bit.
It looked a little different than what I used to eat in Japan. My friend called this double cheese mushi pan, “Tiger cheese mushi pan”. It certainly look like the tiger bread that we can buy from the bakery in Australia. But you will be amazed how soft and fluffy this cheese mushi pan is and super easy to make too!!
Double cheese mushipan ダブルチーズ蒸しパン
Ingredients
- 4 sliced cheese
- 30 g cream cheese
- 120 ml milk 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tbsp rice bran oil
- 2 large eggs
- 70 g sugar
- 70 g plain flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170 degree celsius.
- Tear the sliced cheese into small sizes. Place them in a saucepan with cream cheese, milk, and oil.
- Heat the saucepan over medium heat and when all the cheese has melted, turn the heat off and set aside.
- Mix half of the sugar (35g) and yolks in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the cheese mixture gradually to the yolk mixture bowl and combine them well.
- Add sifted flour into the egg yolk and mixture to combine.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and remaining sugar to make meringue. Beat the egg whites until it forms fine peak.
- Add 1/3 of meringue into the yolk mixture and fold it in and repeat the same for the remaining amount.
- Divide the mixture into 8 muffin tin filling each muffin form about 80%.
- Place the muffin tin in a deep roasting tray and pour water around the muffin tin. Steam bake the mushipan for 15-20 minutes in the preheated oven.
- Take the muffin tin out and remove the lining paper and cool them down on a rack.
- Change the oven setting to grill at 180 degree celsius. Place the steam baked Mushi Pans on a flat oven tray lined with baking sheet.
- Grill the surface of the cakes for about one and half minutes depending on the oven. Keep a close watch on them because they brown quickly.
- When the surface has browned, take the tray out and cool them down. You can serve the cake warm or cold. Either way is delicious.
I made these last night for my Japanese wife and she said they were almost as good as the ones she used to eat in Japan. That’s a win as far as I’m concerned!
Thank you Dan. I am glad that your Japanese wife approved it 😀
Hi, What are these called in Japanese? I found チーズ蒸しパン, but it seems like an inadequate name since it was for a more savory version. Thanks.
Hi Joe yes it is チーズ蒸しパン 😀
Hi, thank you for the recipe. Should I use hot water instead for steaming? Does the cheese mixture has to be room temp before adding to the yolk mixture?
What do you mean by use hot water for steaming?
Hi There,
Can I use orange coloured cheese slices instead ? I have these at the ready and all other ingredients. I am hoping this can work.
I made your shokupan recipe today and it turned out delicious. Lower rise than I would like but delicious none the less
Thank you in advance
Hi Sharon, yes you can 😀 Let me know how it turns out too!
These taste delicious, but mine deflated when cooling down. Is this expected? Do u need to remove the baking tray filled w water when you grill?
Hello. I have just pulled a batch out of the oven and they are incredibly light. Do I need to let them cool completely before taking the muffin wrapper off? I attempted to unwrap one and it stuck to the muffin wrapper. I had to taste it and it was delicious.
Hi Ana, I am not sure why it stuck to the muffin wrapper. It may because you baked them instead of steamed them. The wrapper usually come off clean no matter hot or cold.
Very lovely, made slightly more than expected! Very tasty and springy and moist inside. My grandmothers and I had a great time making it together as well.
Hi HCJ, I am glad to hear that you had fun to make this with your grandma and liked it 😀 Thank you for letting me know! Keep cooking delicious Japanese food 😀
amazing i love it !
Thank you, Pablo!
Hi. Uhh so I could not see where the flour is added? Into the yolk mixture or at the end? Definitely one more step missing – sorry!
Hi Stephanie, sorry and thank you for letting me know. It is now updated.
Hello a what time put the flour?
Hi Sandra, sorry to take a long time but it is now updated. Thank you
Hey! Looks amazing but I might be blind but, where does the flour go?
Hi Cara, sorry took long time to reply. The recipe is updated now. Thank you for letting me know.
Hi ! Your mushi pan look so damn pretty ! By the way, can I substitute the rice bran oil to other types of oil ?
Hi Suri, yes of course :D. I just had rice bran oil in my pantry. any oil will work 😀 Enjoy!!
The recipe is now updated. Hopefully every one understand the steps. If there is any unclear parts, please let me know. Thank you for many kind readers who tried the recipe and let me know 😀 Happy baking Japanese sweets <3
Hi Shihoko, I think there is an instruction missing between step 8 and 9? What happened after step 8, are we supposed to bake it for some time before taking the muffin tin out and cooling it in step 9?
Thank you Patricia for your comment. I read the recipe again and missing many things…. I am fixing it now. Thank you.
Hi Shihoko, your Mushi Pan looks tempting and the ingredients are easy to grab too.. may i know how long needed to steam baked it?
Thank you Grace for your comment. After many reader’s pointed out, I realised many steps are missing. I am fixing it now. Thank you.
STEP 7 DOES NOT MAKE SENSE. ARE YOU ADDING THE MERINGUE TO THE OTHER MIXTURE 1/3 AT A TIME AND MIXING IT IN?
Hi Jennifer, Thank you for your comment. I am fixing it now. There are a lots of mistakes in my recipe. sorry.