As the name suggests, the recipe began in Japan. As well as being an easy dessert, some have praised it for being ‘healthier’ than a normal cheesecake (never mind the fact that some versions of the single-serve recipe require more than 500 calories of cookies alone). Food influencers have quickly started adding their own embellishments, including sauces, and replacing the yoghurt with premade cheesecake filling.
Cannier cultural commentators have suggested that this has been an even bigger marketing success for Biscoff since vegans figured out that they could eat them. The best #ad is always going to be the one that the audience participates in without realizing, and the more low-effort, the better.
Only a few years ago, we decried the blatant engagement-baiting of over-the-top ‘food hack’ recipes that had paid actresses whipping up unappetizing concoctions, solely to make a big enough contingent on the internet mad. A food craze such as Japanese cheesecake is kind of the inverse of this, hooking us with its simplicity and tastiness instead of disgust. The crossover is that they both play on our addiction to internet life hacks.
A convergence of the current protein obsession, influencers looking for their next gimmick, and our love for a quick fix, this cheesecake is proof that even in the age of endless slop, it doesn't take a lot for us to consider something a novelty. It may soon go the way of the baked feta pasta and join the graveyard of TikTok cooking trends, but the compulsions that make it popular remain as strong as ever.
