The Best Dessert at Cheesecake Factory Isn’t Cheesecake

It’s a running joke that The Cheesecake Factory’s menu is so big that it’s basically considered a novel. With so many options to choose from, you’re bound to miss something delicious on the menu. Especially if you order your tried-and-trues—like the Egg Roll Sampler and Crusted Chicken Romano—every time you’re there.

We don’t blame you for reordering your usual, but that also means you could be unintentionally sleeping on another menu item that could potentially be your new favorite—especially when it comes to dessert.

Obviously, The Cheesecake Factory is known for its rotating menu of creamy, decadent cheesecakes. The Original Cheesecake is what started the restaurant, after all. Because the restaurant offers dozens of cheesecake flavors—including fan-favorites, like Red Velvet and Cookie Dough Lover’s, and seasonal must-haves, like Pumpkin and Peppermint Bark—many people might not know that there are other desserts on the menu. In fact, there might even be desserts that are (gasp) better than the cheesecakes.

The Most Underrated Dessert at The Cheesecake Factory

At a recent visit to The Cheesecake Factory, I was presented with nearly all of the restaurant’s non-cheesecake desserts. From Linda’s Fudge Cake, which is named after a long-time employee of The Cheesecake Factory, to the Carrot Cake, I tried them all. And, while every one was delicious, there was one dessert on the menu that even The Cheesecake Factory’s public relations director said doesn’t get enough credit: the Tiramisu. 

The Cheesecake Factory’s Tiramisu is made with lady fingers, Italian-made custard with mascarpone, chocolate, coffee liqueur, Marsala, and whipped cream.

“One of the ingredients that makes our recipe traditional and special is the Marsala. Also, while many restaurants will add cream cheese to the mascarpone, we use straight mascarpone, which has a high butter fat content and is really rich and silky,” said Chris Radovan, Executive Pastry Chef and VP, Research & Development for The Cheesecake Factory.

The dessert is light—which can be a welcome change to the luscious cheesecakes—moist so it melts in your mouth, and very flavorful.

“You might not go to the cheesecake factory for tiramisu, but I sure as h*** will,” TikTok user @honestandunbiased captioned a video.

Maybe you didn’t even know that The Cheesecake Factory made Tiramisu—and that’s okay. But, now that you do, it’s worth a try next time you want a dessert other than cheesecake. However, if you aren’t willing to give up The Cheesecake Factory’s delicious cheesecakes just yet, you can dip your toe into the tiramisu pond with its Tiramisu Cheesecake. The dessert combines the best of both the Original Cheesecake and the Tiramisu to give you a creamy cheesecake on a lady finger base and topped with custard and espresso powder.

Once you fall in love with the Tiramisu Cheesecake, you’re one step closer to finding one of the best Cheesecake Factory desserts that’s hidden in plain sight.