Crumble & Whisk Pâtisserie

Update Review, 2018 Tastings

Crumble & Whisk is a local cheesecake company that I've been tracking for some time. It wasn't until a catering event last year however that I finally got to try them, took one bite of the Pumpkin Spice with Bourbon flavor, and realized just how much I had been missing out on. That was some seriously good cheesecake (go read that review, and company history, first).

But, as I noted in my previous review, Crumble & Whisk does not operate a storefront, so, acquiring these delights is a bit harder.  They do sell at Farmer's Markets (in Oakland!), and used to sell on Good Eggs, but finally I discovered that they also sell on Munchery.  Munchery is was a meal delivery service that offers meals designed to be reheated by you at home (aka, they aren't delivered hot).  I've watched Munchery grow, pivot, and change, as I was one of their original customers in San Francisco, their first city.  Since then, they've added cooking kits for those who like to do some meal prep and kid's meals, and they've partnered with local juice companies and coffee makers to offer interesting beverage options.  And ... they've added some amazing desserts from local merchants as well.  The other food is all made by their chef team, but they've chosen to outsource desserts, which has worked remarkably well.  They offer incredible mini Pies from Pietisserie (which I've reviewed before), puddings from Petit Pot (review coming soon), and, swoon, cheesecake from Crumble & Whisk.  You can read all my Munchery reviews using the label on my blog, but, they have shut down since I wrote this, so, alas.

I Love New York Cheesecake: Finally!

Anyway, back to Crumble & Whisk.  Munchery clearly only carries a limited number of these cheesecakes, and they seem to *always* been sold out, particularly on weekends when I want to order.  They also only offer one flavor at a time.

I watched Munchery menus daily for ages, and finally, finally managed to catch them.  (Protip: Order as soon as you see them on the menu, even if you don't end up ordering anything else.  Yes, this cheesecake is worth the delivery fee alone.  I'm not joking. )

The first time I finally managed to successfully order, the flavor was the most simple of all: I Love New York, a classic New York style cheesecake.  While not nearly as exciting as any of the exotic collection (which aren't available on Munchery), or even the strawberry or lemon versions which do appear from time to time on Munchery, it seemed like the perfect way to judge a basic cheesecake.

Munchery Packaging.

The packaging is different from anything else I've had from Munchery, perhaps provided by Crumble & Whisk directly?  The clear plastic domes make it easy to see the beauty of a cheesecake inside, but I did find the hight of the dome a bit strange ... why did I need such a big thing?  It also had a Munchery label stuck on, but unlike other Munchery items, it did not have ingredients nor nutritional information.  Which, given what I know about cheesecake, is probably a good thing.

I Love New York Cheesecake. $5.95.

"This is classic New York-style cheesecake with just a hint of tangy lemon and a smooth, creamy texture." - Munchery

"My version of the classic features madagascar bourbon vanilla and velvet sour cream and lemon juice." - Crumble & Whisk

This was cheesecake perfection.  Honestly.

It was light and fluffy, yet incredibly creamy and rich, all at once.  The flavor was deceptively simple, yes, a plain cheesecake, but, it didn't taste just like sweet cream cheese.  It had subtleness from the sour cream, the vanilla, and the lemon juice.  I couldn't pick any ingredient out, and if you were to ask me what was in it, I couldn't tell you.  They complimented each other in a way that just created an absolutely balanced flavor.

I Love New York: Cross Section.

And then the crust.  It did not seem like a classic graham cracker crust (always kinda a throwaway crust in my mind).  Instead, it was more compressed, more sugary, almost like a sugar cookie or shortbread?  It too was delightful, and I appreciated the thickness of that layer.

This was stunning, simple, and stunning.  Seriously, cheesecake perfection, and it needed nothing else.  No topping, no drizzle of sauce, no whipped cream.  Just a spoon, a moment of silence, and complete happiness.

You can purchase these in different sizes from Crumble & Whisk as well: 3" ($8), 7" ($35), or 9" ($45).  The Munchery price of $5.95 was fantastic for an individual cheesecake that was perhaps just a little bigger than you knew you *should* eat on your own, but there is no way I was about to share even a single bite of this one.

Beet & Berries (3"). $8.

"Roasted organic baby beets infused with blueberries and hint of lemon, swirled in, topped with blueberry red wine reduction compote."

