Basque in good vibes with this burnt cheesecake
By Sasha Ling
This dessert has left Singaporeans stunned at how something chaotah could taste so good. SASHA LING finds out how the unorthodox cheesecake went viral.
Photo courtesy of Bakery Brera.
Ms Lin Fangxing, a food blogger, fell in love with Basque burnt cheesecakes after being convinced by recommendations on social media to try one.
“I was pleasantly surprised. It was very, very creamy and not that sweet and jelak. It was unlike any other cheesecake I’ve ever had,” says Ms Lin over Whatsapp.
Ms Lin is not the only one in love with Basque burnt cheesecakes. With the growing number of Singaporeans who have recently discovered their love for it, the cheesecake has become a must-try dessert and Singaporeans have been scurrying to get a slice for themselves.
Basque burnt cheesecake was created 29 years ago by Chef Santiago Rivera in La Viña, a restaurant in San Sebastián, Spain. Rivera wanted a cheesecake that was “very creamy” and experimented baking with high temperatures. The result was a burnt outer layer, which is likened to the crust in a conventional cheesecake, encompassing an extremely gooey core.
What started as a kitchen experiment has since grown to become one of the most beloved desserts in the world: the Basque burnt cheesecake was named “Dessert of The Year” last year in 2019.
As a result, the search term “Basque burnt cheesecake Singapore”, according to Google Trends, has seen a whopping increase in Google searches, reaching a record-high 100 per cent popularity in June 2020 as compared to three months ago in March where it was at 51 per cent.
Infographic by Sasha Ling.
Bakery Brera, a neighbourhood bakery on Empress Road known for their Basque burnt cheesecakes, confirmed the increasing popularity of this dessert as there has been a hike in sales for this particular cheesecake that retails for $7.50 per slice.
“The cheesecake looks different from regular cheesecakes, with its burnt top. And many are probably like me, having heard reviews from friends or online, they want to try it for themselves too,” says Ms Lin.
Indeed, it is virtually impossible not to spot the eye-catching burnt tops on social media, with pictures of the cheesecake boasting over 52 thousand posts globally on Instagram alone. A slice of the Basque burnt cheesecake makes for a mouth-watering social media post and this photogenic factor may be the trigger for the enthusiasm surrounding the dessert.
“I found out about it through Instagram and YouTube,” says Ms Munirah Rusli, a Nursing student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, over Telegram. “The cheesecake is so aesthetically pleasing.”
However, Ms Thrina Low, owner of Bakery Brera, had been sceptical when her chief baker first told her about Basque burnt cheesecakes. She recounts over a phone call: “The first thing that came to my mind is ‘burnt’. I’m not so interested in burnt. Like, what could be so great about something burnt?”
Ms Low’s doubts left her once she tried the cheesecake for herself and Bakery Brera has since created three widely popular flavours: original, matcha and hojicha. She believes that the unexpected tastiness of something burnt is what “caused the craze over this product”.
Mr Fazlur Rahman, co-owner of Fasque, a home-based Basque burnt cheesecake business, agrees that the pleasant surprise one receives from eating the burnt dessert is what propelled its hype.
“It’s like something ugly but beautiful at the same time. Once you taste it, it’s ugly delicious,” says Mr Rahman over email.
In light of the trend, many new innovative flavours of the Basque burnt cheesecake have emerged. These flavours include black sesame, earl grey and even the local favourite, durian.
When asked about how she came up with the idea of a durian Basque burnt cheesecake, Ms Jynn Chooi, owner of Sunrise Bakehouse, says over Telegram: “Honestly, it’s because my family loves durian and durian is definitely something most Singaporeans rave about now. I love to share my love of food with people so why not choose a local flavour everyone loves?”
The popularity of Basque burnt cheesecakes can be said to have played a part in the rise of home-based baking businesses that specialise in the cheesecake.
“There has been [a] significant increase in competition. However, we have seen growth since we started and we are still growing,” says Mr Rahman.
Discovering Basque burnt cheesecakes motivated Ms Y.J. Ong to finally start her own home-based baking business in June. “I loved baking since I was young and I always thought of starting an online bakery business, but I never did execute the idea until a few weeks ago. After trying the Basque burnt cheesecake that my sister ordered, I immediately fell in love with it. Thus, I decided to perfect my own recipe and put it up for sale,” says Ms Ong over Telegram.
Ms Low is grateful that Basque burnt cheesecakes have been so well-received: “We are thankful that this product brought lots of joy to the family, [it is] something that you can really enjoy together; [that] gives you a very nice finishing at the end of a meal.”
Check out Bakery Brera here!
