The popular cheesecakes that have gone viral in Japan arrive in Malaga

Mokomo, a new bakery serving Japanese-style cheesecakes, has just opened in a small premises on Calle Andrés Pérez in Malaga city centre. Behind the new business are Violeta and Susana, who decided to travel to Japan to learn how to make 'cotton cheesecake', and 'dancing cakes' (because of their custard-like texture) that are so popular in the Asian country.

"We managed to get in touch with one of the people who made them and had the recipe and we got a ticket to Osaka," explains Violeta about this "madness" that has given rise to the first place in Malaga city where you can find the cakes.

The limited space means that they can only make a certain number of cheesecakes a day. "It is a very delicate and handmade cake, everything is very carefully measured so that it comes out perfectly," explains Susana, pointing out that it is a lighter and fluffier cake than the traditional Spanish version. Susana describes the Japanese cheesecake as "creamier, fattier and sweeter". It is made using cream cheese, eggs, butter, milk, a little sugar and a little flour: "It is healthier, everyone can eat it without it being cloying, it is soft like cotton wool, like a cloud".

Hence the name of this cake, which has taken them a year of testing. Now, the 500-gram, 15-centimetre in diameter cakes are sold for 13.90 euros. "We are very happy, it is being very well received and among all ages", say the two girls.

The business partners are both originally from China and their names are Yeouxiang Wang (Susana) and Qiushi Jin (Violeta). Both have been in Malaga since they were little and it was here that they met and they have both been connected to the hotel and catering business for a long time. That and their entrepreneurial spirit have led them to set up Mokomo, a term that refers to "something soft".

Like the 'cotton cheesecake', also famous in China and which they have now brought to Malaga city centre because they understand that it was the best option for what they wanted: "A cosmopolitan place where it would be easier to make ourselves known."

They are already doing so, judging by the queue that forms when a batch of freshly baked cakes comes out. Susana herself announces it with the sound of the bell as she engraves her stamp on each cake. "It's really about an experience, we like to follow that ritual and let people see the process, that everything is natural and handmade," she says.

Mokomo is open from Monday to Friday, from 4 until 8pm and on Saturdays, from 2 until 8pm. Each batch of eight cakes takes around an hour and customers have to wait as they don't take orders. They prefer to organise themselves like this. "So far we are doing very well, we are surprised with the reception".

Until now, the cakes made at Yuzu Pastry (Fuengirola) were the only ones known in Malaga province.