Crumble & Whisk also sells their cheesecakes at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market, and one day they had two of their more interesting sounding flavors on display: one was green (!) and had matcha and avocado in it, and the other with this, an innocent looking blueberry topped creation.  I love matcha but since I'm allergic to avocado I couldn't try that one, so I got the Beet & Berries, which actually sounded more interesting anyway.

I love blueberries, and I wasn't afraid of a little beet in my dessert, so this sounded like a winner.  It was ... fine.  Same creamy cheesecake, same buttery amazing crust, and lots of flavor from the blueberry elements, but I didn't taste the beet.  I wanted it to taste more special.  This was fine, but, well, not special.

Original Review, March 2016

Artisan cheesecake.

Those were the only words I needed to see.   I like cheesecake.  I like fancy cheesecake.  So when I learned about Crumble & Whisk Pâtisserie, an artisan cheesecake maker, I couldn't wait to try the goods.

Crumble & Whisk was started in 2013, I believe mostly as just a catering business.  For a while the cheesecakes were sold on Good Eggs, which is where I saw them.  I think I recall seeing them at the farmer's market once or twice as well.  But, for the most part, the business is catering.

Cheesecakes are available in several sizes, generally round (individual 3", full size 7", or large 9"), but they also are available as 2" squares for catering only.

Crumble & Whisk breaks the cheesecake menu up into 3 categories: "classic", "exotic", and "holiday".  The classics include:

• "I love New York", Madagascar bourbon vanilla and sour cream
• "Strawberry Fields", strawberries swirled inside and on top
• "Puckered Up!", lemon curd and candied citrus
• "Triple Chocolate Threat", with a chocolate crust and chocolate ganache

The exotic lineup does get a bit more interesting, including:

• "The Dirty South", with sweet potatoes, brown sugar, and bourbon
• "Beet & Berry", with yes, beets and blueberries,
• "Madagascar Vanilla-Bourbon", with mmm, bourbon glaze
• "Banana Spice", caramelized banana and caramel
• "Spicy Mexican Chocolate" with cayenne and chili powder
• "Vegan Delight", made with tofu instead of cream cheese

It was the holiday menu that sounded the best though:

• "Pecan Crumble", with pecans, maple, and streusel topping.  (OMG, I love all of those things!)
• "Winter White Chocolate", with cranberry and orange
• "Apple Spice", with apples and brandy
• "Pumpkin Spice with Bourbon", pumpkin, bourbon, and caramel drizzle

By now, you may have noticed how many have bourbon.  I did, and I approve.

I always planned to order Crumble & Whisk cheesecakes the next time I made a Good Eggs order, but, alas, they were removed from Good Eggs before I ever did.  A few weeks later, I attended an event, and it had amazing cheesecake.  I eventually tracked down the caterer to learn where the cheesecake came from.  The answer?  Crumble & Whisk!  I was so glad I finally got to try the cheesecake I had been eying, but also so sad that I never took advantage of it when it was on Good Eggs.

Anyway, wonderful cheesecake, and I'd really, really love to try some of the other varieties.

Pumpkin Spice with Bourbon. Catering size.  $3.50.

"Organic fresh roasted pumpkin, with spiced pepita (pumpkin seeds) with bourbon caramel drizzle."

My encounter with Crumble & Whisk was at a catering event, so I had a 2" square piece, rather than a signature round item.

I took one bite and I was sold.  Wow, this was great cheesecake.

The texture was perfect, creamy, but well set.  There was clearly plenty of pumpkin puree in it, as it tasted almost like a regular pumpkin pie, just one that was a bit richer than usual.  So, so creamy.  It was also nicely spiced with cinnamon, ginger, all spice, nutmeg, and clove, standard "pumpkin spice" seasonings, but very balanced, none overwhelming.  I am always disappointed when "pumpkin spice" means an overdose of nutmeg or cinnamon.

So the cheesecake itself was great, but so was the bourbon caramel drizzle over the top.  It wasn't necessary, the cheesecake stood up fine on its own, but I'll never turn down a little extra sweet drizzle.

Oh, and the crust.  Sugary, buttery, crumbly, delicious.  A nice thick layer.

Put it all together, and you get a fantastic bite.  I wanted more than a 2" square!