What cooking vessel is traditionally used for Japanese cheesecake?

A bain-marie is the traditional cooking vessel used for Japanese cheesecake. It is a water bath that surrounds the cake pan with gentle, even heat.

Japanese cheesecake relies on a delicate, aerated batter whose whipped egg whites give it a soufflé-like rise. Baking the pan inside hot water helps moderate the oven’s heat and keeps the cake moist. This reduces the risk of a dry crust, abrupt expansion, or collapse during baking.

The technique is shared with custards, cheesecakes, terrines, and other preparations that benefit from steady temperatures. In practice, the cake pan is placed in a larger roasting pan, and hot water is poured around it rather than into the batter.

A bain-marie is not a special Japanese-only utensil, and it is not the same as a steamer. The cake still bakes in the oven; the surrounding water simply buffers the heat and adds humidity.