The cheesecake of the summer is here

There’s a cheesecake for every season. A PC^® Pumpkin Cheesecake, for example, hits the perfect note when you’re craving richer flavours in the fall. A PC^® Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake with Ganache Topping is exactly the thing to lift the spirits mid-winter, its decadence ticking every box. But in the summer months, when we’re all in the mood for something a little more refreshing? Enter the new  .  

 “It’s like liquid sunshine,” says PC^® product developer Aneta Rybak, who worked on this new recipe. “Most people are familiar with the New York-style cheesecake, which is super rich, and has a graham cracker crust. The   is light, fluffy and almost soufflé-like.”  

With no crust and a filling so light it practically floats, this Japanese-style cheesecake uses vigorously whipped egg whites to create its signature velvety, creamy interior and golden-brown exterior.    

 “A really good New York-style cheesecake has its place, don’t get me wrong. But not all cheesecakes have to be that way,” says Rybak. She’s excited that this new cheesecake will be made available across the country, so Canadians with no access to a local Japanese-style bakery can try this exceptional dessert.   

And then there is the stroke of genius that really makes this cheesecake stand out from the rest: .  A hybrid between a mandarin and an ichang papeda, a lemon-like fruit native to central China, it’s a citrus fruit that slices through the cake’s richness and brings instant brightness to the dish.   

“It’s fragrant, almost floral,” says Rybak, who describes its taste as a cross between a lemon, lime and orange. “Yuzu is really tart and refreshing. If you haven’t tried it, you’ve never had anything like it before.”  

This summer, Rybak dreams of serving up the in its simplest form: At room temperature, sliced on a plate. “I’m hoping I’ll be able to share it with friends, maybe in my backyard after a barbecue,” she daydreams. “We’ll be in the sunshine, feeling the warmth of it on our faces, and we’ll be biting into a forkful of this bright, citrusy dessert.” A scoop of the new   on top would enhance the experience even more, she says.   

If you’d like to put a twist on that classic presentation, Rybak has a few ideas. “You can heat it up,” she suggests, which will help to give it that “jiggle” you might have seen in those viral videos of Japanese cheesecake fresh out of the oven. Alternatively, you could create a trifle-style dessert by cutting the cheesecake into cubes while it’s still frozen, and then tossing it with a mixture of fresh fruit and some whipped cream.  

But honestly?   

“It’s equally good at any temperature,” says Rybak.