Cheesecake is one of the most loved dessert options. Unlike other, trendier dessert options that have come and gone over the decades, it has for the most part stuck around, both on restaurant menus and in store bakeries. It’s even become a popular option for desserts that buyers can make in their own homes.
The simplicity and sweet flavor of cheesecake has a lot to do with its staying power. However, one of the major factors that has kept cheesecake high on the list of the world’s most popular desserts is the fact that it can be flavored in numerous different ways.
Cheesecake comes in many traditional flavors, and with many traditional flavor components. More than many other types of desserts, it is perfect for creating delicious seasonal dessert options. During the holiday season, buyers may find pumpkin cheesecake, peppermint cheesecake, or eggnog cheesecake.
Summer cheesecake favorites often highlight trending fruit flavors. With blackberry poised to become such a huge hit this year, it wouldn’t be surprising to find many varieties of blackberry flavored cheesecake options hitting the market. That is, of course, in addition to the other fruit flavors that make up the bulk of summer cheesecake favorites, including blueberry, strawberry, and even unique fruit flavors such as orange marmalade.
There are several different options for creating delicious flavors in cheesecakes. The first, and one of the most popular options is the creation of sweet sauces that can be used to garnish the dessert. Sauces can also be mixed directly into the cheesecake to create swirls of delicious fruit, chocolate, or other dessert flavors. This is an especially popular option for the food service industry, as it allows bakers to create large batches of cheesecake and to adorn each separately with different sauces and garnishes.
On the other side of the spectrum are flavors that are added directly into the cheesecake mix. This is the preferred option for creating rich cheesecake flavors such as pumpkin, butter rum, or specialty options such as Irish Cream or Espresso. Pre-mixed ingredients to create these flavors can easily be added to cheesecake fillings, and can allow a restaurant or bakery to easily produce many different products in a relatively short amount of time.
With the popularity of cheesecake being a relatively fixed point, there is a lot of room for innovation when it comes to flavors. Many restaurants and bakeries can create a delicious signature cheesecake with just a little experimentation, or with the help of a custom flavorist.
One thing that is interesting to note is that cheesecake flavors are becoming increasingly influenced by ethnic desserts and sweets. Green tea cheesecake can be found at many Asian-themed restaurants, the flavors of spiced Chai – a classic Indian flavor – has become increasingly common in cheesecake and numerous other dessert flavors.
There is a lot of room for innovation, whether a flavorist is looking to capture the popular flavors of a certain season, the biggest flavors of the year, or the ethnic flavors that are becoming increasingly popular.