Trader Joe’s is known for bringing buzzy international dishes to the American masses (with varying degrees of success), and they just released a new dessert to keep that trend going. Speaking of trends, do you remember when social media was chockablock with videos showing off the delightful jiggle of Japanese soufflé cheesecakes? Trader Joe’s is getting in on that action *checks notes* at least a full year too late. I get it—it’s hard to cook things up in the test kitchen under a time crunch, so I’ll go easy-ish on them for the tardiness and focus on what’s important: Does Trader Joe’s interpretation stand up to the real-deal, bouncing, jumping, back-flipping Japanese soufflé cheesecake?
New Product!
Trader Joe’s Japanese Soufflé CheesecakesTrader Joe’sI’ll say this: I appreciate the attempt that was made. It’s damn hard to compete with the freshly baked version of this viral dessert. And not everyone has a bakery in their city or town that’s dishing out warm and jiggly cheesecakes, nor the patience to make their own version at home. It’s great that TJ’s created a store bought version—even if they didn’t quite nail it.
Pros: The cheesecakes, which come frozen in a two-pack, are moist and airy, just as promised. That said, they’re denser than the typical Japanese soufflé cheesecake, likely so they can hold up better in the freezer and you’re not left with dry and cakey cheesecake. A seemingly accidental pro (it doesn’t seem to be the main objective of the dessert) is that each cake is only 150 calories. This would be a great dessert to keep around to pair with something sweet (TJ’s recommends fresh fruit or whipped cream). And it’d be a calorie-conscious way to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Cons: On its own, the flavor leaves something to be desired. Each bite delivers a slight hint of cheesecake flavor. Like you’re daydreaming about cheesecake and your brain takes over—you swear you can taste it, but it’s just not all there. Also, these are meant to be kept frozen and thawed in the fridge for three hours before you dig in. I can’t schedule my sweet tooth that far in advance! And, no, they don’t really jiggle.
7/10
Sporks
ncG1vNJzZmiroKS%2FrLHDZ5qopV%2BWv7W1wqWcaKyilrGmvoyjpp6rXaOyuHnJmqeappWosm6%2Fzq6dn6SVYrCpscSsnJyZm5rAbr7Er6Cer18%3D