An American knockoff of a Japanese dessert craze is coming to Orange County. (Courtesy Bear Cheese Tart)

An American knockoff of a Japanese dessert craze is coming to Orange County. (Courtesy Bear Cheese Tart)

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An American knockoff of a Japanese dessert craze is coming to Orange County. (Courtesy Bear Cheese Tart)

An American knockoff of a Japanese dessert craze is coming to Orange County. (Courtesy Bear Cheese Tart)

An American knockoff of a Japanese dessert craze is coming to Orange County. (Courtesy Bear Cheese Tart)



An American knockoff of a Japanese dessert craze is coming to Orange County. (Courtesy Bear Cheese Tart)

Get ready for cheesy molten goodness.

A new local food brand is bringing cheese tarts, a Japanese dessert craze, to Union Market Tustin at The District later this summer.

Popular in Japan, Malaysia and Australia, the tiny pastries are made with several kinds of cheese “set in a crisp shortcrust shell for a creamy, savory treat with just a touch of sweet,” according to media reps for Union Market. The $3 tarts will be baked daily in-house by Bear Cheese Tart, a new concept looking to bring its version of the tarts to America.

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The Eat Index: OC: The soup is ready at this Irvine Korean restaurant 🍜 Seasonal flavors will include mango, chocolate, strawberry and blueberry. The latter is the original fruit flavor sold by Bake Cheese Shop, a Hokkaido, Japan bakery credited for launching the cheese tart craze.

Shannon Campbell, marketing director for The District at Tustin Legacy, claims Bear Cheese Tart will be the first store “to bring the famed Hokkaido-style baked cheese tarts right here to Orange County.”

Bear Cheese Tart, whose parent company is U.S. Asia Capital, is expected to open in July across from Market 2 Plate at Union Market food hall, according to The District.

The restaurant company, whose investors are from Asia, has plans to open more stores in the U.S.

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