Around Town: In Kharghar, twin sisters are building a dessert destination — one Basque cheesecake at a time

In the residential area of Kharghar's Sector 8, a small bakehouse called Khari Biscuit has quickly become a popular destination for dessert lovers in Navi Mumbai. Run by 25-year-old twin sisters Shraddha and Shweta Sunil Paithankar, the bakery started as a pre-order operation in November last year but soon transformed into a neighborhood bakery.

Initially, the sisters had limited offerings, but after deciding to become a full-fledged bakehouse, they added foldable chairs, decorative lights, and a specials board outside. Their menu now includes six large confectionery items each day, along with smaller desserts, cookies, and pastries, with the Basque cheesecake being their most popular item.

The secret to their Basque cheesecake's texture lies in baking it at a high temperature and intentionally leaving it slightly underdone in the center, which is then left to set for at least four hours after baking. The sisters experimented for nearly two months to achieve the perfect balance of a caramelized exterior and dense, custardy center.

Tres leches, a Latin American dessert, gained popularity at Khari Biscuit, with customers traveling from other parts of the city to try it. The sisters sourced their coffee from Coorg and other ingredients from different parts of India to create unique flavors and textures. The name Khari Biscuit is a play on a popular Marathi film and a nickname given to the sisters by their elder brother.

At Khari Biscuit, the sisters focus on making fewer things exceptionally well, sourcing high-quality ingredients, and letting the desserts speak for themselves. They operate from 1 pm to 11:30 pm, with the sisters preparing desserts and pastries for the next day until around 3 am. The bakehouse remains a small, neighborhood destination where people come looking for a slice of cheesecake, tres leches, or tiramisu and often stay longer than they intended.