A newly-launched brand of made-to-order sweets wants to put a twist on Japan’s beloved anko by introducing people to new ways they can enjoy their sweet red bean paste. The brand is called Ankoto, and all of the products in their lineup will incorporate anko as one of their main ingredients.

Anko is a paste made from mashed red beans (also known as adzuki beans) that is commonly used as a filling in Japanese sweets. The sweetness of the paste can be described as more on the subtle side, with some hints of earthy flavors from the beans.

The very first sweet that Ankoto launched is an anko-filled cheesecake. For the outer layers, they used the creamy Brie de Meaux cheese from France, and for the filling, they used red beans harvested in Hokkaido. The chef behind the cheesecake describes its sweetness level as “moderate”, and encourages even those who are not too fond of sweets to give the cake a try.

The anko cheesecake is currently only available for orders within Japan, and is priced at 3,500 yen. The cake is currently out of stock, with the store announcing plans to restock again on March 7, 2021 at 10:00 AM JST. You can find more details and order the cake once it’s available again through Ankoto’s Japanese website.