Sara Lee’s Bites cheesecakes are just 20 calories per individual bite.

A healthful shift for cheesecake
Regardless if it’s fresh baked, frozen or refrigerated, cheesecake is undergoing a change. Whether for health reasons, to save money, or just because people want to sample more variety for their dollar, smaller size is the rule today rather than the exception. This is giving cheesecake a new market, as it’s no longer just a dessert, but also a snack.
Matt Samii, co-owner of the Ultimate Cheesecake Bakery, San Antonio, agrees that cheesecakes in smaller sizes are the trend today. “More people are buying our mini cheesecakes and buying in variety. Samplers are very popular,” he says.

The Ultimate Cheesecake operates seven retail locations and supplies foodservice distributors throughout Texas, Kansas, Arizona, Utah and Oklahoma. To meet the requests for healthful alternatives to traditional cheesecakes, the company came up with a sugar-free, carbohydrate-free cheesecake. Samii says that it maintains the creamy cheesecake texture but has no crust on the sides or bottom.

“Some restaurants we cater to also want a standard cheesecake, but gluten free. So instead of using traditional graham cracker crust, we crush pecans and walnuts and use them for an alternative crust,” Samii says.

With decades of continuing focus on consumer trends, Kavita Vermani, sweet goods assistant brand manager, Sara Lee Corp., Downers Grove, Ill., notes that consumers are asking for more options, more varieties and smaller portions when it comes to cheesecake. “Sara Lee understands people’s desire to eat better and live more nutritious lifestyles. We also understand their desire to indulge within moderation. With the introduction of our miniature version of cheesecake, Sara Lee Bites, we are satisfying consumer dessert cravings with just 20-calories per individual bite,” Vermani says.

Sara Lee Corp. and Rich Products Corp., Buffalo, N.Y., both produce cheesecakes and cheesecake products that are commonly seen in supermarket in-store refrigerated cases.
To meet the challenges of price, size and taste, Rich Products also has introduced a new “Just Right Tonight” line of 6-in. cheesecakes at 16 ozs. These are baked New York-style cheesecakes, made with high quality ingredients and offered at an affordable price. “These new cakes are on-trend as a dessert that is perfect for the small impromptu gathering or as an everyday dessert for two- to four-person households. We're excited to offer consumers an affordable way to indulge their sweet tooth without squeezing their budgets,” says Ken Haas, Rich Products’ marketing manager, in-store bakery-cheesecakes.

Adding flavor choices
While variety may be the spice of life, old favorites often come out on top. Sara Lee’s Cheesecake Bites, for instance, are available in five varieties: strawberry, original, chocolate, cookies n’ cream and caramel. “As for flavors, strawberry is always popular and is currently the number one selling SKU in the line of Sara Lee Bites,” Vermani says.
The Ultimate Cheesecake Bakery is big on variety. “We have 36 flavors of cheesecake; everything from New York style to the swirls varieties with blueberry, strawberry and cherry. We get into candy toppings. We do cookies and cream, peanut butter, toffee crunch and turtle, of course,” Samii says. “Even our sugar-free cheesecake comes in four of the most popular flavors: key lime, coffee, the old fashioned, and a pumpkin spice for the holidays.”

The Cheesecake Factory, Calabasas Hills, Calif.,  operates 146 full-service restaurants nationwide, but is best known for its cheesecakes, which come in more than 30 different flavors. To update their product line earlier this year, they took a unique approach. They held a cheesecake contest called "What's Your Flavor?” that invited people to submit cheesecake formulas. The winning flavor, Stefanie's Ultimate Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake, was chosen from nearly 10,000 submissions.

This cheesecake will be a featured flavor on the menu for one year. And to further its commitment to supporting local communities, the company plans to donate $0.25 from the sale of every slice of the winning cheesecake to Feeding America–the nation’s food bank network.