Toh Jia Hui and Cara Tan were primary school classmates, bonded for their love of cheesecakes. When they finished university, they started an online shop, selling cheesecups, or cheesecake in a cup. Cheesecakes are usually available in large slices, too jerlat for a girl to finish, they reason. The “petit” size allows guilt-free indulgence. It’s true, I ate 7 cheesecups and I didn’t feel guilty… until I met my trainer. “What did you eat this week?” he asked.

“Chicken breast and broccoli,” I replied.

“How come you’re getting fatter? Your body defies logic.” Don’t give up on me, trainer! I promise I’ll change tomorrow.

Like celebrity portmanteaux, Brangelina and Bennifer, Jara is a combination of both their names. For four years, Jara Petit took online orders as the two ladies strove in their day jobs. As their careers took off, they found lesser and lesser time to bake. They decided the time was now or never: either stop baking and close Jara or quit their jobs and concentrate on Jara. They chose passion. 

Jara offers 9 types of cheesecups: original, blueberry, lemon, durian, matcha, strawberry, cookies & cream, banoffee (banana with toffee), lavender-infused.

What I like about their cheesecups are
(1) the texture isn’t too dense so it feels lighter, and I can eat 7 at a go (hey! I did!),
(2) the flavors are super strong. The durian cheesecup tastes like eating durian itself; the cookie & creams is like eating a big oreo cookie; and the lemon is a lemon tart.

I love all flavors, except for lavender-infused. Couldn’t really taste the lavender. If I’m forced to pick top 3 favorites, it is probably matcha, and lemon (since it is refreshing and I like lemon tarts), and blueberry. I normally don’t like blueberries in cakes because it usually tastes very artificial. But Jara’s version tastes real, refreshing, and light.

How to enjoy a cheesecup? Use a spoon and dig right to the bottom till you hear a crunch and hit gold.

Single $3.30, Box of 3 $9.50, Box of 9 $27. 
Discount for NUS and SMU students (guess we know where Jara studied.) 

Jara Petit Cheesecups

11 Orchard Rd, Dhoby Ghaut Xchange B1-35, Singapore
T: 6338 9335
11am-9pm daily
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Written by A. Nathanael Ho.

ps: Thanks, Jara, for the cheesecups.