High-Protein Souffle Cheesecake

Gold cracked tops, a cloud inside – 50 minutes, six mini cakes

These are Japanese-style souffle cheesecakes, not dense New York slabs. Cream cheese, whey, and whipped egg whites bake into mini rounds that puff, crack, and settle with a gold top and a cloud inside, like the tray in the photo. No crust. Fifty minutes.

Six mini cakes. They will sink a little. That is the look.

Prep15 min

Bake28-32

Cakes6

Protein12g

Net Carbs3g

Calories160

Why you’ll love these cakes

12g protein per cake – dessert that is not empty
Only 3g net carbs – no graham crust, no sugar
About 50 minutes, one tray of minis
Gold cracked tops, pale cloud inside, like the photo
No water-bath drama if you bake them as minis
They chill and keep

Health notes

High protein: Cream cheese, eggs, and vanilla whey.
Low carb: Powdered allulose or monk fruit.
Six mini cakes: Macros are per cake, not the tray.
They sink after baking. That is souffle, not a fail.

Key element – whip the whites, then fold, do not stir

The cloud in the photo is air from the whites. Whip them to soft peaks, then fold in three additions. Stirring knocks the air out and you get a dense puck. Room-temp cream cheese is required so the batter stays smooth.

Ingredients

Cakes (6 mini)

8 oz (225g) cream cheese, room temperature
1 scoop (30g) vanilla whey protein
3 large eggs, separated, room temperature
1/4 cup powdered allulose or monk fruit
2 Tbsp heavy cream or unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon juice
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar, optional, for the whites

Swaps

Cottage cheese: Blend 1 cup cottage until silk, then use instead of cream cheese. Tangier.
No whey: Skip it. Protein drops a little. Add 1 extra Tbsp cream cheese.
Muffin tin: Line 6 cups with parchment rounds. Same bake time.
One 6-inch pan: Same batter. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cut 6 wedges.

Instructions

Heat and line. Heat oven to 325 F (165 C). Line a tray with parchment. Set out 6 greased 4-inch ramekins or a 6-cup muffin tin with parchment rounds.

Base. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Mix in yolks, whey, powdered sweetener, cream, vanilla, lemon, and salt until no lumps. Do not whip air into this bowl.

Whites. In a clean bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar to soft peaks. The peaks should droop, not stand stiff. Stiff whites are hard to fold.

Fold. Stir 1/3 of the whites into the cream cheese to loosen it. Fold in the rest in two additions with a spatula. Stop when you still see a few white streaks.

Bake and cool. Divide into 6 cups. Bake 28 to 32 minutes until the tops are gold and cracked, like the photo. The centers should still jiggle a little. Cool in the pan 15 minutes. They will sink. Chill 1 hour or eat warm.

Pro tips

Room-temp cream cheese. Cold lumps never disappear.
Soft peaks, not stiff. Over-whipped whites make tunnels.
Do not open the oven for the first 25 minutes.
A cracked, slightly sunken top is the look in the photo. Do not panic.
Chill if you want a cleaner slice. Warm if you want more souffle.

Nutrition

Nutrient	Per cake (1 of 6)
Calories	160
Protein	12g
Net carbohydrates	3g
Total carbohydrates	4g
Fiber	1g
Total fat	10g
Sodium	160mg

Estimates with cream cheese, vanilla whey, and powdered allulose. Sugar will raise carbs.

Variations

Lemon

Add 1 tsp lemon zest with the vanilla.

Matcha

Sift 1 tsp matcha into the cream cheese base.

Berry

Serve with 3 to 4 raspberries. Do not bake fruit in or they sink wet.

One pan

Pour into a greased 6-inch springform. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cut 6.

Storage

Method	Time	Notes
Eat warm	Best souffle	15 minutes after the oven
Refrigerator	Up to 4 days	Cover so the tops do not dry
Freezer	Up to 1 month	Thaw overnight in the fridge

FAQ

Yes. About 3g net carbs per cake with powdered allulose and no crust.

Souffle cakes always settle. A gold cracked top that sinks a little is the photo. If they go totally flat, the whites were over-folded or the oven was opened early.

The whites were stirred, not folded, or they were whipped too stiff. Soft peaks, then a light fold.

Not for these minis. A 325 F oven and small cups is enough. A large pan is more likely to crack without a bath.

Yes. Protein drops a few grams. The cakes still puff.

Warm is more souffle. Cold is more cheesecake. Both match the photo once the top is gold.

Test your knowledge

5 quick questions about these cakes

1. Protein per cake?

2. Net carbs per cake?

3. How many mini cakes in a batch?

4. How do you keep the inside a cloud?

5. Why do the tops crack and sink a little?

High-Protein Soufflé Cheesecake