Cheesecake craze drives business expansion in Spain

Every July 30, the International Cheesecake Day—celebrated since 1985—has become a focal point for a booming dessert market in Spain. The surge began with the Basque cheesecake, whose toasted exterior and liquid interior sparked a wave of viral recipes, exotic flavours and dedicated storefronts across cities such as Barcelona, where artisanal cheesecakes can be found for as little as €0.99.

The trend has moved beyond social media hype into a scalable business model. Barcelona‑based brand Cake‑me, founded in 2025 by Brazilian couple Ana and Daniel, has opened nearly twenty outlets in three Spanish cities within its first year, aiming to serve high‑quality cheesecake at multiple locations while preserving the product’s appeal.

The dessert’s long history—from ancient Greece to modern U.S. cream‑cheese versions—underscores its enduring popularity, now translated into a fast‑growing niche sector of Spain’s food industry.